Luxol fast blue (CAS 1328-51-4): storage and disposal

Small screw-top jars of powder usually sit in a dry, labelled cupboard in the histology prep room, with the date of receipt on each one. Keep the jar dry and tightly closed, because a fine dye powder picks up moisture and then cakes against the glass. Hold it with the other dry dyes rather than with solvents, since the staining routine uses solvent-based solutions and it is easy for the powder to drift towards the solvent cabinet. If a university lab has several stain suppliers, keep each jar in its original container with its own label so the lot and date can be read. Do not store it beside acids or oxidising chemicals.

Fresh powder is a fine, loose, deep blue solid that moves freely when the jar is tilted. What does not look right is a hard cake or lumps, which means moisture has got in, along with a damp patch inside the lid, blue staining on the shelf or the outside of the jar, and a label that has faded until the name or date cannot be read. This dye gives few other visible signs of age, so the condition of the container tells you more than the colour does. An undated jar of unknown origin is a reason to record and book collection, not to guess what it is.

We arrange this by specialist collection. We do not publish a drain or general waste route for any chemical. It is normally packed in a non-regulated or low hazard laboratory pack with compatible chemicals.

For this item the usual code is 16 05 09, a non-hazardous chemical waste entry, and in a human healthcare setting it would normally be 18 01 07. Because it is not normally classified as hazardous, a waste transfer note would normally cover the movement, but it still has to be listed by its proper name, form and quantity. Do not tip the powder or any leftover stain into a sink or the general waste. Keep the dye in its original jar if possible and group it with other dry histology stains for packing. Record how many jars there are and whether any solution is mixed in, since that changes the description.

Usually held as: solid.

Tell us the container size and how many you hold. An estimate is enough to start with, and some items cannot be priced until someone has looked at them.