<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Esther,<br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)">I can't answer for stonefish or mollusks, but snake venom is effectively neutralized with preservation in formaldehyde or alcohol. Snake venoms are complex proteins which break down fairly rapidly unless they are dried, and and are denatured in fluid preservatives. Other than the possibility of being scratched by the teeth or fangs, preserved venomous snakes do not present a hazard. The fangs of dry skulls may contain a bit of dry venom and should be handled carefully. The toxins in amphibian skins are also effectively neutralized in preservatives.<br><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)">As a general rule, I strongly recommend wearing nitrile or neoprene gloves when handling any fluid-preserved specimen, not because of the animal's toxins but because of trace amounts of formaldehyde and other chemicals that may be in the alcohol.<br><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)">--John<br><br></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br clear="all"><div><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr">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="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.museologica.com&d=DwMFaQ&c=cjytLXgP8ixuoHflwc-poQ&r=LpYc_Z_iN1KRw0hheb3x6-8MJUMu482qfHowpGYJqwc&m=JWokvFOW6L_YotfSapr1WXxZG7N2aoZOcjBF_wiQYGE&s=S615PE6OxAjDJkFI8zLRfrRTbyhaK4FOlSlVfTJuQLM&e=" 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>Instructor, Museum Studies<br>School of Library and Information Science<br>Kent State University<br></div></div></div></div></div>
<br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Apr 30, 2018 at 10:09 AM, Esther Dondorp <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:esther.dondorp@naturalis.nl" target="_blank">esther.dondorp@naturalis.nl</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;float:none;display:inline">For new health and safety procedures we are tying to find out if specimens in collections that are intrinsically poisonous can still be a hazard to work with. Think about venomous snakes in ethanol or formalin, stone fish, mollusks. Does anyone has experience with this? Do you have special safety procedures for working with these type of specimens or is there really nothing to worry about after fixation/preservation. </span> <br clear="all"><div><div class="m_6562086089790282265gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div> <div><br></div><div>Many thanks!</div><div> <br></div><div><br></div><div>Esther Dondorp</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><font size="1">Collection manager Reptiles and Amphibians</font></div><div><br></div><div><span style="color:black;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:x-small"><br></span></div><div><span style="color:black;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:x-small">T
+31 (0)71 751 9313, M +31 (0)6 4870 4107</span></div><div><span style="color:black;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:x-small">Darwinweg 2, 2333 CR, Leiden, The Netherlands</span><br></div><div><a href="mailto:estherdondorp@naturalis.nl" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:x-small" target="_blank"><span style="color:black;text-decoration:none">E
estherdondorp@naturalis.nl</span></a><span style="color:black;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:x-small">, </span><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:x-small;color:black;text-decoration:none"><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.naturalis.nl&d=DwMFaQ&c=cjytLXgP8ixuoHflwc-poQ&r=LpYc_Z_iN1KRw0hheb3x6-8MJUMu482qfHowpGYJqwc&m=8dWh4XH9sXsq0jpP3x0OPRXxCWHKNU5xtE2cZ-WBh-w&s=WEqJZwADm_b0Z-HAjiiZ102nJHUumGPMSperdYApJxk&e=" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:x-small" target="_blank">I </a></span><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.naturalis.nl_&d=DwMFaQ&c=cjytLXgP8ixuoHflwc-poQ&r=LpYc_Z_iN1KRw0hheb3x6-8MJUMu482qfHowpGYJqwc&m=8dWh4XH9sXsq0jpP3x0OPRXxCWHKNU5xtE2cZ-WBh-w&s=JyKhdpI_1md8D5QDxflW33VXlUf9JglXTfz9fAXSOY0&e=" style="color:rgb(17,85,204);font-size:x-small;line-height:13.8000001907349px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent">www.naturalis.n</span></a></div></div><p><span style="color:black"><font size="1" face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br></font></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size:12.8px;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><font size="2" color="#ff0000"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;line-height:16.8px">Due to the construction of new public museum facilities, depots, labs and offices, the zoological, geological and paleontological collections of Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden will be closed to all visitors</span></font><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(255,0,0);font-size:small"> </span><u style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(255,0,0)">till at least December 2018</u><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(255,0,0);font-size:small">.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size:12.8px;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size:12.8px;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-weight:bold;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent;color:rgb(255,0,0);font-size:small">We apologize for this inconvenience.</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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