[NHCOLL-L:2240] RE: formalin test strips

[Simmons, John E]

Jamie,
These are available from Lab Safety Supply Company:
http://www.labsafety.com/store/product_group.asp?dept_id=5349&cat_prefix
=4WA

The test strips are made by EMQuant.  A word of caution--these strips
are designed to detect very small amounts of formaldehyde.  If you want
to use them to test "10% formalin" or something like that, you will need
to follow the directions about diluting your sample.  

Another solution is to make your own test strips, designed to detect
levels of formaldehyde more appropriate to fluid preserved collections.
You can find the directions in:
Waller, R. and D.E. McAlister.  1986.  A spot test for distinguishing
formalin from alcohol solutions.  Pp. 93-99 in Waddington, J. and D.M.
Rudkin (eds.).  Proceedings of the 1985 Workshop on Care and Maintenance
of Natural History Collections.  Life Sciences Miscellaneous
Publications, Royal Ontario Museum.  v + 121 pp.

--John

John E. Simmons
Collection Manager, Natural History Museum & Biodiversity Research
Center
and
Coordinator, Museum Studies Program
University of Kansas
Dyche Hall
1345 Jayhawk Boulevard
Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7561
Telephone 785-864-4508
FAX 785-864-5335
jsimmons at ku.edu
www.nhm.ku.edu/herpetology/
www.ku.edu/~museumst/

-----Original Message-----
From: James B. Ladonski [mailto:jladonski at fieldmuseum.org] 
Sent: Monday, March 15, 2004 2:47 PM
To: NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu
Subject: [NHCOLL-L:2239] formalin test strips

Hello,

Can anyone recommend a supplier for formalin test strips (used to test a

fluid for presence of formalin)?

Thanks,


Mr. James B. Ladonski
Collection Assistant
Division of Amphibians and Reptiles
The Field Museum
1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL  60605-2496  USA
phone:  (312) 665-7722
fax:  (312) 665-7697
email:  jladonski at fieldmuseum.org
http://www.fieldmuseum.org/research_collections/zoology/divisions_amphib
ians.htm