[Histonet] embedding and microtomy "medical waste"

[Morken, Timothy]

Curt, we went through  the same thing, but for the embedding we keep a plastic bucket on the bench and lined with a biohazard bag, and put all the lids and papers in that. We keep those for a week in case some tissue ends up missing. Then it goes into the red cans.

At the microtome we do use the smallish plastic biohazard waste cans with self-closing lid. (https://www.fishersci.com/shop/products/eagle-step-on-biohazard-waste-containers-3/p-36261) They are now used to this and it is not really a problem. They are not allowed to prop them open. We tried red 5-gallon "paint can" type containers with fully removable lids, but the techs were required to put the lids on every time they moved away from the microtome. Of course that did not happen. Our safety people finally said we must have self-closing lids. We tried several kinds, even one that was auto-open with a sensor, but that did not open fast enough. The foot pedal works ok. 

We went through the stainer water issue as well when we were considering the Ventana stainer that disposes directly to the drain. The city water department came in and checked out everything and passed it all off. He also gave us a lot of good info about what we can and cannot put down the drain here. Best to contact local authorities on that since it may be different than ours.


Tim Morken
Pathology Site Manager, Parnassus 
Supervisor, Electron Microscopy/Neuromuscular Special Studies
Department of Pathology
UC San Francisco Medical Center




-----Original Message-----
From: Curt via Histonet [mailto:histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu] 
Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2016 1:19 PM
To: histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: [Histonet] embedding and microtomy "medical waste"

So here's a good one for you all... we had the county health department come through the lab and ding us on medical waste... specifically the plastic disposable lids at embedding, the lens paper used for wrapping specimens such as ECC and EMB. Then they got us on the Kim Wipes used to clean the water bath at microtomy... those papers have human tissue on them so they need to be treated as medical waste... NOW we have to have red cans next to all microtomes and embedding stations. The obvious issue outside of cost and logic is that these medical waste cans all seem to have self closing lids which really interferes with the rhythm and pace of work when one needs to reach over with a food to open the lid after every block is embedded and when they water bath is cleaned after every block...

Simple question(s): 1)does anyone else have to do such things to contain the waste, 2) does anyone know of a source for medical waste cans that do not have these frustrating self closing lids... if we could simple remove the lid and replace it when done then we could deal with it, the cost is one thing but slowing down work flow is a problem.

And just for a little more humor, they actually wanted me to contain and dispose of the water runoff from our two automated slide stainers, we run about 2200 slides a night... that would be many gallons of waste water every night and would not be within the budget.... We in turn ran a fish kill test which demonstrated that the water runoff which contain little Hematoxylin, bluing and clarifier do not pose any significant threat to the environment, not even in California....

Bottom line to all this, I need some red trash cans with removable lids, if they're still out there somewhere.... Anywhere.....


Thanks for your input,

Curt

Ps, I didn't proff read thie smail... if something is not spelt correctly, don't hold it against me....

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