[Nhcoll-l] Dealing with arsenic and formalin in the collections

[Majken Them Tøttrup]

Dear all

First question J

The Copenhagen collections are old and therefore a great deal of the bird- and mammal skins is treated with arsenic. Furthermore we still have smaller parts of the wet collections still stored in a formalin solution (the latter is to be transferred to alcohol, when finding the resources).

On one hand, we wish to keep the collections active, e.g. having scientist and students studying the collections, sending out (and receiving) loans etc. - on the other hand we wish to protect the people handling the specimens.

How do you deal with that dilemma in your institution?

 

Sincerely 

Majken

 

Majken Them Tøttrup

Collections Manager

Natural History Museum of Denmark

University of Denmark

Universitetsparken 15

DK-2100 Copenhagen

Denmark

 

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