Uranyl nitrate and Uranyl acetate are routinely used as stains for 
transmission electron microscopy (really contrasting agents, not 
stains in the light microscopy sense). Both for sections and negative 
stains of bacteria, viruses, and macromolecules.
Waste disposal is just as a toxic compound (uranium is toxic) in 
water. The radioactivity is too low to bother about, even for the 
safety people -- although there are probably some safety offices that 
regulate UNO3 and UAc they same way they do carbon-14 or 
phosphorus-32, which are issues.

Phil

>The preferred name for this venerable silver technique is "reticulum
>stain". Whatever reticulin is (or was), it isn't all that the
>technique demonstrates. I never heard anybody say "reticular stain".
>
>How are people handling the hazmats problems with reticwhatever
>stains? Is anybody still using uranyl nitrate?
>
>Bob Richmond
>Samurai Pathologist
>Knoxville TN
>
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-- 
Philip Oshel
Microscopy Facility Supervisor
Biology Department
024C Brooks Hall
Central Michigan University
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859
(989) 774-3576

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