<font face="Default Sans Serif,Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" size="2"><div>We store tissue samples in EtOH in both freezers and at room temperature. We have never had any questions or problems.</div><div><br></div><div>Curtis<br><br>______________________________<br><br>Curtis J. Schmidt<br>Zoological Collections Manager<br>Sternberg Museum of Natural History<br>Fort Hays State University <br>3000 Sternberg Drive<br>Hays, KS  67601<br>(785) 628-5504 (collections)<br>(785) 650-2447 (cell)<br>______________________________</div><br><br><font color="#990099">-----nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu wrote: -----</font><div style="padding-left:5px;"><div style="padding-right:0px;padding-left:5px;border-left:solid black 2px;">To: "nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu" &lt;nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu&gt;<br>From: "John P. Sullivan" <js151@cornell.edu><br>Sent by: nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu<br>Date: 01/30/2015 12:26PM<br>Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Freezer storage of EtoH tissue samples<br><br> <!--Notes ACF <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">--> <div class="">I am curious to know how people on this list deal with cold storage for DNA samples in ethanol.</div> <div class=""><br class=""> </div> <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. &nbsp;This makes for a maximum of  52 liters or 13.7 gallons of EtOH stored in such a refrigerator/freezer.</div> <div class=""><br class=""> </div> <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> <div class=""><br class=""> </div> <div class="">This person cited&nbsp;<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" class="">NFPA 45 &nbsp;10.5.2 and 12.2.2 and Article 501 of code 70 the National Electrical code.</span></div> <div class=""><br class=""> </div> <div class="">Here are links to EH&amp;S pages at several institutions that seem to indicate ethanol storage requires flammable material freezers:</div> <div class=""><br class=""> </div> <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> <div class=""><br class=""> </div> <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&amp;S departments). My  view is that fire/explosion risk from storage of these vials must be negligible to non-existent. &nbsp;The flashpoint of pure EtoH is 16.6°C. &nbsp;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> <div class=""><br class=""> </div> <div class="">My questions are: &nbsp;Has anyone here received explicit clearance from their EH&amp;S to store EtOH tissue samples in regular freezers? &nbsp;If you got this, what was required to obtain it? &nbsp;If you have ethanol-preserved tissue samples, how do you store  them?</div> <div class=""><br class=""> </div> <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> <div class=""><br class=""> </div> <div class="">- John Sullivan</div> <div class=""><br class=""> </div> <div apple-content-edited="true" class=""> <div class=""> <div class=""> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px;"> <div class=""> <span class="Apple-style-span"> <div class=""> <span class="Apple-style-span"> <div class=""> <span class="Apple-style-span"> <div class=""> <span class="Apple-style-span"> <div class=""> <span class="Apple-style-span"> <div class=""> <span class="Apple-style-span"> <div class=""> <span class="Apple-style-span"> <div class=""> <span class="Apple-style-span"> <div class=""> <div class="">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br class=""> John P. Sullivan, PhD &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<br class=""> <br class=""> </div> <div class="">Collections Archivist &amp; Curatorial Affiliate - Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates</div> <div class="">Research Associate - The Academy of&nbsp;Natural Sciences of Drexel University<br class=""> <br class=""> Cornell University Museum of&nbsp;Vertebrates &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<br class=""> 159 Sapsucker Woods Road<br class=""> Ithaca, New York 14850-1923 USA<br class=""> <br class=""> <a href="mailto:jpsullivan@cornell.edu" class="">jpsullivan@cornell.edu</a> / office 607.254.6237, cell 607.342.2234, fax 607.254.2415</div> <div class=""><br class=""> A f r i c h t h y &nbsp;-- The African Ichthyology&nbsp;Research Portal --&nbsp;<a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.africhthy.org&d=AwMGaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=sfUtvnZ0J8NsTEIgQdXNNr7uxyEnp6bwuvR7T0JbELE&s=vOYiTqQ1fDmmqMF4zkcWu3J1D1KeWFZXZRRhtLF6XNg&e=" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" class="">http://africhthy.org</a></div> <div class="">Mormyridae LifeDesk —&nbsp;<a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.mormyrids.lifedesks.org&d=AwMGaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=sfUtvnZ0J8NsTEIgQdXNNr7uxyEnp6bwuvR7T0JbELE&s=vaCTaJovMJIEav-x6fdGnONaHrdClbK3MW8t1xWshlo&e=" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" class="">http://mormyrids.lifedesks.org</a></div> <div class="">Campylomormyrus Cam —&nbsp;<a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.ustream.tv_channel_campylomormyrus-2Dcam&d=AwMGaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=sfUtvnZ0J8NsTEIgQdXNNr7uxyEnp6bwuvR7T0JbELE&s=hvIH48eTWjNrD653JwXrLOEOfRCJnxfgOue79pRfijo&e=" class="">http://www.ustream.tv/channel/campylomormyrus-cam</a><br class=""> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</div> </div> </span></div> </span></div> </span></div> </span></div> </span></div> </span></div> </span></div> </span></div> </span></div> </div> </div> <br class=""> <div><font face="Courier New,Courier,monospace" size="3">_______________________________________________<br>Nhcoll-l mailing list<br>Nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu<br><a href="http://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l">http://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l</a><br><br>_______________________________________________ <br>NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of<br>Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose<br>mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of<br>natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to<br>society. See <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.spnhc.org&d=AwMFaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=5_fiv1_jtiW3r97gMQYIWDUPsSBp67D30HQxQYRH2JU&s=E9fi1y8C-kIVDKRc0pAUFF-5Zv_WGIy2cgRl5HiCpBs&e=">http://www.spnhc.org</a>&nbsp;for membership information.<br></font></div></js151@cornell.edu></div></div><div></div></font>