[Nhcoll-l] Vermiculite as respiratory hazard

Fri Feb 9 15:03:02 EST 2018

I agree!   We should stop using vermiculite, particularly when superior
alternatives are readily available.

Thank you very much, Rob!

H.J.

H.J. Walker, Jr.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of California, San Diego  0244
La Jolla, CA  92093-0244

On Fri, Feb 9, 2018 at 11:31 AM, Katherine Maslenikov <pearsonk at uw.edu>
wrote:

> I absolutely agree with Rob! I hate receiving vermiculite packaging with
> specimens. In addition to potential respiratory issues it is just messy and
> irritating. I would love it if we could stop using it as a community and
> switch to absorbent pads.
>
> Thank you Rob!
>
> -Katherine
>
> On Fri, Feb 9, 2018 at 11:19 AM, Rob Robins <rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu>
> wrote:
>
>> Hi Folks,
>>
>> I have health and safety concerns regarding the use of vermiculite as an
>> “outer packet” absorbency material in the shipping of  alcohol preserved
>> specimens. We have never used vermiculite in the Florida Museum Fish
>> Collection, but I receive many specimen shipments containing it and thus
>> must handle it. And as anyone who has touched the stuff can attest, no
>> matter how carefully handled, tiny particles of vermiculite end up
>> suspended in the air one is breathing.
>>
>>
>>
>> A number of scientific papers lead me to conclude my health and safety
>> concerns are not unreasonable. Here’s some of what I’ve found:
>>
>>
>>
>> ·         No matter where it was mined from, vermiculite is likely to
>> contain fibrous minerals.
>>
>>
>>
>> ·         That few of these types of fibrous minerals have been formally
>> classified as asbestos and regulated as such would appear to be more a
>> function of what fibers were in use commercially at the time the
>> regulations were created. (Baumann, F., J. P. Ambrosi, and M. Carbone.
>> 2013. Asbestos is not just asbestos: an unrecognized health hazard. The
>> Lancet Vol 14 June 2013).
>>
>>
>>
>> ·         To be certain, vermiculite has at times been found to contain
>> asbestiform amphiboles (groups of needlelike silicates clumped together)
>> such as winchite, richterite, and tremolite, the latter of which is
>> regulated (Sullivan, P. 2007. Vermiculite, respiratory disease, and
>> asbestos exposure in Libby, Montana: Update of a cohort mortality study.
>> Environmental Health Perspectives Apr; 115 (4): 579-585).
>>
>>
>>
>> My question to the list: *Why is anyone using vermiculite as an
>> absorbent when inert and safe alternatives such as polypropylene chemical
>> spill absorbent pads are widely and cheaply available?* Failing any good
>> answer to this question, my follow up would be, can we all please stop?
>>
>>
>>
>> Best wishes,
>>
>>
>> Rob Robins
>>
>>
>>
>> P.S. The Baumann paper concludes thusly, and I agree:
>>
>>
>>
>> “The restricted regulatory definition of asbestos to six fibres used
>> commercially contributes to miscommunication and uncertainty regarding the
>> toxic effects of some fibrous minerals. We propose that all fibrous
>> minerals be handled as potentially pathogenic until they are proven safe.
>> Moreover, to protect human health, a wider regulatory definition of
>> asbestos should include all potentially carcinogenic mineral fibres,
>> without distinction of type and commercial use.”
>>
>>
>>
>> Robert H. Robins
>>
>> Collection Manager
>>
>> Division of Ichthyology
>>
>> [image: FLMNH Fishes logo email small]
>>
>> Florida Museum of Natural History
>>
>> 1659 Museum Road
>>
>> Gainesville, FL 32611-7800
>>
>> Office: (352) 273-1957
>>
>> Fax: (352) 846-0287
>>
>> rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu
>>
>> www.flmnh.ufl.edu
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>>
>>
>>
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>>
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>>
>>
>>
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>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
> --
> Katherine Pearson Maslenikov
> Collections Manager
> University of Washington Fish Collection
> School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences and
> Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
> Box 355100
> Seattle, WA 98195
> (206) 543-3816
> pearsonk at uw.edu
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-- 
H.J. Walker, Jr.
Marine Vertebrate Collection
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of California, San Diego 0244
La Jolla, CA  92093-0244
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