[Histonet] Xylene sensitivity

Tue Sep 27 11:44:33 CDT 2011

Sometimes a new employee is like the old canary miners took with them. They alert you to bad air. Sometimes, after you have used a product for a while your body has adjusted to it and you cease to notice it. 

We use xylene, the last time a substitute was looked at one of the techs had a reaction to it so we stayed with xylene. 
The lab is negative pressure, the air exchange rate is 52 times per hour and all the equipment that generates fumes is either in a large hood or directly vented into the fume system. We also test for xylene and formalin once a year which is a OSHA requirement and the main hoods are inspected and tested twice per year. 

We have done everything we can to keep our air fresh no matter what chemical or reagent we use. 

Bottom line: Not all people can work in a Histology lab plain and simple. If someone starts reactions to our reagents as per our guidelines they will be sent to Employee Health for review. 

Tom

-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Glen Dawson
Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2011 12:27 PM
To: rjbuesa <@t> yahoo.com; histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: RE: [Histonet] Xylene sensitivity

Rene',

I must respectfully ask: what happens after you modify your procedures for this new employee & 2 days after everything has been standardized/validated another employee begins employment, but exhibits sensitivity to the new xylene substitute?  I realize that getting another job NOW is not easy, but redoing standardized procedures over and over could drive a lab into the ground and ALL of the techs in that lab could be searching for another job.

It is a mistake to automatically assume that substitutes cannot be toxic or cause sensitivity themselves.

Glen D.

Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2011 08:44:35 -0700
From: rjbuesa <@t> yahoo.com
Subject: RE: [Histonet] Xylene sensitivity
To: sdattili <@t> stormontvail.org; histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu; ihcman2010 <@t> hotmail.com

Glen:
I respectfully disagree. Do you have any idea what would mean to that employee to try to get another job NOW?
Changing the procedure is what we (as histotechnique refers to) have been doing for ever.
Perhaps you do not remember other methods, but I do because I started working in this field in 1952.
Back then I processed tissues manually and used aniline oil to "clear", benzene  as ante medium and was very glad when I switched to white gasoline and later to xylene.
Do you know why xylene became so prevalent? Because in 1943 the AutioTechnicon was developed and they recommended xylene as the way to go.
That selection also was the choice of the VIP manufacturers, and we all started to change from the toxic benzene and aniline oil to the toxic xylene.
There are other ways of doing things and changing work or exposing to toxic chemicals is not the correct path, no matter how much we are "used to".
René J.

--- On Tue, 9/27/11, Glen Dawson <ihcman2010 <@t> hotmail.com> wrote:

From: Glen Dawson <ihcman2010 <@t> hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: [Histonet] Xylene sensitivity
To: sdattili <@t> stormontvail.org, histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Date: Tuesday, September 27, 2011, 11:11 AM

Shelley,

Perhaps this employee should look into other job opportunities.  The histo lab is filled with chemicals that can cause sensitivity in those people who may be prone to that.  Unfortunately, some of the main players in the histo lab (xylene & formalin) are often the culprit, but they are the best products in terms of how well they work, how universally they are used, how well their characteristics are known, etc...  I hate to sound like I'm not sympathetic, because I truly am, but I think it is a mistake to modify a histology lab's procedures to accomodate a new employee.

Just my opinion,

Glen Dawson  BS, HT(ASCP) & QIHC
Milwaukee, WI

> Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2011 08:27:19 -0500
> From: SDattili <@t> stormontvail.org
> To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> Subject: [Histonet] Xylene sensitivity
> 
> Hi all,
> I have a new employee who is developing a scratchy, painful throat and some difficulty breathing when exposed to xylene (for instance, when the cover is raised on the coverslipper). This is her first job in a lab of any sort. We are investigating all the usual culprits--air handling system, hoods, allergies or virus unrelated to histology, etc. Right now she is wearing a PAPR to work, which is obviously not a long-term solution. Ultimately, I think we will conclude that this employee has a sensitivity to xylene and possibly other chemicals in the histology lab, as other employees are not complaining about symptoms related to chemicals.
> 
> Does anyone have any experience with activated charcoal air cleaners? I am looking at a portable unit that sits on casters and provides 4 air exchanges per hour. It's not cheap at $1000, but well worth it if it will provide relief for this employee and allow her to continue her employment. Our lab is approximately 800-1000 sq. ft in size with 8 foot ceilings. We have 1 standard bio-hood for processing cytology fluids and 2 wall-mounted "air suckers" above our processors. I am open to any suggestions.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Shelley D'Attilio MT(ASCP)
> Manager, Chemistry, Cytology and Histology
> Dept. of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
> Stormont-Vail HealthCare
> Topeka, Kansas
> 
> 
> 
> 
> NEED A DOCTOR? Stormont-Vail's Health Connections can help you find a doctor accepting new patients. Call (785) 354-5225.
> 
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