Off the top of my head....
What about doing something like microincineration (same as is done for
asbestos/asbestosis in lung)?
That would show the inorganic, but not the organic component or
perhaps xray to show the silica particles?

Just a few lateral thoughts



On 7/26/05, Monfils, Paul  wrote:
> Now there's a unique problem! No, sand really doesn't section very well. How
> about cutting a thick section?  A 20 or 30 micron section may not be
> suitable for cellular detail, but it might contain enough of the material to
> demonstrate it adequately; and while the section might be full of
> striations, hopefully the striations might not be deep enough to shread the
> ribbon.  Also, try to get the earliest section you can get, while knife
> damage is minimal. Use a fresh section of knife edge, and start rotating the
> microtome before the block touches the knife, so you can get the first
> couple of sections off the block face.  If that doesn't work, your
> pathologist will probably have to demonstrate the debris by having the lung
> x-rayed.
> 
> Paul M.
> 
> > ----------
> > From:         histonet-bounces@lists.utsouthwestern.edu on behalf of Diana
> > McCaig
> > Sent:         Tuesday, July 26, 2005 11:43 AM
> > To:   histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> > Subject:      [Histonet] granular debris in paraffin blocks
> >
> > Does anyone have any suggestions to obtain sections from an autopsy case
> > of
> > a drowning victim.  The lung tissue has granular debris from a muddy
> > ditch.
> > The pathologist wants this demonstrated but it is virtually impossible to
> > obtain anything due to fragmentation of the blocks from this.
> > Thanks
> > Diana
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> > Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> > http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
> >
> >
> 
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-- 
Louise Renton
Bone Research Unit
University of the Witwatersrand
Johannesburg
South Africa
"....I know who I am. No-one else knows who I am. If I was a giraffe,
and someone said I was a snake, I'd think no, actually I'm a giraffe"
Richard Gere

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