[Histonet] uranium - question for microscope slide manufacturers possibly

[louise renton]

This is absolute free thinking here.......

could this be contamination of some sort? Perhaps the lasering process
"kicks" off some cells containing U if they are not tightly bound to the
slide and they float around to settle and upset everyones measurements

Try testing slides form a new, unopened box perferably from another distant
lab or dierctly from the supplier or another supplier altogether.

What is the background U content in Arizona? Think of the example of arsenic
in exhumed bodies. The amount found in the tissue can be rendered
meaningless if the levels in the surrounding soil around the bodies is
significant.

recalibrate  the equipment with a known standard and retest
Just my 2 cents worth



On 12/4/07, Andrea Grantham <algranth <@t> u.arizona.edu> wrote:
>
> I have a question about slides containing concentrations of uranium.
>
> One of my investigators is working on a project where they are
> lasering tissue off of slides and checking it for the amount of
> uranium in the tissue. The laser actually vaporizes the tissue and it
> goes into a machine where it is tested for uranium content. They were
> getting some strange readings and tested the slides alone without
> tissue and found that the slides alone had a pretty high uranium content.
>
> So she is asking - Is there some coating to put on the slides to
> block the uranium?
>
> My question is this - is there really uranium in slides and just how
> much uranium is in a glass slide? Can this be dangerous?
>
> Are there some slides out there that do not contain uranium?
>
> I hope somebody has an answer for my weird question of the day.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Andi Grantham
> .....................................................................
> : Andrea Grantham, HT(ASCP)     Dept. of Cell Biology & Anatomy     :
> : Sr. Research Specialist       University of Arizona               :
> : (office:  AHSC 4212)          P.O. Box 245044                     :
> : (voice:  520-626-4415)        Tucson, AZ  85724-5044    USA       :
> : (FAX:  520-626-2097)          (email:  algranth <@t> u.arizona.edu)       :
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>
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-- 
Louise Renton
Bone Research Unit
University of the Witwatersrand
Johannesburg
South Africa
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