Mark,
I think it would determine which isotope is being used.  Our nuclear
Medicine departent has a procedure which they use Tc Sulfer Colloid to label
sentinal nodes.  We place the specimen in an ice chest, in a store room for
3 days before it is grossed.  The half-life is 2.5 days.  We had Nuclear Med
test the formalin after 3 days and it barely registered. We justed mixed
that formalin with our usual waste formalin.

Joe Nocito, B.S., HT(ASCP)QIHC
Histology Supervisor
Christus Santa Rosa Hospitals
San Antonio, Texas 


> -----Original Message-----
> From:	mark.lewis@shandon.com [SMTP:mark.lewis@shandon.com]
> Sent:	Wednesday, September 08, 1999 4:16 PM
> To:	histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
> Subject:	Radioactive tissues
> 
> Hello HistoNetters,
> 
> Does anyone out there  have any experience in processing tissues that have
> been labeled with radioactive isotopes?  If so, did you have to dispose of
> the processing reagents as radioactive waste?  I would think this would be
> the way to go, but I'm not experienced in this area and don't know all of
> the regulations concerning radioactive waste.
> 
> Any help on this subject will be appreciated.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Mark Lewis
> Technical Specialist
> Shandon
> 1-800-245-6212 ext. 4013
>