Hi Mike, Sue, Et Al

You have a serious and unhealthy problem!  You should always have adequate fresh air supply in an enclosed room.  There should be proper ventilation for your area.

1.	If you are using ANY chemicals in that enclosed you should have a negative air pressure to draw the fumes out of the room.  (This will also draw cool air into the room.)

2.	The temperature in the room should be 70 - 72 degrees if not for the humans then for the machines at least.  If they are digital or microprocessor controlled they need to run in a cool enviroment.

There are portable air conditioners on the market.  We used several of the at Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis, MO for enclosed rooms with poor ventilation.  E-mail me back and I can provide details.

Good luck and breathe easy,

Garland

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike & Sue Becker [mailto:msadk@nycap.rr.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 09, 2002 5:33 PM
To: HistoNet Server
Subject: Re: Room Temperatures


Hello All!

Hey before I ask my question-what's with all the nasty e-mails about who is
a professional?  Chill guys!!

So, I have this problem in the lab area I work in doing just frozen
sections.  We have two cyrostats running all day and night.  The lab is
probably 12 x14 or 14 x14 feet size wise.  These machines generate so much
heat the typical temperature is anywhere from 73 degrees F up to 82 degrees
F.  I like it cold and so do the machines but it hasn't been possible to
keep it below 73 for very long or if at all.  I work in a private doctor's
office and the lab is new with one heat/cooling vent and an extra fan
installed just to take some of the heat out-but it hasn't really helped.  I
am dying in this room some days.  We put in a portable floor fan and I have
a desk top fan on a shelf above my head blasting directly at me-these help
but they basically circulate hot air.  I love sunshine and sunny days and
even like Florida but an 80 degree room 40 hrs a week while running around
doing stat frozens is not my idea of a vacation. I have been very vocal
about my predicament but there is only so much the boss can do.  We had the
maintenance crew close the heat/air cond. vent down some but was told it
can't be competely turned off.  The temp setting is the back of the office
suite which controls the heat to the room is set high because the office
staff are freezing and it is cold in their offices-I know-I have an office
back there and I love it.  It's actually about 72 or 73 F in the offices-but
they are wusses.

Any ideas for how we could eliminate some heat. There is a drop ceiling
above which could be removed and it would vent some heat through. There is
alot of space above that which would help dissipate this steam bath!!  Any
other ideas would be greatly apprecitated.  The whole place was recently
renovated but no one expected such a hot lab-it's the machines for sure.
The doc has talked about trying to vent the heat exhausts to the fan exhaust
in the ceiling.  Anyone ever done that??

I was disturbed to see so much mud slinging about professional labeling.  We
are too interdependent upon one another in this forum to arguing over this.
I know I went off a few months ago on someone who made a joke about why not
to do histology-I was wrong and misunderstood the e-mail-plus 3 rounds of
chemotherapy had set in and I was a wreck anyways!  But back to the
point-professionalism doesn't automatically come with a degree 2 or 4 years.
It is a way of working with people or things which eliminates bias.  We
treat every person or specimen with same regard and we try to be civil to
one another whether we like working with certain people or not.  They don't
teach that in college I am afraid.  So guys, lighten up and put down those
daggers.  We are all is this together.  There are alot of so called
"professionals" out there with all levels education who fail miserably at
acting that way while there are millions of lower status positions held by
people with less than a HS diploma or the equivalent who can make your day
heaven because of the nice way they speak to their customers or handle a
situation.  Professionalism is an attitude and a way of behaving which lets
the patient/customer know you care and you know what you are doing and that
they are equally important.

On a lighter note-hope everyone had a Happy New Year and Holiday!!!

Good evening guys!  Where ever you are!!

Bye.

Sue Becker HTL(ASCP)
Histotechnologist
Albany, NY 12205
USA