[Histonet] Formalin Neutralizer

Sat Apr 13 12:52:47 CDT 2013

Benjamin:
Thank you????????
Just a "detail" about formaldehyde (chemically named methanal). Please check ANY chemical book and you will find in the description of methanal something like: "colorless gas at room temperature with a CHARACTERISTIC PUNGENT and IRRITATING ODOR"!! So much for "you cannot smell it!!!
And be assured I will keep posting every time I think I can be of some help to my fellow "histonetters"
René J.

From: Benjamin <benjamin <@t> histologistics.com>
To: Rene J Buesa <rjbuesa <@t> yahoo.com> 
Cc: Mark Tarango <marktarango <@t> gmail.com>; Cristi Rigazio <cls71877 <@t> gmail.com>; "histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu" <histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu>; Lin Bustamante <lbustamante <@t> cvm.tamu.edu> 
Sent: Saturday, April 13, 2013 12:16 PM
Subject: Re: [Histonet] Formalin Neutralizer

Lol, of all your post Rene, I have not seen anything that needed more. Your a good guy. Always detailed and precise, with a complete story not just bare minimum effort. In this case I have to point something out, not so much for histonet as for Rene to thank him for all his histonet education he gives us all. So here goes--- formaldehyde is a colorless odorless gas. You cannot smell it. The smell of formalin is an additive, the purpose of which is to make you aware when you are being exposed. Propane has a similar additive that smells like rotten eggs, so you dont blow your house or garage up leaving the stove or grill on all day and then lighting it up! Boom!

To elaborate on the formalin neutralizing blah blah- you make hexamethylene tetramine by mixing ammonia and formaldehyde...its a common compound used in platics and other industry and also to treat UTI. Since it is a drug, it is allready found in our water system. Just pour that crap down the drain Rene! Dont worry about the smell its harmless! And keep posting on histonet!

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 13, 2013, at 11:37 AM, Rene J Buesa <rjbuesa <@t> yahoo.com> wrote:

The topic of formalin neutralization comes up regularly in HistoNet and there are always those who post answers telling about good results obtained and the advantage of eliminating the cost of removal by some local company dedicated to chemical contaminants removal.
>Perhaps I have been unlucky but I have tried Transform121; Vytak; Formalex; Aldez-AMS 410 and 1% aq. potassium permanganate with very poor results as tested with Schiff's reagent of the "neutralized" product. Always the neutralized NBF had a strong smell of formalin, as Mark describes.
>On an answer to HistoNet on March 24, 2009 our colleague Tony Henwwod advised all of us that 10% neutral formalin can be neutralized with sodium bisulfite or with concentrated ammonia (27%) used at a ratio of 56mL every 1 000 mL of 10% NBF. The ammonia is added stirring and is an exothermic chemical reaction.
>I have not tested the procedure but I completely sure of Tony's advise.
>After my failures with commercial neutralizers I decided to keep using the services of the chemical disposal company, expensive as they were, because I could reconcile myself with the idea of dumping incompletely "neutralized" NBF into the sewer and that is what I recommend anybody who, after "neutralizing" the NBF, still smells it!
>René J. 
>
>From: Mark Tarango <marktarango <@t> gmail.com>
>To: Cristi Rigazio <cls71877 <@t> gmail.com> 
>Cc: "histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu" <histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu>; Lin Bustamante <lbustamante <@t> cvm.tamu.edu> 
>Sent: Friday, April 12, 2013 6:22 PM
>Subject: Re: [Histonet] Formalin Neutralizer
>
>
>Our safety person claims no test for formalin is accurate after the
>addition of sodium sulfite.  I had suggested some kind of testing after I
>was surprised by the strength of the fumes when someone was pouring the
>treated formalin waste down the drain.  I wish I knew more about it.
>
>
>
>
>On Thu, Apr 11, 2013 at 6:26 PM, Cristi Rigazio <cls71877 <@t> gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>We have a formaldehyde test kit.  It's a dip stick type test.
>>
>
>>
>Sent from my iPhone
>>
>
>>
>On Apr 11, 2013, at 5:31 PM, Mark Tarango <marktarango <@t> gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>
>>
>Can I ask how you test before dumping?
>>
>
>>
>Thanks
>>
>
>>
>Mark
>>
>On Apr 11, 2013 6:21 AM, "Cristi Rigazio" <cls71877 <@t> gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>
>>
>We neutralize ours and have no problems with it.  I am not sure how much
>>>
>you use, so I will say it is easiest in smaller batches as you do have to
>>>
>shake it up to make sure it dissolves.  We purchase ours from BBC
>>>
>Biochemical for a very reasonable price and then test before dumping.  We
>>>
>have doing this for four years with no issues.
>>>
>Thanks,
>>>
>Cristi
>>>
>
>>>
>Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>
>>>
>On Apr 11, 2013, at 6:04 AM, "Bustamante, Lin" <LBUSTAMANTE <@t> cvm.tamu.edu>
>>>
>wrote:
>>>
>
>>>
>We are looking into the option of neutralizing our formalin waste
>>>>
>instead of having it to be picked up.
>>>
>If you use Formalin Neutralizer, do you have any  pro/con about this
>>>>
>product?
>>>
>Thank you very much.
>>>>
>
>>>>
>Lin S. Bustamante, B.S., H.T.(ASCP)
>>>>
>VIBS Histology Laboratory Supervisor
>>>>
>College Of Veterinary Medicine
>>>>
>Texas A&M University
>>>>
>College Station, Texas 77843-4458
>>>>
>Phone: (979) 845-3177
>>>>
>Fax: (979) 458-3499
>>>>
>
>>>>
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>
>>>
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