[NHCOLL-L:5743] Re: fluid preservatives

Wed Nov 30 17:01:33 EST 2011

Thanks Andy and I would endorse your statement adding that I would  always 
be careful/wary of fluid transfers for collections.  The formalin to  
alcohol (fixative to preservative) technique works well and has been so for many  
years.  Sometimes though certain situations arise where alcohol is mooted  
for gallery display and then all the H&S officers get twitchy due to  
flammability and evaporation issues, particularly if hot display lights are a  
necessity!  Ensure that your jars don't leak - that they are either sealed  or, 
if of ground glass, are greased correctly (more info can be supplied).

With all good  wishes, 
Simon Moore MIScT, FLS, ACR,
Conservator of Natural  Sciences,
20 Newbury Street,
Whitchurch RG28 7DN. UK
T. 01256  892335
_www.natural-history-conservation.com_ 
(http://www.natural-history-conservation.co.uk/) 

_www.pocket-fruit-knives.info _ (http://www.pocket.fruit-knives.com/) 

In a message dated 30/11/2011 21:43:58 GMT Standard Time, abentley at ku.edu  
writes:

Sue 
There  are no dangers to the specimens – bar the usual color loss etc.  The 
 reasoning behind trying to find alternatives is due to its effects on the  
users – collections folks and those using the specimens.  Attempts are  
being made to find a less flammable solution that is easier to put on exhibit  
(without jumping through all the dangerous goods hoops) and is easier on the 
 users in a classroom or educational setting where specimens are handled  
regularly. 
In  your setting, if the specimens are not handled regularly you are 
probably  OK.  However, if specimens are handled regularly by children or other  
members of the public this may become a consideration. 
Hope  that helps 
Andy 

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Andy Bentley
Ichthyology Collection  Manager
University of Kansas
Natural History Museum &  Biodiversity Institute
Dyche Hall
1345 Jayhawk  Boulevard
Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561
USA

Tel:  (785) 864-3863
Fax: (785) 864-5335
Email: _abentley at ku.edu_ (mailto:abentley at ku.edu)          :
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From:  owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu [mailto:owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu] 
On  Behalf Of Susan Gallagher
Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2011  12:57 PM
To: A.J.van_Dam at lumc.nl;  nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu
Subject: [NHCOLL-L:5741] Re: fluid  preservatives

Please  excuse my ignorance as a list lurker. 
Can  someone elaborate on the danger of keeping specimens in ethyl alcohol? 
Am I  correct in assuming this is safer by far than formalin? 
Would  there be much of an advantage to changing over to glycerol for use 
in a nature  center setting? Our specimens are common items, and part of a 
teaching  collection only - therefore not necessarily requiring the same kind 
of  preservation as in a museum setting. They were initially preserved in  
formalin, then placed in ethyl alcohol. Loss of color doesn’t seem to be much 
 of an issue. 
Thanks  for any input. 
Sue 
******************************************************** 
Susan  Gallagher, Chief Naturalist 
Carbon  County Environmental Education Center 
151  East White Bear Drive 
Summit  Hill, Pennsylvania, 18250 
(570)  645-8597 
_www.carboneec.org_ (http://www.carboneec.org/)  
Teaching  a child not to step on a caterpillar is as important to the 
child, as it is to  the caterpillar. 
-  Bradley Miller 
. 

From:  owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu [mailto:owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu] 
On  Behalf Of A.J.van_Dam at lumc.nl
Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2011  5:37 AM
To: Couteaufin at aol.com; crissanen at museumca.org
Cc:  nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu
Subject: [NHCOLL-L:5739] Re: fluid  preservatives

