Right now I agree with you. I have the bottles in a metal cabinet marked
Hazardous on the outside. So far, so good, but the Director asked me to
look into the subject. Thank you for your reply.
Mary Ames (first name)

Mary Ames Sheret
Southern Oregon Historical Society


>Mary -
>
>Quite frankly we haven't dealt with this, other than to box all the various
>bottles, boxes, etc. containing who knows what, in corrugated plastic
>bankers boxes and left them in storage - and at the advice of our Health
>and Safety Office we place adhesive "CAUTION HAZARDOUS MATERIAL" labels on
>the outside of each box.
>
>When we moved this collection, we realized the potential problem and
>consulted our Health and Safety folks.  I don't remember the full
>discussion at the time, but I do recall that the suggestion from them and a
>private environmental laboratory was to dispose of them at the
>environmental waste dump.  The cost was going to be astronomical - and no
>one was interested in trying to separate the contents from the package -
>which we did want to keep.
>
>So for the time being, the remain in storage ... mutating - we hope not -
>into some other chemical compound.
>
>Tom
>
>
>
>At 08:23 PM 11/18/1997 -0800, you wrote:
>>Well, I couldn't think of a zippy title for this topic. What is the current
>>practice regarding liquids in history collections, such as in medical
>>bottles, photographic chemical bottles, cleaning agents, and even toilet
>>article bottles? Do you dispose of the liquid or powder, which could be
>>considered hazardous I suppose, or keep the item in tact? Do you decide on
>>a case by case basis? I'm curious what others do. Thanks!
>>
>>Mary Ames Sheret
>>Southern Oregon Historical Society
>>
>>
>
>
>Thomas A. Reitz
>Manager/Curator
>Doon Heritage Crossroads
>R.R. #2
>Kitchener, Ontario  N2G 3W5
>Canada
>
>Telephone:      519-748-1439  ext 227
>Fax:            519-748-0009
>Email:          [log in to unmask]
>http:           www.region.waterloo.on.ca/doon
>
>Plan Now to Attend "A Day in the Life ... Living History of the Everyday",
>the 27th Annual Meeting and Conference of the Association for Living
>Historical Farms and Agricultural Museums, at the University of Waterloo,
>Waterloo, Ontario -
>June 21 to 25, 1998.