A Study of Xylene Free Hematoxylin and Eosin Staining Procedure

Abstract

Background: Mineral oils and liquid dish washing solutions have been tried by various investigators as a substitute for xylene in order to eliminate or minimize its toxic and hazardous effects. Methods: One hundred paraffin embedded sections each were stained by both conventional method and xylene free method using liquid dish washer. The sections were scored on the parameters of nuclear staining, cytoplasmic staining, crispness of staining, uniformity of staining and clarity of staining. The results of the two were compared and statistically analyzed. Result: The statistical analysis suggests that the soapy sections failed to prove that it has comparable effects as that of the conventional method. Conclusion: Liquid dish washer can be a safer non toxic alternative to xylene. More studies using modifications of the above technique can be undertaken to improve the quality of stained sections thus eliminating occupational hazards.