[NHCOLL-L:815] Bouin's: a warning

[Sally Shelton]

Sound, responsible legal and ethical advice on dealing with Bouin's solution can be found at the followings sites. Judith accurately noted that Bouin's is a fixative, not a preservative. The two are not the same. Please refer to these when determining transportation and storage, not on anecdotal accounts:

http://swehsc.pharmacy.arizona.edu/exppath/old/otherfix.html 
Reinforces that Bouin's is intended as a short-term fixative, not as a preservative medium; specimens should be transferred to ethanol no later than 48 hours after fixation (as appears to have been done with Jessica's specimen). Good summary.

http://www.fishersci.ca/msds.nsf/96cb2019dad1311a85256670001d92b9/8cad4255cb464756852566f100036796?OpenDocument 
MSDS information (the best and most complete one). 

Judith's warning is an important one and was not overstated, though Jessica's clarification indicates that the extreme hazards the CMN had to deal with do not apply to Jessica's immediate situation. Bouin's in fluid form, if it has been stored for long (which is no longer recommended) will inevitably evolve picric acid crystals as it dries out, especially around the threads of metal jar lids. Picric acid crystals are friction explosives. Any Bouin's that has been allowed to stand for long is automatically assumed to be a risk: a top-level explosion risk. Fully fluid Bouin's is less of an explosion risk, but no less a health and safety risk.

Do not use Bouin's as a storage or transport medium at any time. It is only designed as a fixative for short-term use, and all the laboratory resources recommend purchasing and using it in the smallest possible quantities, and also recommend using a less caustic, toxic, and potentially dangerous fixative wherever possible. In any case, get the MSDS information, accurate and up-to-date copies of shipping and transportation requirements, and permit information for any kind of chemical fixative or preservative medium.

Cheers, 

Sally Y. Shelton
Collections Officer
National Museum of Natural History
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC   20560-0107
phone (202) 786-2601, FAX (202) 786-2328
email Shelton.Sally at nmnh.si.edu

List owner, PERMIT-L