Eileen Dusek asks about iron stains on bone marrows:

On paraffin sections of bone marrow biopsies, the iron can leach out during the decalification step.
If the control works, you know the actual iron stain is working. I think pathologists also consider the serum iron levels,(I am not a pathologist!) and you can also do an iron stain on the bone marrow aspirate smear, which has not gone through the decal step, to compare.

Mike Titford
USA Pathology
Mobile AL USA