Dave, yes, of course. And that should help you avoid the problems
(hopefully!). Knowledge is power and what you don't know will eventually
hurt you. Learn all you can about all your chemicals and don't take any for
granted. Of course, most households have chemicals just as dangerous under
their kitchen sinks and in the garage or basement - and most people have no
idea they are dangerous. So hopefully you are ahead of the game. When
reading the fine print of chemical hazards I think it is helpful to know
that a for a lot of chemicals the warnings are designed for amounts in an
industrial manufacturing setting (tons and barrels of the stuff), not for
the  (usually) minute amounts we work with. That's not to minimize the
dangers, just to give a perspective.

Most of the problems I've either seen personally or heard about from victims
are from ignorance about the chemicals dealt with, or willful negligence
("...in a hurry..."). Both can be solved by due diligence.

Tim Morken
Atlanta
-----Original Message-----
From: David.Petsch@med.va.gov [mailto:David.Petsch@med.va.gov]
Sent: Monday, July 08, 2002 4:52 PM
To: histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
Subject: Concerned about working with carcinogens


Is anyone out there concerned about the hazardous materials we are exposed
to daily in Histology? 
Such as Xylene, Formalin, and some of the other carcinogens used through out
Histology.  

We keep the exposure levels under the limits but I still can't help but
wonder if we're in harms way.  

DAVE