Occupational Hazards in Histopathological Labs due to Xylene

Haematoxylin and Eosin form the backbone of everyday pathological diagnosis. It is the most common staining technique used in histology. H and E plays a key role in the recognition of the tissue types and the morphological changes if any that form the contemporary of cancer diagnosis. The diagnosis of most malignancies is based largely on this procedure. Due to its high efficiency the staining procedure has been unchanged for over 150 years. (1) Apart from haematoxylin and eosin, the components in the staining procedure include xylene and other graded alcohols. These chemicals are used to carry out steps like rehydration and dehydration during the staining procedures. Xylene forms an inseparable part of a pathology laboratory. The historical use of xylene in the histology laboratory is an example of a failed substitution. The major drawback in histopathological labs is the toxicity caused by the chemicals used, problem of disposal of the hazardous chemicals used, which in turn lead to hazards to the workers in the histopathological laboratory.