Joe:
  If you are using a MW oven that cannot vent out the internal air volume and you decide to do a "quick" fixation of a sample, the moment you open the door you, and your environment, will be contaminated with noxious HOT formalin fumes. It does not matter how much charcoal you place near the MW oven.
  Besides CAP, OSHA 29 CFR 1910.303(b)(2) states: "listed or labelled equipment shall be used or installed in accordance with any instrument included in the listing or labelling" in short meaning, you cannot use an instrument for other purpose different to what it was designed, and household MW oven were designed to heat and cook foods, not to process tissues.
  Besides that, all manufacturer now have a disclaimer stating that use of the MW oven for purposes other than they are intended to, void any guarantees.
   
  The ONLY solution would be to use the household MW oven INSIDE a fume hood.
  The new CAP Anatomic Pathology Checklist for its Accreditation Program ANP.29430 Microwave devices state that used OUTSIDE a fume hood should have an INTEGRAL fume extractor that needs to be properly connected to a house air handling system or approved stand alone laboratory air handling system.
   
  I still think that, at least for tissue processing, the message stands valid: "do not use them!"
  By the way, this has nothing to do with any "popularity contest" that for sure CAP will never win!
  René J.

Joe Nocito  wrote:
  but what about using a table top fume absorber with charcoal filters? CAP 
writes these questions so ambiguously that it becomes a joke. This is the 
main reason why I have a negative attitude towards CAP.

Joe
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Rene J Buesa" 
To: "Joe Nocito" ; "'Parker, Helayne'" 
; 
Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2006 4:19 PM
Subject: RE: [Histonet] CAP Guidelines for Microwaves


> Joe:
> It is not external ventilation to the MW oven what CAP wants, is a vent 
> connected from the microwave to an outlet and there is not a single 
> household MW oven with that characteristec so, for all practical purposes 
> the mensage keeps being: don't use them (the household appliance) for 
> histology work, specially if tissue processing is the objective of the 
> use.
> René J.
>
> Joe Nocito wrote:
> I don't believe CAP is saying not to use them. They are saying use them
> safely with ventilation and make sure they don't leak radiation.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: histonet-bounces@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> [mailto:histonet-bounces@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Rene J 
> Buesa
> Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2006 11:35 AM
> To: Parker, Helayne; histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> Subject: Re: [Histonet] CAP Guidelines for Microwaves
>
> Helayne:
> In short, the message from CAP is: "do not use them!"
> Unfortunate though!
> René J.
>
> "Parker, Helayne" wrote:
> I was wondering if anyone new what CAP require of us if we have a common
> household microwave that we use for special stains.
>
> Helayne Parker,HT (ASCP)
> Histology Section Head
> Skaggs Community Health Center
> Branson, Missouri
>
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