[Nhcoll-l] Longevity and suitability of styrene plastic containers for dry storage of mollusc shells

[Grove, Simon (DEDTA)]

Colleagues

I am looking for a long-term storage solution for some of our medium-sized dry mollusc shells.  For samples of smaller shells of a given species, I am happy with soda-glass vials lined up on their sides, in accession-number order, in unit-trays which are themselves arranged in taxonomic order in drawers with glass lids.  But there are often samples of shells of the same species that are too large to fit in these soda-glass vials; and there are of course many other species for which none of the shells are small enough for these vials.  I would like to keep these in the same collection drawers as the smaller shells, and preferably in the same unit-trays.  Currently they are in card boxes, but this makes viewing the shells fiddly and I am concerned about the fact that the card is not acid-free.

I am trialling some styrene plastic containers - essentially oversize vials - that physically do the job well and are affordable in bulk.  But I am not sure whether it is appropriate to use styrene as a long-term storage medium for shells.  Is anyone able to advise on its longevity or other issues with using styrene?  And if it's not a suitable medium, can anyone suggest some alternative, affordable options?

Thanks

Simon Grove

Dr Simon Grove
Senior Curator, Invertebrate Zoology
Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery
GPO Box 1164, Hobart 7001 / 5 Winkleigh Place , Rosny 7018
Tasmania
Australia

Phone 61 3 6211 4124
Personal mobile (not paid by TMAG) 0428 958509

http://www.tmag.tas.gov.au/visitor_information/about_us/locations/collections_and_research_facility_rosny



________________________________

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER
The information in this transmission may be confidential and/or protected by legal professional privilege, and is intended only for the person or persons to whom it is addressed. If you are not such a person, you are warned that any disclosure, copying or dissemination of the information is unauthorised. If you have received the transmission in error, please immediately contact this office by telephone, fax or email, to inform us of the error and to enable arrangements to be made for the destruction of the transmission, or its return at our cost. No liability is accepted for any unauthorised use of the information contained in this transmission.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.yale.edu/pipermail/nhcoll-l/attachments/20140409/a6e7adbe/attachment.html