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.
- Open lids, mesh bags, and lens papers carefully to avoid specimen fragments from "flipping" outward and potentially being lost.
- Wipe forceps between each specimen. Be especially careful with forceps bearing small "teeth" or grooves at the tips.
- 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 for another specimen.
- Embed any pieces that appear to "not belong" or to be contamination 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.