Donna, I am truly sorry about the staff with Ca in your lab.
However, apart from the NSH study on histotechs health some 
years ago, I am aware only of a study carried out by questionnaire 
in the UK some twenty years ago.  It may be longer, knowing how 
time flies as you get older)
They found NO evidence of increased disease rates of any knd 
ecept TB in the first and "viral" hepatitis in the second, amongst 
histotechs.  They found a very small increase in lymphoma and 
brain tumours in pathologists.
The fact that the two increases in histotechs were called "hepatitis" 
and TB shows how old the survey was.  There were no sub-types of 
hepatitis then except viral and non-viral.  And TB was a disease 
under control, not one enjoying a resurgence.
There was also virtually no Health & Safety agency/enforcers.
ergo. - there was the deauce of a lot more formalin (and everything 
else) fumes around the laboratories.
But NO increase in any diseases compared with the general 
population.
I am not arguing for the abandonment of H&S procedures and 
policies, simply for a more realistic approach.
I would take far more liberty with formalin than I would with cyanide 
and less than I would with water.
We have reached advanced paranoia in that we nowadays equate 
anything that comes in a reagent bottle as though it were 
equivalent to the worst.  And from what I can gather, in some 
states even substances that does not come in a reagent bottle.

Note: for students of English grammar: I know I started a question 
with "and".


Russ Allison, 
Dental School
Cardiff
Wales