[Histonet] CAP Guidelines for Microwaves

[Phil McArdle]

Hi:

First of all, yes, I'm with a vendor who makes laboratory microwaves, so 
you can decide how much of an axe I have to grind, or even if you want 
to read this:

Energy Beam Sciences, a pioneer in the use of microwaves in histology, 
has maintained for over a decade that consumer-grade microwaves have no 
place in a laboratory setting. Admittedly, over the years some users 
have managed to achieve varying levels of success in some 
"non-tissue-processing" applications like staining. However, I'd argue 
that a high number of failures due to this same approach has served to 
regress the art via anecdotal microwave "horror stories." Now that 
microwaves (both consumer-grade and true laboratory instrumentation) are 
in routine and widespread use in the histology laboratory, it should be 
unsurprising that CAP is taking this issue very seriously.

CAP is not alone; microwaves in histology have been receiving increased 
interest from standards institutes such as CLSI (formerly NCCLS; see 
their publication GP-28A), and significantly, governmental agencies. 
Besides Europe's strict IVDD regulations, in the USA you have OSHA: see 
29 CFR 1910.303(b)(2) which simply states that no food-grade microwave 
should be used for anything other than its intended purpose.

 From a workplace safety standpoint, the fact that consumer microwaves 
don't provide chamber fume extraction is extremely significant. Even 
seemingly benign reagents, when heated by any means, can easily produce 
high levels of vapor. Unimportant? Can't smell anything? Anyone who's 
suffered through O-Chem knows you can't go by smell or immediate 
symptoms, and it's commonly recognized that chronic exposure to 
pollutants is to be avoided.

Consumer grade microwaves are prone to hot and cold spots within their 
chambers. In the proper context, this doesn't really matter; we've all 
had overcooked or undercooked meals (if we're unlucky, sometimes in the 
same meal!), but we live with it. This illustrates a lack of consistency 
or repeatability, the very factors that can prove problematic in a 
laboratory setting, for obvious reasons.

In addition, generally speaking, consumer microwaves aren't designed or 
built to take the day-in-and-day-out demands of the histology 
laboratory, don't have calibrated output, and don't provide the means to 
measure output power, for example. These are not deficiencies, given the 
proper context: heating leftovers or reheating cold coffee at home... 
what's the worst that can happen?

Now compare that with the worst that could happen with a biopsy.

There's also the question of liability exposure. If your laboratory were 
party to any kind of lawsuit, whether as plaintiff or defendant, how 
comfortable would you be if it came out that a consumer appliance was 
being used, rather than appropriate laboratory instrumentation, even if 
it had nothing to do with the issue at hand?

Now how does that $69 Wal-Mart microwave stack up?

Late in 2005, after a series of conversations and e-mails with CAP 
representatives (and CLSI, whose publications CAP references), Energy 
Beam Sciences developed some recommendations to help with these new 
checklist items. An Acrobat file of said recommendations may be found on 
our website at

http://www.ebsciences.com/pdf/EBS_CAP_RECOMMEND.pdf

Also, feel free to browse our "library" section for articles, papers and 
protocols.

Seriously, while I'd love to sell you one of our microwaves, I'm 
probably more interested in "advancing the art." And that means getting 
consumer microwaves out, and true laboratory microwaves in, even if 
they're not ours.

End of rant and shameless commerce!

Best regards,

Phil McArdle
Microwave Product Manager
Energy Beam Sciences, Inc.
Tel:  800.992.9037 x 341
Cell: 860.597.6796
Fax: 860.653.0422
PMcardle <@t> ebsciences.com
www.ebsciences.com
"ADDING BRILLIANCE TO YOUR VISION"

"I hate quotations. Tell me what you know." Ralph Waldo Emerson


Parker, Helayne wrote:
> I was wondering if anyone new what CAP require of us if we have a common
> household microwave that we use for special stains.
>
> Helayne Parker,HT (ASCP)
> Histology Section Head
> Skaggs Community Health Center
> Branson, Missouri
>
> _______________________________________________
> Histonet mailing list
> Histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
>   


-- 
Phil McArdle
Microwave Product Manager
Energy Beam Sciences, Inc.
Tel:  800.992.9037 x 341
Cell: 860.597.6796
Fax: 860.653.0422
PMcardle <@t> ebsciences.com
www.ebsciences.com
"ADDING BRILLIANCE TO YOUR VISION"

"I hate quotations. Tell me what you know." Ralph Waldo Emerson