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<div class="">I am curious to know how people on this list deal with cold storage for DNA samples in ethanol.</div>
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<div class="">We have thousands of tissue samples and fish fin clips preserved in 95% EtOH in 2ml Sarstedt screw cap vials. We typically store 16 boxes of 81 tubes per freezer rack and can fit 20 racks in a refrigerator/freezer. This makes for a maximum of
52 liters or 13.7 gallons of EtOH stored in such a refrigerator/freezer.</div>
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<div class="">We have been informed by Environmental Health and Safety at our institution that it is improper to store these in regular freezers (as opposed to prohibitively expensive, specialized “flammable material” freezers).</div>
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<div class="">This person cited <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" class="">NFPA 45 10.5.2 and 12.2.2 and Article 501 of code 70 the National Electrical code.</span></div>
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<div class="">Here are links to EH&S pages at several institutions that seem to indicate ethanol storage requires flammable material freezers:</div>
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<div class=""><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.usd.edu_research_research-2Dand-2Dsponsored-2Dprograms_upload_Flammable-2DLiquids-2DStorage.pdf&d=AwMGaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=sfUtvnZ0J8NsTEIgQdXNNr7uxyEnp6bwuvR7T0JbELE&s=KF4QbWrSBgmNxBdy9sGpN5ZoayJnK3fFYHaiR9pdSK8&e=" class="">http://www.usd.edu/research/research-and-sponsored-programs/upload/Flammable-Liquids-Storage.pdf</a></div>
<div class=""><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.ehs.washington.edu_fsofire_flamfrig.shtm&d=AwMGaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=sfUtvnZ0J8NsTEIgQdXNNr7uxyEnp6bwuvR7T0JbELE&s=qdXV0xQBR7I0tPSImqpMt4pk8mwMg_bQcEQlWWOdHC4&e=" class="">http://www.ehs.washington.edu/fsofire/flamfrig.shtm</a></div>
<div class=""><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__blink.ucsd.edu_safety_research-2Dlab_chemical_liquids_storage_index.html-23Determine-2Dallowable-2Dcontainer-2C-2D&d=AwMGaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=sfUtvnZ0J8NsTEIgQdXNNr7uxyEnp6bwuvR7T0JbELE&s=39ybek4t0u3PswjDfD_nsH9j4KPo9k7Ourm56R-91s8&e=" class="">http://blink.ucsd.edu/safety/research-lab/chemical/liquids/storage/index.html#Determine-allowable-container,-</a></div>
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<div class="">However, my informal polling of colleagues on Facebook suggests that many of them do in fact store screw-top tubes with tissue samples in ethanol in regular freezers (though perhaps without the approval/oversight of their EH&S departments). My
view is that fire/explosion risk from storage of these vials must be negligible to non-existent. The flashpoint of pure EtoH is 16.6°C. This temp would only be reached if a freezer failed and no action was taken for a long period of time. The risk of EtOH
vapors concentrating in any quantity near internal mechanisms that could spark are minimal since tubes are sealed.</div>
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<div class="">My questions are: Has anyone here received explicit clearance from their EH&S to store EtOH tissue samples in regular freezers? If you got this, what was required to obtain it? If you have ethanol-preserved tissue samples, how do you store
them?</div>
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<div class="">This could make for an interesting and useful conversation, but feel free to contact me off-list if you’re concerned about being “on the record.”</div>
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<div class="">- John Sullivan</div>
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<div class="">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br class="">
John P. Sullivan, PhD <br class="">
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<div class="">Collections Archivist & Curatorial Affiliate - Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates</div>
<div class="">Research Associate - The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University<br class="">
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Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates <br class="">
159 Sapsucker Woods Road<br class="">
Ithaca, New York 14850-1923 USA<br class="">
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<a href="mailto:jpsullivan@cornell.edu" class="">jpsullivan@cornell.edu</a> / office 607.254.6237, cell 607.342.2234, fax 607.254.2415</div>
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