[Histonet] Xylene sensitivity

[Amos Brooks]

Hi,
    I can attest to the effacacy of the isopropyl/mineral oil processing
that Rene describes. It works great for murine heart samples. I would not
switch entirely though, since xylene does a fine job with most other
purposes. My main concern is the rather hysterical impulse to get rid of
every chemical we use.
    We all work with chemicals in this line of work every day. It is just
part of the job. We need to avoid the hazards as best we can, but they are
there nonetheless. We can't remove all the chemicals and work with nothing
but distilled water. It just doesn't work like that. Hazardous chemicals can
be safely used without resorting to changing long standing procedures.
Picric Acid, osmium tetroxide, formalin and a multitude of other chemicals
are certainly able to be used as long as the user is aware of the risks and
uses proper protection.
    If someone develops a sensitivity to a chemical as common as xylene, it
is not unlikely that they will develop sensitivities to others as well. We
should attempt to see if they can reduce their exposure, but if everything
that can be reasonably done has been done, perhaps the best course would be
retraining into another lab would be best. This is not a cruel punishment.
It is a courteous way of assisting the person in evolving their career into
something more suited to their personal needs.

Chemistry happens,
Amos

On Tue, Sep 27, 2011 at 12:45 PM, <histonet-request <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> wrote:

> Message: 11
> Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2011 12:44:33 -0400
> From: "Podawiltz, Thomas" <tpodawiltz <@t> lrgh.org>
> Subject: RE: [Histonet] Xylene sensitivity
> To: Glen Dawson <ihcman2010 <@t> hotmail.com>, "rjbuesa <@t> yahoo.com"
>        <rjbuesa <@t> yahoo.com>, "histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu"
>        <histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
> Message-ID:
>        <
> 38667E7FB77ECD4E91BFAEB8D986386323DF21AAD2 <@t> LRGHEXVS1.practice.lrgh.org>
>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> 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
>