[Nhcoll-l] Mold on specimens (skeletal, taxidermy) and cardboard boxes

Wed Sep 21 09:26:23 EDT 2022

Dear Chris,

I want to add a couple additional comments. I had a large mold issue with
mammal skins and skeletons in the past.

   1. *Cause *- Determine if the cause can be remedied after the mold
   treatment. We resolved a cabinet and collection airflow issue, which were
   the main issue causing this mold.
   2. *PPE and containment* - Wear appropriate PPE and consider doing all
   treatment when possible within a fume hood or other localized exhaust
   system.
   3. *Consult a conservator as needed* - All cardboard boxes and trays
   (despite how good they may look) must be discarded. Ethanol (70% or
   greater) will treat mold spores, but not do additional irreversible damage
   to specimens like bleach. Ask a conservator about the chemicals you plan
   to use, and potential issues about what is being treated.
   4. *Treatment *- Consider a short soak of bone material to reach all
   mold spores. I treated museum study skins by brushing all surfaces with a
   toothbrush and ethanol. Use caution with taxidermy specimens (as noted
   above).
   5. *Storage *- Any area where the moldy specimens were stored, must also
   be treated. We did an ethanol cleanse of our entire cabinet and all cabinet
   trays - we also replaced the cabinet gasket.

Kind Regards,

Ben

On Tue, Sep 20, 2022 at 2:25 PM Mariana Di Giacomo <maru.digi at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Dear Chris,
>
> I am so sorry you're going through this, it is a very challenging problem
> to have. Mold is terrible.
>
> First of all, I would agree with John about the use of PPE, nothing is
> more important than people's health.
> Second, I also agree with his recommendation to discard the cardboard
> boxes. Just make sure that when you do that, you're not throwing away any
> important written information or labels that may be present in/on them.
> Third, John's recommendation about bone is excellent as well. Make sure
> you test the ethanol on the bone surface before you begin, to make sure it
> does not penetrate too deeply into the bone. The goal is for it to
> evaporate quickly, so avoid dunking bone in the ethanol and use other tools
> such as cotton swabs
>
> Fourth, bleach on taxidermy is not a good idea. It is a damaging chemical
> that will also bleach the specimens. Taxidermy is more complex to treat
> because you will have hair, feathers, skin, keratin, and painted
> surfaces and plant material on top of that. Ethanol can work in some cases
> but in others it may remove the paint, so you have to be extra cautious.
> HEPA vacuums with small attachments (and even cheesecloth or another
> barrier to avoid sucking up hair or feathers) are your friends for an
> initial cleanup but I would suggest collaborating with a conservator before
> doing anything. It doesn't mean you'll have to have all taxidermy treated
> by a conservator, but it may be that certain specimens that are more prone
> to damage need that kind of expertise. Let me know if you want to chat
> further.
>
> Finally, the best approach, as you probably know, is to avoid this in the
> first place, so it may be that you need to start thinking of mitigation
> strategies or talk to people that run the facilities, so you can avoid
> future similar situations. I'm also happy to provide any insight on
> preventive measures.
>
> Best of luck!
> Mariana
>
> *Mariana Di Giacomo, PhD*
> *Natural History Conservator, Yale Peabody Museum*
> Associate Editor, Collection Forum, SPNHC
> Secretary/Communications APOYOnline
>
>
>
> El mar, 20 sept 2022 a las 12:11, John E Simmons (<simmons.johne at gmail.com>)
> escribió:
>
>> Do not use bleach on skeletons--it will damage the bone and it is very
>> difficult to remove completely (we know this from its past use to clean
>> skeletons).
>>
>> Instead, clean the bones with a high concentration of ethyl alcohol.
>> Ethyl alcohol at concentrations of 70% or higher (I recommend using
>> full-strength, 96%) is an excellent biocide, and the higher concentrations
>> will evaporate quickly from the surface, reducing the chances of causing
>> more damage to the bone. Keep in mind that any surface the mold is growing
>> on will already be damaged by the mold, so adding chemicals to it can cause
>> even more damage.
>>
>> Taxidermy specimens possibly can be vacuumed using HEPA filtered vacuum,
>> but I will leave advice on that one to one of the conservators on the list
>> who has experience removing mold from hair and feathers.
>>
>> The cardboard boxes should be removed and destroyed. It will be very
>> difficult to remove all the mold from cardboard, and of mentioned the
>> cardboard surface will have already been compromised by the mold growth.
>>
>> Be sure to use appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (lab coat, mask,
>> and goggles if necessary) and work under a fume hood to prevent spread of
>> the spores around the building. Anyone who has a compromised respiratory
>> system (e.g., asthma, emphysema) should stay clear of the infested area and
>> cleaning activities.it
>>
>> I have attached a paper on cleaning a similar mold outbreak that you may
>> find useful.
>>
>> --John
>>
>> John E. Simmons
>> Writer and Museum Consultant
>> Museologica
>> *and*
>> Associate Curator of Collections
>> Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery
>> Penn State University
>> *and*
>> Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia
>> Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Sep 20, 2022 at 11:52 AM Chris Evelyn <
>> christopher_evelyn at ucsb.edu> wrote:
>>
>>> Hello all,
>>>
>>> We have a pretty serious mold issue. Everything in the room has some
>>> mold. The jars and surfaces can be cleaned but a few items are trickier so
>>> I'd love some feedback:
>>>
>>> 1) Skeletal specimens (will 10% bleach solution work?)
>>> 2) taxidermy specimens (will 10% bleach work?)
>>> 3) cardboard boxes with small specimens (replace the boxes or just clean
>>> them off?) I
>>>
>>> Attached are some images of the current situation.
>>>
>>> Thank you for your assistance!
>>>
>>> Chris
>>>
>>> Christopher J. Evelyn
>>> Vertebrate Curatorial Manager & Asst. Researcher
>>> Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration
>>> University of California Santa Barbara
>>> Ancestral Lands of the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation
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> Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose
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> natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to
> society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information.
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-- 

*Benjamin M. Hess | EEB Museums Registrar | **EEB Museums Safety
Representative to the RMC *

University of Michigan | LSA Ecology & Evolutionary Biology | Research
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