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So someone in my immediate family has decided that her life just wouldn't be complete without a curiosity cabinet of various critters. Notedly, preserved animals, some of which 'pickled' in appropriate formalin solutions. It's actually kind of interesting how, in death, the animals look so peaceable and adorable. However, a few of the animals in their jars are a wee bit too big for the cabinet. Solution: transfer the animals, preferably with their own separate formalin solutions, into smaller glass jars that better fit the cabinet. We went off to find ourselves some information about animal preservation and fixation, mostly with regards to materials and safety precautions. We will be using demiwater, saturated with 4-5% formaldehyde, or about 10-12% formalin. Appropriate gloves and eye protection, as well as considerations for pouring the formalin solutions into the smaller jars will be taken in mind. No standing over the jars unnecessarily to get those lovely fumes up in your face and sinuses. Always rinse and clean with surplus demiwater as is available, and so on. My questions, however, are more of a practical nature. Since we have absolutely no idea how long the animals in question have been kept in formalin, we have no idea what the averse effects are to the animals being exposed to open air during transfer. Are there any problems with animals pickled in formaldehyde to be removed from their storage medium and transferred into another sealable, smaller jar, such as a risk of decomposition in the new jar? Are there considerations to be taken with regards to the animals bloating due to them taking in formalin solution into their tissues, thus maybe making it difficult to remove them from their jars? Are the pickled animals at all liable to break or damage during the transfer?
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Jan 15, 2015 19:23
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| # ? Apr 23, 2024 13:19 |
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You shouldn't have any issues with transfer. If some have bloated a bit and are hard to remove from the jar, that could risk damaging them. But as for them being in open air during transfer, they are so saturated with the solution that such a short time in open air isn't going to impact them at all. Many specimens that have been in formalin for a long time also tend to become very tough and rubbery, so there shouldn't be much worry about degradation while they've been in there.
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Jan 15, 2015 19:48
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I know you mentioned you're taking safety precautions, but please do take formalin very very seriously. It's nasty poo poo and you do not want it on your skin, eyes, or to inhale any more of the fumes than you need to. Do your transfers in a well-ventilated area that is NOT your kitchen. You absolutely do not want any possibility of residual formalin in your food. Outside is probably your best option, wear eye protection and fully cover your skin in lovely clothing you don't mind tossing if you have a spill. Have a hose handy to rinse thoroughly should you have a spill. Edit: and to follow on the "don't do this in your kitchen," don't use any utensils or containers you intend to ever use again for food preparation, like funnels, measuring cups, etc. Don't reuse the gloves for dishwashing. Basically don't risk anything that will contact the formalin transferring it into anything you consume. Rinsing thoroughly is emphatically not sufficient. Edit2: and probably a good idea to check with your city Waste Disposal about how to get ride of the formalin waste. Definitely don't put it down the drains, and it's not a great idea to toss your soiled gloves, transfer containers, etc. in the garbage. Really it should go to an appropriate biohazard disposal. As to directly answer your question about damage to the specimens, they might be kinda rubbery and brittle, so avoid manipulating the tissues too forcefully or they might tear and crumble some. There shouldn't be any issues with decomposition in the air or in the new bottles. Not trying to scare you away from this project it sounds cool, formalin isn't the Worst Chemical Ever. It's bad enough to warrant not taking any chances, though. Pellisworth fucked around with this message at 22:00 on Jan 15, 2015 |
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Jan 15, 2015 21:40
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I have worked as a museum curator, mostly with insects, but a bit of fish preservation too. Formaldehyde is terrible as a long term storage medium. It's a great fixative, since it pretty much permanently stops the specimens from rotting. It's terrible as a storage medium since it dissolves bone and is really nasty to work with and not something you want in your house. Formaldehyde is really really bad for you. Museum specimens are fixed in buffered formaldehyde (2%), and then transferred in stages to 70% ethanol. Do not open any formaldehyde jars in a kitchen or unventilated area. I have only used it outside or in a fume hood, but you really don't want to risk spilling it anywhere. Real safety goggles, a lab coat, and long rubber gloves is minimal safety gear for handling formaldehyde. Here's what I recommend you do: You want to have at least the same volume of storage medium as specimen in each jar, so tiny jars are not a good idea for long term display or storage. Specimens that have been in formaldehyde for a couple of days are fixed. They will be hard, but flexible and are not very sensitive to drying out. Take the specimens out and rinse them in water. Let them soak in lots of water for a day to leach out the formaldehyde. Soak the specimens in lots of 70% alcohol for another day to leach out the rest of the formaldehyde. Move into storage jars with 70% alcohol. Mark the level of the fluid on the outside of the jar. Every six months or so, check the alcohol levels in the jars and top up. Alcohol is a fire hazard, but a spill is not dangerous like a formaldehyde spill. Nope, don't keep formaldehyde in your house. If you can't get technical alcohol and have to sore the specimens in formaldehyde, it needs to be buffered.
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Jan 16, 2015 15:41
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Thanks ever so much for the information. I have relayed the thread's responses and will await the further decisions then.
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Jan 17, 2015 00:07
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What does it do to you if it gets on you? I heard it an allergen but is it something really bad?
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Jan 17, 2015 00:38
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Lord Windy posted:What does it do to you if it gets on you? I heard it an allergen but is it something really bad? 
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Jan 17, 2015 01:20
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| # ? Apr 23, 2024 13:19 |
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Lord Windy posted:What does it do to you if it gets on you? I heard it an allergen but is it something really bad? I got it on my hands when collecting fish in the field. The skin becomes dry and itchy and peels like from a bad sunburn. If you develop a formaldehyde allergy, forget about ever buying new furniture made from fiber board.
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Jan 17, 2015 12:58
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