In many perioperative environments, OR nurses and staff manually handle and transport patient specimens to pathologists. Not only does this involve staff exposure to toxic formalin solution, but it can also introduce unintended variabilities into the integrity of the specimen. At Periop Leader Week, we saw in person a powerful…
If your facility doesn’t have formalin safety precautions and policies in place, or if you’re looking to update your existing approach, below are some examples that can help you in your efforts. UC Berkeley’s Office of Environment, Health & Safety just updated its Hazards and Precautions Fact Sheet last month.…
Acute formalin exposure is a nightmare for both the OR staff who are exposed as well as the facility at which they work. When these emergencies occur, it’s no joke. The hazard is so great that local media even reports on these incidents. For example, in February, WQAD-TV reported on…
Formalin is a colorless but foul-smelling aqueous solution that usually consists of 37% to 40% formaldehyde gas, water, and a stabilizer such as methanol. In the OR, formalin is commonly used by staff to preserve and store biological specimens removed during surgery for subsequent pathological examination. However, when OR staff…
