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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Colleagues,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Realizing the possible implications for us all of age-related failure of jar lid liners, I have been doing some survey work. The results are encouraging. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoListParagraph style='text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>-<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span><![endif]>The supplier of the liners, O. Berk (KOLS Containers in those days) have confirmed that the liner in question is a generic version of the Tekniplex F217 liner that differs from the brand-name version only in the blowing agent that is used to foam the center core. The outer skins are solid low-density polyethylene, and the center is foamed LDPE. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoListParagraph style='text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>-<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span><![endif]>I retrieved and tested several other jars using the same lid that were put into service in the same or following year (2000-01). The lids thus came either from the same batch as the failed one, or from another batch that was purchased shortly after. I carried out a simple visual examination followed by a pliability test. For the latter, I lifted the edge of the liner (it is glued to the inside of the lid) in two places using a dental hook and folded a flap over until it touched the surface of the liner (folded double). When it had returned, I inspected the surface. The material showed some wrinkling from this treatment, as is normal, but no cracking or crazing. This is the same thing that happens with a brand new liner, and although the wrinkling remains to a certain extent, this does not seem to compromise sealing.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoListParagraph style='text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>-<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span><![endif]>By contrast, the failed liner snapped when folded over, and its surface is covered with a combination of fractal (branching) crazing as well as the cell-like crazing one sees in old ceramic glazes. The material has thus clearly undergone a major chemical change, and a colleague has generously offered to run tests to try and diagnose this. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:18.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:18.0pt'>In conclusion, it seems that this might have been a single incident. The next step is to trace the history of the contents (13 separate specimen lots in glass tubes) and see what treatments were used on them that might have caused this problem. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Paul Callomon<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Collections Manager in Malacology, Invertebrate Paleontology and General Invertebrates<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:4.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-variant:small-caps'>The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Philadelphia, PA 19103<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>callomon@ansp.org<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Tel. 215-405-5096<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>ansp.org<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Follow us:</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#1F497D'> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><a href="http://www.facebook.com/AcademyofNaturalSciences" title="http://www.facebook.com/AcademyofNaturalSciences"><span style='color:blue'>Facebook</span></a><span style='color:#1F497D'> | </span><a href="http://twitter.com/#!/AcadNatSci" title="http://twitter.com/#!/AcadNatSci"><span style='color:blue'>Twitter</span></a><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Join us as we celebrate the Academy’s 200th anniversary with a year of exciting events, special programs, and our bicentennial exhibit, <i>The Academy at 200: The Nature of Discovery</i>. <a href="http://www.ansp.org"><span style='color:blue'>www.ansp.org</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>