I haven't spoken to anyone from the company directly, but yes, my understanding from our A&P faculty is that the company believes the IPA storage procedure will reduce microbial/fungal growth, make annual professional cleanings easier, and help
the tissues last longer. This procedure change is so recent that it is not listed anywhere on the SynDaver website yet, though, so I would very much like to know how long they've been testing this and how much of an improvement they're seeing.
As Monona noted, we do have concerns about the effectiveness of a 10% IPA solution as an antimicrobial/antifungal agent, and plan to ask about this when we meet with a representative next week.
From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU> on behalf of Kleinman, Michael <mtkleinm**At_Symbol_Here**HS.UCI.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, June 6, 2024 7:26:24 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] 10% IPA solution for storing synthetic cadavers
Aside from saving about 150,000 gallons of water, and reducing labor cost 26-fold, was there a benefit with regard to tissue preservation to offset the flammability risks?
Michael T. Kleinman
Department of Environmental and
Occupational Health
College of Health Sciences
University of California, Irvine
From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU> on behalf of Emma Stein <estein**At_Symbol_Here**AURORA.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, June 6, 2024 8:14:38 AM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] 10% IPA solution for storing synthetic cadavers
Good morning DCHAS,
I am looking for some advice or opinions on a chemical storage question that has come up in our Anatomy & Physiology labs.
We are currently using SynDaver synthetic human cadavers in our labs. These are stored in stainless steel cadaver tanks, in water treated with a small amount of chlorine granules and algaecide (the type used in swimming pools). The water is changed frequently
(I believe every 2 weeks).
The company has recently changed their storage recommendations, and they are asking us to replace the water in the SynDaver tanks with a solution of 10% isopropyl alcohol. We have four cadavers/tanks, so this process would require that we purchase 40-60 gallons
of 99.9% IPA and dilute it in the tanks to make 400-600 gallons of 10% IPA solution (I'm not sure of the exact volume needed). This would be stored in non-airtight cadaver tanks in the large classroom/lab space where our A&P courses are taught.
The company has assured us this procedure is safe, that the 10% IPA solution is non-hazardous, and that the solution can be disposed down the drain (we would need to drain/replace this solution once per year).
Can anyone here weigh in with concerns about the safety of handling such a huge volume of IPA with regards to flammability, vapor exposure (both for whoever is responsible for preparing the 10% IPA solution and for instructors and students who spend hours at
a time in this classroom/lab), and also any concerns about disposal? Would it be wise to check with our city before planning to store or dispose of this volume of IPA in one of our classrooms?
We are working on setting up another meeting with a representative of the company to discuss our safety concerns, and would deeply appreciate any additional opinions from this group to help prepare!
Thank you,
Emma
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