To combat concerns about the dangers posed by the use and transport of formalin solutions, histopathology staff in Sheffield explored an innovative biospecimen transfer system, as Karen Lester explains.
Concerns about the health effects of formalin exposure, together with the reclassification of formaldehyde as a Class 1 carcinogen (IARC) has prompted hospital authorities, surgical staff and biomedical laboratories to assess alternative solutions aimed at reducing exposure to the substance. A critical exposure point for hospital personnel is in the transfer of tissue from operating theatres to the pathology laboratory. This project aims to assess alternative systems that minimise the risk of formalin exposure in theatres.
Sheffield: the current situation
The histopathology department in Sheffield is split over two sites, the Royal Hallamshire Hospital (RHH) and Northern General Hospital (NGH). Previously, the two sites had separate, fully functioning laboratories, but in 2013 the sites merged into one large laboratory at RHH, with a small ‘satellite’ laboratory at NGH for specimen receipt and urgent protocols. Both sites have theatre units which send surgical specimens for histological analysis.
At RHH the theatres are situated in the same building as histopathology. The specimens taken in theatres are collected into specimen buckets, refrigerated until the next scheduled delivery and then brought to histopathology where they are fixed in formalin on receipt. Fixation is performed within the histopathology department where staff are trained to handle formalin safely over downdraft benches and have access spillage kits and training in case of an accidental spill.
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