[Nhcoll-l] [EXT] Mold on specimens (skeletal, taxidermy) and cardboard boxes

[Valerie Tomlinson]

Hi Chris,
Everyone else has given you excellent advice:
-never bleach
-most importantly control the environment so it doesn’t happen again. Keep the rH below 60%. No matter how much you clean, mould can re-occur if the rH goes over 70%.
-70% ethanol kills mould. However it also degreases. If it is important to maintain fat content, then just control the rH and vacuum off the visible mould. Possibly freeze things first.
-Use a HEPA vac and place a screen between the item and the suction so you don’t suck bits off, or at least reduce the suction and have the nozzle a distance away.
-Use a fume hood if possible, and/or use PPE.
-Freezing can inactivate live mould, but it doesn’t kill spores.
-Don’t keep the damaged packing.
Val


From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> On Behalf Of Chris Evelyn
Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2022 11:33 AM
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Cc: Greg Wahlert <wahlert at ccber.ucsb.edu>; Katja Seltmann <seltmann at ucsb.edu>
Subject: [EXT][Nhcoll-l] Mold on specimens (skeletal, taxidermy) and cardboard boxes

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Hello all,

We have a pretty serious mold issue. Everything in the room has some mold. The jars and surfaces can be cleaned but a few items are trickier so I'd love some feedback:

1) Skeletal specimens (will 10% bleach solution work?)
2) taxidermy specimens (will 10% bleach work?)
3) cardboard boxes with small specimens (replace the boxes or just clean them off?) I

Attached are some images of the current situation.

Thank you for your assistance!

Chris

Christopher J. Evelyn
Vertebrate Curatorial Manager & Asst. Researcher
Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration
University of California Santa Barbara
Ancestral Lands of the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation

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