Good practices and careful attention can prevent contamination from block to block from occurring during the embedding step.
- Open only one cassette at a time.
- Carefully open lids, mesh bags, and lens papers to prevent specimen fragments from "flipping" outward and potentially being lost.
- Wipe forceps between each specimen. Be careful with forceps bearing small "teeth" or grooves at the tips. The heated wells of embedding center instrumentation that hold forceps should also be cleaned routinely to avoid cross-contamination.
- Wash non-disposable base molds frequently. It is good practice to wipe a mold that has previously been used with a gauze pad before using it for another specimen.
- Embed any pieces that appear to "not belong" or to be contaminated from grossing or handling into a far corner of the block face away from what you believe to be the intended specimen. This communicates that you think it "doesn't belong" and makes it easy to identify/locate for removal from the block if it is determined that it is a contamination.
