Dear Mary,

	For personal preference I prefer a disposable gown (rear opening, paper
based) at all times when working in the lab.  Gloves are essential for
embedding & staining, but optional for sectioning (here I think they are
more trouble than they are worth).  An additional plastic apron over the
gown during staining is sometimes prefered for those who don't wish to have
walk of parts in "Joseph & the Technicolour Dream Coat".

	A quick check of your Material Safety Data Sheet file should be enough to
convince anybody of the hazards of careless safety precautions.  I was
taught to stain without gloves & had variegated skin colouring on my hands
for most of the years I spent at Uni.  But I would never do it now.  I
worked with a scientist who had to embed wearing a mask due to his severe
allergy to molten wax & its fumes.  However once he was sectioning he was
OK.  My lecturer at Uni had a severe contact allergy to xylene, you could
almost see the skin flake from his hands after the most minimal contact.  I
am so far lucky, I have a mild contact allergy to petrol (from my hobbies
not my work).

	So, I guess I'm saying minimum standard is a lab gown & gloves, with the
gloves optional for sectioning.  Gloves themselves can be a problem, with
latex & powder causing allergic reactions in some people.  I currently use
non powdered (although this out of consideration for the flow cytometer not
me), hypo allergenic brands are also available.  

	Regards

	Rob. 

At 02:46 PM 7/17/99 -0700, you wrote:
>What type of personal protective equipment do you require your histotechs
>to use during embedding, microtomy and staining?  Scrubs? Covergowns?
>Gloves?  We are trying to implement consistency in PPE with our clinical
>laboratory.  We do have a policy in place for the occasional CJD specimen
>but not for routine histology procedures.  The safety coordinator and I
>would appreciate any info you can share regarding this matter.
> Mary North
> Loma Linda University Med Ctr
> Loma Linda, CA
>
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R. Wadley, B.App.Sc. M.L.S, Grad.Dip.Sc.MM
Laboratory Manager
Cellular Analysis Facility
School of Microbiology & Immunology
UNSW, New South Wales, Australia, 2052
Ph (BH) 	+61 (2) 9385 3517
Ph (AH)	+61 (2) 9555 1239
Fax 	+61 (2) 9385 1591
E-mail	r.wadley@unsw.edu.au
www	http://www.micro.unsw.edu.au/caf.html