Hi,
    From what I have read in the OSHA CFR The only thing they are concerned is
that those who are directly working with the chemical are aware of its hazards
also that those in the area know there is a hazard present (right to know) and
those working with it are given proper personal protective equipment. They do
not prevent chemicals from being used they just want them used safely. Other
agencies may be different but I really think if you have those two bases
covered then OSHA will not hassle you. There are a lot of formaldephobics out
there, don't let 'em fool ya!
Amos Brooks

"O'Brien, Sue (by way of Histonet)" wrote:

> I was wondering what others were doing for handling formalin fixation of
> specimens obtained from the O.R.  Do the O.R. staff keep a small volume of
> 10% Neutral Buffered Formalin (NBF) in the room (with the patient under
> anesthesia) and add formalin to the specimen immediately in the O.R. room?
> Or is the fresh specimen passed out of the room and formalin added to it at
> another site? (If this is so, what is the delay time between specimen
> removal and fixation?) Are there any regulations stating that formalin can
> not be in the O.R. room with the patient? (I am aware of current OSHA
> standards regarding formalin, but this particular scenario is not
> specifically addressed, and I'd like to know how others handle it). Thanks
> for your input,
> Sue O'Brien, Histology Supervisor
> Burdette Tomlin Memorial Hospital
> Cape May Court House, NJ 08210
> e-mail: histo@bthosp.com <mailto:histo@bthosp.com>
> phone: 609-463-2449