I, too, am a breather. I also was given that as a SUGGESTION from Wayne
when I was a student.
It helps decrease static which I have a problem with and moisten the
surface of the block. Has worked great
for me!

In reply to the person asking about cutting for RNA....that is
different. I wear gloves and mask to try
and cut down on the RNAses that come in contact with the tissue. I would
wipe the block with a gauze
from a new pack, dampened with warm water. I also precleaned the slides
the tissue was going to be mounted
onto in DEPC water for 5 min. air dried on a clean surface and covered
in Al foil until use.The person
collecting also took precautions b4 hand like wiping all surfaces down
with RNAse away,wearing a clean pair
of gloves and a mask. Hope this helps.

Colleen Forster
U of MN