[Histonet] RE: Does xylene cause skin cancer?

[White, Lisa M.]

We use nitrile to coverslip at our lab.  Several of us including myself
have latex allergy as well as the latex breaks down quickly.  Most labs
require you to use gloves handling any chemical substance.  I have one
tech who has years of experience that will suffer greatly at 1 drop of
xylene or xylene substitute.  With one drop the skin will be eaten away
for quite a long time.  So nitrile all the way!

 

I don't know about xylene causing skin cancer but heard an old wives
tale once that a HT had gotten liver cancer from exposure to xylene.
Who knows if it is true?

 

Lisa White, HT(ASCP)

Supervisory HT

James H. Quillen VAMC

PO Box 4000

Corner of Veterans Way and Lamont

PLMS 113

Mountain Home, TN 37684

423-979-3567

423-979-3401 fax