Dear  Carolyn, 
The  safest and most reliable alternative to use is the alcohol “glycerol” 
in an  end concentration of 65%, in use in our collections for about 100 
years.   
DMDMH,  a formaldehyde releasing agent (used as low toxic alternative in 
cosmetic and  personal care products), could also be an alternative but like 
Novec there is  not yet a long track record. Know that the very expensive 
Novec does NOT  replace the (hazardous) preservative inside the tissue, it 
should be seen as  liquid embedding media / envelope fluid, like liquid  
paraffin. 
Glycerol  has extreme low vapor pressure, is low toxic (same NFPA health 
hazard rating  as ethanol), flash point of 160 degrees Celsius (ethanol 13 
degrees Celsius),  preserves/revives (blood) color, no shrinkage when 
transferred in baths of  increasing glycerol concentration. 
Of  interest might be our recently published paper (preprint of the 
Triennial  Conference of ICOM-CC 2011, Lisbon): 
A  migration mechanism for transfer of sharks from ethanol to aqueous 
glycerol  solutions 
Ian  D. MacLeod* 
Western  Australian Museum 
Collections  & Research Centre 
Welshpool,  Western Australia, Australia 
_ian.macleod at museum.wa.gov.au_ (mailto:ian.macleod at museum.wa.gov.au)  
Andries  J. van Dam 
Leiden  Museum of Anatomy 
Leiden  University Medical Centre 
Leiden,  The Netherlands 
*Author  for correspondence 
Abstract 
This  paper presents a scoping study on the impregnation of glycerol into  
formaldehyde-fixed and aqueous-ethanol-preserved sharks. The weight increase 
 and solution density changes were monitored in sequential baths of aqueous 
 glycerol. Positive results included a return of the colour of the 
specimens,  im&shy;proved flexibility, and removal of alcohol from the body of the  
specimen and signifi&shy;cant improvement of the original profiles and skin  
textures of the specimens.  
Regards, 
Dries 

Andries  J. van Dam, conservator

Museum of Anatomy
Leiden University Medical  Center 
Postal zone T7-P
P.O.Box 9600 
2300 RC Leiden 
The  Netherlands 
tel: +31 (0)71 526 9581
fax: +31 (0)71 526 8275 
E-mail:  _A.J.van_Dam at lumc.nl_ (mailto:A.J.van_Dam at lumc.nl) 
Visiting  address: Hippocratespad 21, building 3 
Associate  scientist, Natural History Museum, London
_http://www.nhm.ac.uk_ (http://www.nhm.ac.uk/)  
Directory  Board member ICOM-CC
_http://www.icom-cc.org_ (http://www.icom-cc.org/)  

Director  Alcomon Company
_http://www.alcomon.com_ (http://www.alcomon.com/)   

____________________________________

From:  owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu [mailto:owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu] 
On  Behalf Of Couteaufin at aol.com
Sent: dinsdag 29 november 2011  23:59
To: crissanen at museumca.org
Cc:  nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu
Subject: [NHCOLL-L:5738] Re: fluid  preservatives

Hi  Carolyn,

I  have never had firsthand experience with Novec, but it is an expensive 
fluid  and has a high specific gravity so specimens float in it.  It has not  
been tested in the long term and I have a bad feeling about  it.

Have  you considered an alternative such as Dekafald (DMDM hydantoin)?  It 
acts  as an ionic transfer agent using methylene bridges like formalin?   

It  also depends on what specimens are intended for display (vertebrate, 
invert,  botanical &c)?  Glycol preservatives are still good in the short term 
 (1 year or so) if the specimens have been properly fixed  beforehand.   

Also  need to know what type of jars would be involved (glass,  plastic)?

With  all good wishes, Simon

Simon  Moore MIScT, FLS, ACR,
Conservator of Natural Sciences,
20 Newbury  Street,
Whitchurch RG28 7DN. UK
T. 01256 892335
_www.natural-history-conservation.com_ 
(http://www.natural-history-conservation.co.uk/) 

_www.pocket-fruit-knives.info  _ (http://www.pocket.fruit-knives.com/) 

In a  message dated 29/11/2011 00:13:09 GMT Standard Time, 
_crissanen at museumca.org_ (mailto:crissanen at museumca.org)   writes:

Dear list  -
We are in the midst of a major gallery re-install, and there has been  some 
discussion about putting wet specimens out as part of one of the new  
exhibits.  The question came up about whether there was a safer  alternative to 
de-natured alcohol or formalin as a preservative - a fluid  that wouldn't be 
quite as hazardous should something happen to the  jar.  Doing a web search, 
someone came up with a 3M product: 3M Novec  Engineered Fluid.  Does anyone 
have any experience with this  product?  Do you have any advice concerning 
display of fluid preserved  specimens?

Thanks,
Carolyn 

Carolyn  Rissanen
Registrar,  Collections and Information Access
Oakland Museum of  California
_www.museumca.org_ (http://www.museumca.org/) 
510-318-8490

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