Samples are not usually collected by laboratory staff, so educating the personnel collecting samples is essential. Collecting samples using gauze pads, paper towels, cotton-tipped applicators, or other absorptive intermediary devices can dry samples by the simple transfer of water from the tissue to the device. This artifact is most commonly seen with biopsies, especially when multiple samples are being collected from the same patient using the same collection device. For these cases, where rinsing the collection device with formalin could harm the patient, non-porous materials should be used to remove the tissue from the device. Saline may also be used to rinse the tissue from the device into another container, as it will not cause water to be removed from the collected sample,
