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Recommended Work Practices: Cryostats

Frozen sections of unfixed human tissue or animal tissue infected with an etiologic agent pose a risk because accidents can occur. Freezing tissue does not necessarily inactivate infectious agents. Freezing propellants under pressure should not be used for frozen sections as they may cause spattering of droplets of infectious material. Gloves should be worn during preparation of frozen sections. When working with biohazardous material in a cryostat, the following is recommended:

• Consider the contents of the cryostat to be contaminated and decontaminate it frequently with a disinfectant suitable for the agent(s) in use.
• Consider trimmings and sections of tissue that accumulate in the cryostat to be potentially infectious and remove them during decontamination.
• Decontaminate the cryostat with a tuberculocidal type disinfectant regularly and immediately after tissue known to contain bloodborne pathogens, M. tuberculosis or other infectious agents is cut.
• Handle microtome knives with extreme care. Stainless steel mesh gloves should be worn when changing knife blades.
• Consider solutions for staining potentially infected frozen sections to be contaminated.

Recommended Work Practices: Centrifuge Equipment

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