[Nhcoll-l] hypersensitivity to denatured alcohol

Wed Feb 20 10:21:08 EST 2013

It is certainly true in the US that denatured alcohol can contain any of hundreds of denaturant chemicals, mostly designed to make people physically ill if they try to drink it. Some are extremely powerful purgatives. The agency that regulates alcohol in the US keeps the info on the additives rather secret because the additives are often specific to a particular manufacturer and can be detected by particular analytical methods used by the agency in policing the sales of alcohols.

Cathy
Catharine Hawks
Conservator
Research & Collections, NHB 394
National Museum of Natural History, MRC 106
Smithsonian Institution
PO Box 37012
Washington, DC 20013-7012
Office 202.633.0835
SI Cell 202.701.8458
CH Cell 703.200.4370
hawksc at si.edu

From: nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu [mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] On Behalf Of John E Simmons
Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2013 10:16 AM
To: Dietrich, Elizabeth
Cc: Kareen Schnabel; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] hypersensitivity to denatured alcohol

I don't know what the regulations are in New Zealand, but in the US the chemical companies are permitted to re-use barrels for alcohol so you may also have trace amounts of other chemicals besides fixatives and methanol in the alcohol.

If you drink even moderately at home, this can have synergistic effect on absorbing alcohol in the work place by increasing your total body burden of alcohol exposure.

It is very difficult to narrow down specific chemical exposures in a laboratory situation.  You can have a health and safety person bring in a sniffer device to test for airborne amounts of alcohol.  Keep in mind that things are not always what they seem--in a museum I used to work in, we had alcohol-preserved specimens stored in a building that had offices on the top floor.  The workers in the office complained that the "formaldehyde fumes" were making them sick.  I was dubious because none of the containers had formaldehyde in them, I detected no alcohol odor in storage, and the office was on the floor above collection storage (alcohol fumes are heavier than air so should not move up).  The university health and safety office brought over his "sniffer" device and tested the air for alcohol vapors--our collection rooms were clean.  We had no measurable leakage of alcohol (or any other fumes) at all.  BUT...further investigation found a dead bird in the air conditioner that served the office.  People in the office assumed the odor was from the collection because they knew it was there.

Another thing you might do is have an industrial hygienist evaluate your symptoms to identify all possible chemicals or other stimuli that could cause them.  It is possible that the onset of your symptoms just happened to coincide with the use of denatured alcohol in the lab.

You might also take a look at the new book from SPNHC, "Health & Safety for Museum Professionals."

If you don't mind my asking, why did your lab make the decision to change to denatured alcohol?  Most of us avoid using it because of the risk of contaminating our specimens.

--John

 John E. Simmons
Museologica
128 E. Burnside Street
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania 16823-2010
simmons.johne at gmail.com<mailto:simmons.johne at gmail.com>
303-681-5708
www.museologica.com<http://www.museologica.com>
and
Adjunct Curator of Collections
Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery
Penn State University
University Park, Pennsylvania
and
Lecturer in Art
Juniata College
Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
On Wed, Feb 20, 2013 at 9:51 AM, Dietrich, Elizabeth <DIETRICH at si.edu<mailto:DIETRICH at si.edu>> wrote:
Yes, people can become allergic to alcohol, you should consult your doctor or an allergist.  We have a least one employee at our facility who has a doctor's order to stay away from alcohol, fortunately not one of the staff who works with it daily.   But also keep in mind, if you have specimens that were fixed in formalin first and then transferred to alcohol, there is always residual formalin present and that is an allergen for many people as well as an irritant and carcinogen even at low levels.

From: nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> [mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu>] On Behalf Of Kareen Schnabel
Sent: Monday, February 18, 2013 5:35 PM
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] hypersensitivity to denatured alcohol

Dear listserv,
I would like to know whether anyone has experienced or knows someone who has developed a sensitivity to ethanol/ denatured ethanol/ methylated spirits? About 3 years ago we started to source Anhydrous Methylated Spirits of >98% ethanol and 0-2% of Methanol (we used to use HGAA ethanol).
For a year now I have increasingly struggled with an allergic response and I have the feeling it is work-related. We use personal protective gear and extraction around our collection but there are always residual fumes and contact. I thought this forum may provide a good source of experience.
Thanks for your help,
Kareen

Kareen Schnabel, Ph.D.
Collection Manager
Marine Biodiversity and Biosecurity
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd.
Taihoro Nukurangi
Mail address: NIWA, Private Bag 14 901 Kilbirnie, Wellington, New Zealand
Street address: 301 Evans Bay Parade, Greta Point, Wellington
Tel: +64 4 386 0862<tel:%2B64%204%20386%200862> (direct)
Fax: +64 4 386 2153<tel:%2B64%204%20386%202153>
Email: Kareen.Schnabel at niwa.co.nz<mailto:Kareen.Schnabel at niwa.co.nz>
Web: http://www.niwa.co.nz/nic
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NIWAInvertebrateCollection<http://www.facebook.com/NIWAInvertebrateCollection>

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