Xylene Substitutes

From:

Carol Ann Bobrowitz

Your doctor should complain to the engineering/maintenance department at your facility. The ventilation/exhaust system could be the problem. Most histology labs do not have adequate ventilation. The engineers could probably come up with an ingenious way for better air flow.

You can change xylenes to any substitutes you wish but you will have the same fume problem. Also, remember, some substitutes could cause the quality of your work to go down.

Have your doctor mention OSHA. That helps gets the ball rolling. Work with your doctor to improve the air quality. Many places try to overlook this problem because it is expensive to correct. This is not only an air quality problem but a major health issue. I've never understood why histology personnel are subjected to unsuitable working conditions in hospitals. A hospital is there to help the sick not make the employees sick.

Good luck and I hope you solve this problem.

Carol Ann Bobrowitz
Physiology & BRI Histology Core Laboratory
Department of Physiology
Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
(414) 456-8179
FAX (414) 456-6546
cbobrowi@mcw.edu

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