I don't know what the regulations are in New Zealand, but in the US the chemical companies are permitted to re-use barrels for alcohol so you may also have trace amounts of other chemicals besides fixatives and methanol in the alcohol. <br>
<br>If you drink even moderately at home, this can have synergistic effect on absorbing alcohol in the work place by increasing your total body burden of alcohol exposure.<br><br>It is very difficult to narrow down specific chemical exposures in a laboratory situation. You can have a health and safety person bring in a sniffer device to test for airborne amounts of alcohol. Keep in mind that things are not always what they seem--in a museum I used to work in, we had alcohol-preserved specimens stored in a building that had offices on the top floor. The workers in the office complained that the "formaldehyde fumes" were making them sick. I was dubious because none of the containers had formaldehyde in them, I detected no alcohol odor in storage, and the office was on the floor above collection storage (alcohol fumes are heavier than air so should not move up). The university health and safety office brought over his "sniffer" device and tested the air for alcohol vapors--our collection rooms were clean. We had no measurable leakage of alcohol (or any other fumes) at all. BUT...further investigation found a dead bird in the air conditioner that served the office. People in the office assumed the odor was from the collection because they knew it was there.<br>
<br>Another thing you might do is have an industrial hygienist evaluate your symptoms to identify all possible chemicals or other stimuli that could cause them. It is possible that the onset of your symptoms just happened to coincide with the use of denatured alcohol in the lab.<br>
<br>You might also take a look at the new book from SPNHC, "Health & Safety for Museum Professionals."<br><br>If you don't mind my asking, why did your lab make the decision to change to denatured alcohol? Most of us avoid using it because of the risk of contaminating our specimens.<br>
<br>--John<br><br> John E. Simmons<br>Museologica<br>128 E. Burnside Street<br>Bellefonte, Pennsylvania 16823-2010<br><a href="mailto:simmons.johne@gmail.com" target="_blank">simmons.johne@gmail.com</a><br>303-681-5708<br>
<a href="http://www.museologica.com" target="_blank">www.museologica.com</a><br>and<br>Adjunct Curator of Collections<br>Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery<br>Penn State University<br>University Park, Pennsylvania<br>
and<br>Lecturer in Art<br>Juniata College<br>Huntingdon, Pennsylvania<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Feb 20, 2013 at 9:51 AM, Dietrich, Elizabeth <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:DIETRICH@si.edu" target="_blank">DIETRICH@si.edu</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div link="blue" vlink="purple" lang="EN-US"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d">Yes, people can become allergic to alcohol, you should consult your doctor or an allergist. We have a least one employee at our facility who has a doctor’s order to stay away from alcohol, fortunately not one of the staff who works with it daily. But also keep in mind, if you have specimens that were fixed in formalin first and then transferred to alcohol, there is always residual formalin present and that is an allergen for many people as well as an irritant and carcinogen even at low levels.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><div><div style="border:none;border-top:solid #b5c4df 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in"><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""> <a href="mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu" target="_blank">nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu</a> [mailto:<a href="mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu" target="_blank">nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu</a>] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Kareen Schnabel<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Monday, February 18, 2013 5:35 PM<br><b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu" target="_blank">nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu</a><br><b>Subject:</b> [Nhcoll-l] hypersensitivity to denatured alcohol<u></u><u></u></span></p>
</div></div><div><div class="h5"><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ">Dear listserv,<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ">I would like to know whether anyone has experienced or knows someone who has developed a sensitivity to ethanol/ denatured ethanol/ methylated spirits? About 3 years ago we started to source Anhydrous Methylated Spirits of >98% ethanol and 0-2% of Methanol (we used to use HGAA ethanol). <u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ">For a year now I have increasingly struggled with an allergic response and I have the feeling it is work-related. We use personal protective gear and extraction around our collection but there are always residual fumes and contact. I thought this forum may provide a good source of experience.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ">Thanks for your help,<br>Kareen<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ"> <u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-NZ"> <u></u><u></u></span></p>
<div style="border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 3.0pt;padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"" lang="EN-GB"> </span><span lang="EN-NZ"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
</div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"" lang="EN-GB">Kareen Schnabel, Ph.D.</span><span lang="EN-NZ"><u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"" lang="EN-GB">Collection Manager </span><span lang="EN-NZ"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"" lang="EN-GB">Marine Biodiversity and Biosecurity <br>National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd. <br>
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