Leica’s Sub-X, a clearing agent from the Surgipath brand, is an economical xylene substitute. It is less volatile than xylene and over three times less toxic – the eight-hour workplace exposure for xylene is 50 ppm and for Sub-X is 196 ppm.
Sub-X is an essentially odourless and non-greasy aliphactic hydrocarbon. As it is less oily than D-limonene-based xylene substitutes, it leaves no residue on slides. It is quick to dewax and can be used for tissue processing, deparaffinisation, clearing and clean-up.
Safe to use with most plastics and tubing in open and closed tissue processors, Sub-X is a gentle clearant which will not over-harden tissue specimens, making section cutting easier. It is compatible with Surgipath mounting media from Leica, including Sub-X mounting medium.
Also available from Leica is the Airchek badge, specifically designed to measure xylene workplace exposure levels. The badge is simply clipped to a laboratory coat and will monitor exposure levels for up to eight hours.