Some days it feels like that.  I used chloroform for a fixation procedure on
frozen sections of brain.  A day in the cryostat was very strange at times.
We just knew we had only one way to get done and no one was saying how bad
it was in the 70s.  Pam

-----Original Message-----
From: Weems, Joyce [mailto:JWEEMS@sjha.org]
Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2000 1:40 PM
To: 'Linda Jenkins'; histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
Subject: RE: Xylene does smell nice!


And now adays we have kids dying with glue and paint. All along they could
just work in Histology!
Joyce Weems
Pathology Manager
Saint Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta


	-----Original Message-----
	From:	Linda Jenkins [SMTP:jlinda@ces.clemson.edu]
	Sent:	Wednesday, March 01, 2000 10:33 AM
	To:	histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
	Subject:	Xylene does smell nice!

	Dear Peter,
		You don't know how relieved I am that you made the comment
about
	xylene smelling nice.  It's nice to know there is one more out there
who
	shares my fondness for that particular aroma.  Acetone is another
personal
	favorite.  One of the reasons I went into histology MANY years ago
was
	because I liked the way that part of the lab smelled.   Guess that's
why
	xylene is called an "aromatic" hydrocarbon;  the histologists' own
personal
	brand of aromatherapy!  Now, before the "safety patrol" comes after
me - I
	haven't allowed those intoxicating smells in my lab in many years.
Just
	reminiscing:-)
		Actually, as a safety note, it doesn't pay to keep
chemicals
	without the proper signage on them.  We had been using Fisher's "
Aerosol
	OT"  solution (butyl cellosolve) in the water bath as a surfactant.
Once
	again, this particular chemical had an almost hypnotically sweet
aroma -
	intensified by the warm waterbath.  Didn't need to use but a capful
per day
	so the bottle lasted and lasted, etc. (early '80's).  Nothing on the
label,
	no MSDS.  Finally, one day we ordered a new bottle(1991).  WOW - you
should
	have seen the new label on this bottle.  Among the items that caught
my
	attention were phrases such as:  IMMEDIATELY dangerous to life or
health,
	causes hemolytic anemia, narcosis, kidney or liver failure and brain
	damage, and involuntary movement of the eyeball.  Needless to say,
we
	promptly changed our waterbath protocol.
		Linda
	PS - Always thought the citrus-based, xylene subtiutes smelled like
a
	Florida orange grove "gone bad"!
	*********************************
	Linda Jenkins, HT
	Clemson University
	Department of Bioengineering
	864.656.5553
	**********************************