[Nhcoll-l] Arsenic testing and general safety standards

Wed Feb 26 14:52:41 EST 2014

Hi Kirsten,

I can see their point--since we're not the ones applying the arsenic
anymore, the dangers are quite different than in the past.  I worked in one
museum where specimens on open display had arsenic and we weren't concerned
for the public safety because they weren't licking them (or, uh, well, they
weren't supposed to be).  The risk was so small.

However, I've also worked with collections that had a variety of pesticides
added and I developed rashes on exposed areas of skin.  I don't think that
it harmed me in the long run, but I had to suit up each day in lab coat,
gloves, and tyvex sleeves (I had been missing the sleeves the day of the
rashes).

Even Montagu Browne, a taxidermist who wrote practical manuals in 1884 and
1896 discouraged the use of arsenic because even "a single particle under a
fingernail will aggravate" (pg 64).  He also was skeptical that adding
arsenic would deter pests.  He was right--although many collections are
pristine because of pesticides, I have seen an entire (forgotten about)
collegiate ornithology collection eaten, despite the fact that the remains
tested positive for arsenic and mercury.

I'll still wear my PPE.

Fran

[references: Browne, Montagu. 1884. Practical Taxidermy: a manual of
instruction to the amateur in collecting, preserving, and setting up
natural history specimens of all kinds. To which is added a chapter upon
the pictorial arrangement of museums. London: L. Upcott Gill, London and
County Printing Works. (Available on-line http://www.gutenberg
.org/files/26014/26014-h/26014-h.htm#Toc178253673)

Browne, Montagu. 1896. Artistic and Scientific Taxidermy and Modeling: a
manual of instruction in the methods of reserving and reproducing the
correct form of all natural objects, including a chapter on the modeling of
foliage. London: Adam and Charles Black.]

On Wed, Feb 26, 2014 at 1:58 PM, Brown, Matthew A
<matthewbrown at utexas.edu>wrote:

> Related to Kirsten's question, I've recently had similar conversations
> with our Environmental Health and Safety people regarding radon exposure.
> Radon test kits placed in some of our cabinets have yielded test results
> 60x EPA action levels. Yet, when our Radiation Safety office came out to
> look at it, the inspector had virtually no concerns. He stated that we'd
> have to live in the cabinet before he'd be worried about it. That didn't
> really reassure me, but seems to be the consensus among our EHS team. I
> still ask my staff to take reasonable precautions when working with hot
> material.
>
> Best,
>
> Matt
>
>
>
> Matthew A. Brown
> Laboratory Manager, Vertebrate Paleontology Collections
> Lecturer, Department of Geosciences
> The University of Texas at Austin
> R7600, Austin, TX 78758
> Lab:(512)232-5516
> Office:(512)232-5515
> matthewbrown at utexas.edu
> webspace.utexas.edu/mab4775/www
>
>
>
> On Feb 26, 2014, at 8:10 AM, Kirsten Nicholson <norops at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > I have a related question to this arsenic thread. Our OSHA and Safety
> people on campus told me when we were arsenic testing and had concerns that
> there is very little information available on dermal toxicity of arsenic.
> In their minds, therefore, since we weren't using it ourselves or at risk
> of ingesting it or inhaling it, then there wasn't much concern from their
> standpoint. I mentioned that (at that time) we had discovered some
> contaminated specimens in our teaching collection (they were enclosed in
> tubes, but still; we've replaced them with clean specimens) and that we
> were concerned that folks might handle the birds and then either eat
> afterwards or whatever, and they seemed relatively unconcerned, claiming
> that an individual would have to consume a large amount of arsenic to be
> affected.
> >
> > Can anybody speak to this? Clearly we're all concerned in the museum
> world for containing affected specimens, yet our health officials really
> aren't concerned.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Kirsten
> >
> >
> > On Tue, Feb 25, 2014 at 9:21 AM, Lena Hernandez <LHernandez at themosh.org>
> wrote:
> >
> >
> > Hi all,
> >
> >
> >
> > Recently I attempted testing for arsenic in the mounted specimens of our
> collection. My issues, that I hope some of you can help with, is that I am
> getting a negative result on specimens that I am sure have arsenic. Has
> anyone else run into this problem? If so how did you solve it? I am
> following the protocol developed by NPS in their Conserve-o-Gram 2/3 and
> using Hach's arsenic test kit, since the one recommended by NPS is no
> longer made. Any suggestions would be most welcome. Feel free to contact me
> off list if you would prefer.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Lena Hernandez
> >
> > Collections Manager/Registrar
> >
> >
> >
> > Museum of Science and History
> >
> > 1025 Museum Circle
> >
> > Jacksonville, FL 32207
> >
> > (904)396-6674 x212
> >
> > lhernandez at themosh.org
> >
> >
> >
> >
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> >
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> > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of
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> > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to
> > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Kirsten E. Nicholson, Ph.D
> >
> > Assoc. Prof. Biology          and       Curator of Natural History
> > Dept. of Biology                             Museum of Cultural and
> Natural History
> > 217 Brooks Hall                            103 Rowe Hall
> > Central Michigan Univ.                 Central Michigan University
> > Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859                 Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859
> > 989-774-3758                                989-774-3829
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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> > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose
> > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of
> > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to
> > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information.
>
>
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> _______________________________________________
> NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of
> Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose
> mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of
> natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to
> society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information.
>
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