Et al,

I recall a paper I was asked to review many years ago, I believe by the New England Journal of Medicine, in which it was alleged that a father who ran a taxidermy museum in Benjamin Franklin's time had his son do preservation of the animals using large amounts of trivalent arsenic (amongst other toxic substances).

The gist of this paper was that the father did this on purpose to poison his son (apparently they very much did not agree).

I looked into this and it became apparent that this (however dangerous) was standard practice at the time and not a deliberate attempt to harm the son (and so much for the safety of any current time's "best practices").

I quite agree that many such preserved critters could be a significant hazard if not  handled properly as Monona suggests.

Alan H. Hall, M.D.

Medical Toxicologist

On Mon, Oct 2, 2023 at 5:12 PM <pzavon**At_Symbol_Here**rochester.rr.com> wrote:

Lots of museums have specimens preserved using arsenic.  Most of them know, or at least know how to find out, how to store and handle them without spearing arsenic around or endangering employees, volunteers or the public.  This one museum apparently has no idea other than to close. Frustrating and sad.

Peter Zavon, CIH
Penfield, NY

PZAVON**At_Symbol_Here**Rochester.rr.com

 

 

From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU> On Behalf Of Info
Sent: Friday, September 29, 2023 4:16 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Arsenic in taxidermy collection

 

Here’s a Friday diversion for y’all

 

https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/29/us/delbridge-museum-taxidermy-animals-arsenic-cec/index.html 

 

More than 130 taxidermied animals in a South Dakota museum were found to contain arsenic. Nobody knows what to do with them

…

The extensive collection of decades-old preserved animals at the Great Plains Zoo’s shuttered Delbridge Museum has been a source of drama since August, when tests on the aging specimens turned up various levels of arsenic – a carcinogenic chemical that was a common ingredient in animal preservation throughout much of the 20th century.

 

The museum was promptly shut down to the public, but debates about the fate of the animals rage on outside the silent menagerie’s closed doors. The city’s Facebook pages have been peppered with comments, from residents upset at being potentially exposed to arsenic to others urging the city not to destroy the taxidermy collection.

…

At a press conference last month, Great Plains Zoo CEO Becky Dewitz said a recent examination of the museum’s taxidermy collection revealed that 79% of the specimens contained detectable levels of arsenic.

 

“Detectable levels”.  Ouch. Sorry, just hit my head on my desk too hard.  

 

The article mentions the “animals” have been in the collection since the late 1940’s.  Wonder if anyone thought to test the employee’s blood or hair. Or do a floor swipe etc.

 

Rob Toreki

 
Safety Emporium - Laboratory and Safety Supplies 
https://www.SafetyEmporium.com
esales**At_Symbol_Here**safetyemporium.com  or toll-free: (866) 326-5412
Fax: (856) 553-6154, PO Box 1003, Blackwood, NJ 08012

 

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