Xylene Substitutes
Dear HistoNet Colleagues,
I am interested in your experiences with xylene substitutes. In my
former lab, we used Shandon Histosolve xylene substitute for both processing
and H&E staining. In my current lab, we use the now discontinued Fisher
Hemo-De limonene based product in our processor, and xylene in our H&E
stainer.
At NSH, many people mentioned dissatisfaction with the limonene clearing
agents because of the strong odor and the consequential sensitivity to it.
Xylene is highly toxic and has a foul odor. I would like to eliminate it
entirely from my lab except for occasional wax cleaning purposes.
The ideal xylene substitute would, of course, be a completely benign
substance that was odorless and yielded beautiful histological results in
processing and automated H&E staining. Has anyone found something that comes
anywhere close to this ideal? Is there any product I should avoid because
you found it disastrous?
Thank you so much for your help!
Best regards,
Kim Atkin HT (ASCP)
<< Previous Message | Next Message >>