[Histonet] Paraffin on floors

[Jay Lundgren]

Forget the floor damage.

You don't use xylene because it's a suspected carcinogen and it isomerizes
to free benzene, a known carcinogen, when it evaporates.

Xylene vapors are heavier than air and stay in your reserve lung volume and
do The Bad Thing.

NEVER use xylene for cleaning surfaces.  Not your microtome, not your
countertop, not your floor.  That's like using gasoline to dust your
nightstand at home.

That's why they make Paragard etc.  If you don't like paraffin repellent
spray on your area, elbow grease and a piece of gauze works just fine.
Citrus cleaners work too.

Anyone using paraffin as a surface cleaner should be written up.

If you have to use xylene to clean a coverslipper or soak off a coverslip,
only do so under a hood.

Super Seriously,

Jay A. Lundgren, M.S., HTL (ASCP)



On Tue, Jul 30, 2024 at 12:22 PM Terri Braud via Histonet <
histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu> wrote:

> Paraffin buildup on floors.  Histology's worst.  Problem solution:
> 1. Everyday, sweep and scrape personal work areas - microtomes and
> embedding
> 2. Put paraffin catching mats at key traffic areas - Change every 2 weeks
> 3. Have Environmental Services/Housekeeping strip and re-wax the worst
> traffic paths every 2 weeks
> The stripping of the wax is key.  Please don't use xylene because it will
> ruin the floor.
>
> Terri L. Braud, HT(ASCP)
> HNL Laboratories for
> Holy Redeemer Hospital
> 1648 Huntingdon Pike
> Meadowbrook, PA 19046
> Ph: 215-938-3689
> Fax: 215-938-2021
>           Honesty
> AccouNtability
>     AgiLity
>     CoLlaboration
>   CoMpassion
>
>    2. Wax in hallways (Naira Margaryan)
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2024 13:08:59 -0500
> From: Naira Margaryan <nmargaryan88 at gmail.com>
> Subject: [Histonet] Wax in hallways
> Hello,
> We have noticed lots of wax dots on the hallway with linoleum floors.
> Sticky mats are not helping. Even when we leave our lab coat in the lab,
> there is still some residue under our shoes.
> What do you use in your lab?
> How you remove wax from the shiny linoleum surface?
> Any suggestions are appreciated,
> Naira
>
>
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