We have been going through the same problem with the six hospitals I manage.
Three of them have gone to refrigeration.  The specimens are put in the
refrigerator, the pathology lab assistant picks them up, transports them to
the lab and adds formalin.  This takes formalin out of the OR and  makes
transportation easier.  However two of the hospitals have pathologists who
do not think this is a good practice and we still haven't resolved the OR
issues there.  The sixth hospital, much to the dismay of the histotechs,
have begun using a formalin substitute.  So good luck.  Let me know how
things work out.

Karla Carson HT/HTL (ASCP)
Regional Pathology Supervisor
Mercy Health Care Sacramento
916-453-4494
e-mail kcarson@chw.edu <mailto:kcarson@chw.edu>

		-----Original Message-----
		From:	George, Cheryl [mailto:cgerorge@optima.org]
		Sent:	Wednesday, September 13, 2000 8:25 AM
		To:	'histonet@pathology.swmed.edu'
		Subject:	Formalin in the O.R.

		Hi out there,

		I could use some help.  Our laboratory is located in a
hospital setting from
		where we service several other hospital sites.  The hospital
safety
		committee is trying to remove formalin from the operating
room area.
		Currently, we supply the OR with prefilled smaller
containers but do not for
		the larger ones (such as a container for a colon, etc).  For
those
		specimens, we provide an empty container and a 2.5 gallon
carboy of formalin
		so that the staff can place the specimen in the container
and then fill it
		with formalin.  I have always thought that this is safer
than prefilling the
		large ones mainly because if someone 'plops' a large
specimen in a prefilled
		one, it may splash.

		Can people please reply to me telling me how the situation
is handled in
		your hospitals?  The first round of meetings about this
begins Monday (9/18)
		and I would like to have some indication of what others are
doing by then.

		Thanks


		Cheryl George, HT (ASCP)
		Anatomic Pathology Supervisor
		NHML
		(603)663-2686
		cgerorge@optima.org