Think outside the box when disposing of broken slides
For those of you concerned about how to dispose of contaminated microscope slides, here’s some guidance on what not to do.
A Phoenix veterinary laboratory faces civil penalties totaling $80,000 for routinely disposing of glass microscope slides and cover slips that contained animal tissue specimens into a dumpster, according to NAZ Today.
Arizona law states that slides and cover slips are classified as biohazardous medical sharps, and must be stored in a container that is “rigid, puncture-resistant, leakproof, and fitted with a locking cap.” The container must also be labeled with a biohazardous medical symbol and disposed of at a biohazardous medical waste facility.
Sound familiar? That’s the definition of a sharps container.
In the past many facilities have simply put broken slides in a cardboard box marked for broken glass because the tissue on them was fixed in formalin and was not considered infectious. However Tennessee is at least one state where state OSHA authorities have cited facilities for following that exact practice.
Some states include slides and cover slips under the definition of sharps and simply state that they need to be disposed of in the appropriate rigid, puncture-resistant container.
Although many people have asked for alternative disposal methods since sharps disposal is so expensive, there doesn’t seem to be a cheaper alternative that meets OSHA and state waste requirements. However, you can check your state’s standards to find out specific sharps disposal requirements.
How do you dispose of contaminated microscope slides at your facility? Let us know below.
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Terry Jo Gile
Terry Jo Gile, MT(ASCP), MA Ed.,The Safety Lady® has more than 40 years experience as a certified medical technologist. As president of her own consulting firm, Safety Lady LLC, she is a world renowned speaker and consultant who helps organizations create safety savvy laboratories. Click the links to visit her Web site and her blog.
Terry Jo has written 49 posts.
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