[Nhcoll-l] Poisonous specimens in collection

Mon Apr 30 10:28:59 EDT 2018

The same is true for fishes venom.

Andy
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Andy Bentley
Ichthyology Collection Manager
University of Kansas
Biodiversity Institute
Dyche Hall
1345 Jayhawk Boulevard<x-apple-data-detectors://9>
Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561<x-apple-data-detectors://9>
USA<x-apple-data-detectors://9>

Tel: (785) 864-3863<tel:%28785%29%20864-3863>
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Email: abentley at ku.edu<mailto:abentley at ku.edu>
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From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> On Behalf Of John E Simmons
Sent: Monday, April 30, 2018 9:20 AM
To: Esther Dondorp <esther.dondorp at naturalis.nl>
Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Poisonous specimens in collection

Esther,
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.
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.
--John

John E. Simmons
Museologica
128 E. Burnside Street
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania 16823-2010
simmons.johne at gmail.com<mailto:simmons.johne at gmail.com>
303-681-5708
www.museologica.com<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=>
and
Adjunct Curator of Collections
Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery
Penn State University
University Park, Pennsylvania
and
Instructor, Museum Studies
School of Library and Information Science
Kent State University

On Mon, Apr 30, 2018 at 10:09 AM, Esther Dondorp <esther.dondorp at naturalis.nl<mailto:esther.dondorp at naturalis.nl>> wrote:
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.

Many thanks!

Esther Dondorp

Collection manager Reptiles and Amphibians

T +31 (0)71 751 9313, M +31 (0)6 4870 4107
Darwinweg 2, 2333 CR, Leiden, The Netherlands
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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 till at least December 2018.

We apologize for this inconvenience.

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