Formalin in OR?

[learningnurse]

Out of curiosity, does anyone pour formalin (a stock jug) into medium to large sized specimen containers to accomodate the larger specimens in OR? The small pre-filled formalin containers I don't think would be problematic. I was told a facility was written up by JCAHO because formalin should only be poured under a hood or well-ventilated area due to the fumes. Has anyone encountered problems with formalin use?

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

We have all pre-filled containers, ranging from very tiny to huge bucket. There is no pouring of formalin. Anytime we have a spill, those doing the cleaning must wear respirators and everything is placed in an empty bucket and sent to pathology to be vented under a hood. A spill larger than 750mL means we call Hazmat, so I can't imagine it's safe to be pouring formalin without being under a hood. But, the MSDS will have plenty of information.

[RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN]

We don't have pre-filled specimen cups. We have a station with the big jugs in a ventilated hallway outside the door to pathology drop off. We wear goggles, a mask and gloves that are at the station. We label our containers with a "Container Formalin" sticker on the outside. For the very large specimens like bowel etc we cover the top with a formalin wicking napkin. It pulls formalin so you don't have to cover the entire specimen with large amounts of it and wicks it over the top. The joint has never made us have a hood.