We throw ours in the biohazard bags and have them incinerated

Joe Nocito, B.S., HT(ASCP)QIHC
Histology Supervisor
Christus Santa Rosa Hospitals
San Antonio, Texas


> -----Original Message-----
> From:	RSRICHMOND@aol.com [SMTP:RSRICHMOND@aol.com]
> Sent:	Tuesday, January 04, 2000 9:37 AM
> To:	histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
> Subject:	Re:  Disposal of paraffin blocks
>
> Cathy De Viney asks:
>
> >>How do you dispose of your old paraffin blocks? Regular trash or
> biohazardous trash?<<
>
> I've never seen anyone address this issue, but I would regard them as
> biohazardous trash.
>
> First, at least theoretically, some etiologic agents (such as prions, the
> supposed Jakob-Creutzfeldt agent) can survive in them.
>
> Second, because they should be disposed of - preferably incinerated -
> where
> nobody can get at them. They're the sort of thing kids will retrieve out
> of a
> Dumpster and play with (I did worse things myself when I was a kid!)
>
> I'm not sure that anyone should be disposing of paraffin blocks these
> days,
> with the rapidly expanding use of molecular techniques in pathology.
>
> >>Answers need not clutter this list.<< This topic very much belongs on
> this
> open list.
>
> >>am asking this question on behalf of our histotechs, because they do not
>
> have access to the internet<< Appalling but true - in most of the little
> hospitals I work in, it's a major achievement just to get the histotechs a
>
> copy of Freida Carson's book. Only the suits and their dressed-for-success
>
> secretaries have Internet access. And it doesn't look like that's going to
>
> change in my remaining years in pathology.
>
> Bob Richmond
> Samurai Pathologist
> Knoxville TN