[Histonet] RE: Yahoo link

Wed Dec 4 08:23:35 CST 2013

Couple of studies that I know of.

One was sponsored by NSH in the mid-1980's. KH Kilburn came to several NSH 
Symposiums, and did different tests on people who volunteered to 
participate. Published findings in the late 1980's that said that histotechs 
had lower pulmonary function than average population, and decreased memory, 
equilibrium and dexterity than the general population.

In Letters to the Editor, people pointed out statistical flaws (low numbers 
of participants, for example). I also feel there were flaws, such as testing 
people after traveling over time zones, who were up late at the parties, and 
had possibly been drinking the night before. There was no way to measure how 
much exposure to formaldehyde or xylene people were really exposed to. I 
didn't participate, but if I though the amount I was being exposed to was 
medium, someone else being exposed to the same amount might have said low 
amount and someone else could have said high amount. And the studies would 
say therefore the low pulmonary exposure was due to histotechs being exposed 
to formaldehyde. But who could say it was due to that chemical, and not due 
another chemical, or due to the fact that at the same time, people were 
smoking in the lab I was working in, which was a small space.

Another study somewhat relates - S Khattak in 1999 wrote one on pregnancy 
outcomes following gestational exposure to organic solvents. They interview 
women who were pregnant and working with organic solvent, so painters for 
example, so not histotechs only. They compared them to women of same age, 
same number of children, similar profession not exposed to organic solvents. 
They found that if the exposed women were having symptoms (breathing 
problems, rashes), they had a higher percentage of miscarriages and babies 
with deformities. If there were no symptoms, they had the same, and even 
lower, percentages than comparable women giving birth who were not exposed.

What histology needs is something like the nursing organization in the US 
has been doing for over 40 years. Everyone who is a member of the nursing 
society is sent a survey (I think every year), and asked to have physicals 
information released from their doctors to the organization (It's voluntary 
to participate). But they have 40+ years of data from hundred of thousands 
of women, of all ages. They can mine a wealth of medical data from this.

NSH (and ASCP) may not have enough histotechs in their organization to pay 
for the type of survey needed, to continue on for decades. We would need 
supervisors and bench techs to participate for decades. And probably have to 
mail them several formaldehyde and xylene monitors every year, or every 
couple of years, to collect real numbers of how much people were exposed to. 
And the surveys were pages and pages long (my mother was a nurse who 
participated from the beginning, so I've seen them), and asked lots of 
questions about health and diet and smoking and personal issues, in addition 
to questions about what types of chemical we work with an how much and how 
often. And how do we measure ventilation in all these places of work?

I hope someone comes up with some studies that can help us figure out if 
histotechs are being exposed to enough chemicals that could be causing these 
different diseases in humans. There are animal studies, but not human.

And remember, people in general, including histotechs, are living longer. If 
we live longer, we are more likely to have chronic diseases like diabetes, 
COPD, and cancer. We need to know which cancers are caused by which levels 
of formaldehyde or organic solvents, vs., say, breast cancer and prostate 
cancer just because we are women or men.

Peggy A. Wenk, HTL(ASCP)SLS

-----Original Message----- 
From: Elizabeth Cameron
Sent: Wednesday, December 04, 2013 8:24 AM
To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: [Histonet] RE: Yahoo link

I know the potential for damage to your health is huge in histology, but are 
there any studies out there that indicate histotechs are less healthy than 
the average person?

-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu 
[mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Ingles 
Claire
Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2013 7:06 PM
To: Histonet
Subject: [Histonet] RE: Yahoo link

Old Histologists never die, they're just well fixed...
Claire
________________________________________
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu 
[histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] on behalf of Morken, Timothy 
[Timothy.Morken <@t> ucsfmedctr.org]
Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2013 11:22 AM
To: 'Shirley A. Powell'; Histonet
Subject: [Histonet] RE: Yahoo link

Well, Shirley, you are actually an Angel, so nothing will ever stop you!! 
(from an old Georgia Society hand).

Tim Morken
Supervisor, Electron Microscopy and Neuromuscular Special Studies UC San 
Francisco Medical Center San Francisco, CA

-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu 
[mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Shirley A. 
Powell
Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2013 9:18 AM
To: Histonet
Subject: [Histonet] Yahoo link

When I entered the profession I was told the average life expectancy of a 
histotechs was 20 years from hiring.  That scared me but I was already 
hooked.  I have been doing this 51 years, so maybe good laboratory practices 
can help, in spite of bad ventilation and all those other dangers mentioned.

Shirley Powell
Antique Histotech

-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu 
[mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Paula Pierce
Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2013 11:40 AM
To: Morken, Timothy; Histonet
Subject: Re: [Histonet] RE: Yahoo link

Just what I was thinking. We will never get enough new students now!

With proper training and equipment, we do the job safely!

And you can drown in an inch of water. Is that in the MSDS!

Paula K. Pierce, HTL(ASCP)HT
President
Excalibur Pathology, Inc.
5830 N Blue Lake Dr. Please note new address!
Norman, OK 73069
405-759-3953 Lab
405-759-7513 Fax
www.excaliburpathology.com

________________________________
From: "Morken, Timothy" <Timothy.Morken <@t> ucsfmedctr.org>
To: 'Mike Tighe' <mtighe <@t> trudeauinstitute.org>; 
"histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu (histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu)" 
<histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, December 3, 2013 10:24 AM
Subject: [Histonet] RE: Yahoo link

Great. Just what we need.

Even so, we in the business can take these lists with a grain of K4[Fe(CN) 
6] * 3H 2 O since we know that suitable precautions preclude most of the 
danger. For instance, I'll have to say that the histo lab here is wonderful 
in that it has such good ventilation (ie.,  extraction) that there is none 
of the usual chemical smell - no xylene, alcohol, specials chemicals that 
often assaults the senses in histology. Vendors that come here are amazed.

Tim Morken
Supervisor, Electron Microscopy and Neuromuscular Special Studies UC San 
Francisco Medical Center San Francisco, CA

-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu 
[mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Mike Tighe
Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2013 6:31 AM
To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu (histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu)
Subject: [Histonet] Yahoo link

Anybody wonder who has the most harzardous job to your health? We're Number 
One!!!

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-15-jobs-that-are-most-damaging-to-your-health-155706120.html

Mike
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