[Histonet] Formalin down the drain??

[mtitford <@t> aol.com]

I was a little distressed to read the message from Amy in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania declaring she dumps everything ("and I mean everything") from her histology lab down the drain. There are a bunch of Federal Laws governing handling and disposal of chemicals used in the histology laboratory and she appears to be breaking several. The wastewater law limits how much formalin you can discard down the sink (and you cannot dilute as you go). The same law forbids disposal of organic solvents like xylene, or solutions containing organic solvents. Local laws in Pennsylvania may be more strict.

I recommend to Amy that she purchases a book like, "Hazardous materials in the histopathology laboratory" by Janet & Richard Dapson and read the whole thing cover to cover!

Michael Titford
Pathology USA
Mobile AL USA