[Taxacom] Sending museum alcohol specimens to Estonia?

[Robin Leech]

Hi John,
I cannot figure out how this became an issue.  We send spiders back
and forth from the US and Canada on a regular basis, and they are
floating in ethanol.
Try labelling the packages as dead, preserved museum specimens for
scientific study.
Robin Leech
780-452-1311

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Clay Bruner" <jbruner at ualberta.ca>
To: <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 4:57 PM
Subject: [Taxacom] Sending museum alcohol specimens to Estonia?


> Can someone please help me?
>
> I need to send 36 skin samples taken from 5 Scorpaeniform fishes to
> Estonia.  The skin samples are taken from museum specimens from the
> University of Alberta Zoology Museum alcohol fish collection.
>
> Each skin sample, was wrapped in cheesecloth, dipped in ethanol to
> moisten the cheesecloth, and then placed in a waterproof screwtop
> vial. Each set of vials from one specimen was then placed in a
> waterproof plastic bag, and then packed in a second waterproof plastic
> bag. All five sets of bags were placed in another waterproof bag and
> then placed in a waterproof styrofoam shipping container. The
> University of Alberta shipper refuses to send the specimens out
> because the box contains "DANGEROUS GOODS", namely ethanol. There is
> less than 1 ml of ethanol in the entire container. Thee is less
> ethanol in the container than there is in a box of chocolates. How do
> Zoology Museums bypass the stupid antiterrorist regulations for
> shipping alcohol preserved specimens?
>
> Can someone direct me to a specific exemption for museums in the
> shipping regulations for international shipping?   Thank you.
>
>
>
>         John
> ******************************************************
> * Mr. John C. Bruner                                 *
> * Department of Biological Sciences                  *
> * University of Alberta                              *
> * Edmonton, Alberta  _______/////____/~~)______/==== *
> * T6G 2E9  CANADA   /_ @  > />...w...w.........===== *
> * (780) 492-5408    \ ______________,__________===== *
> * FAX: (780) 492-9234        \>       \>       \==== *
> * VIRTUAL FAX: (780) 492-2216                        *
> * EMAIL: jbruner at ualberta.ca                         *
> * HOME PAGE:http://www.ualberta.ca/~jbruner/         *
> ******************************************************
>
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