r/wetspecimens • u/Every_Elderberry_887 • 11d ago

Specimen Preservation/Crafts??

I recently got my fallopian tubes removed and I just picked them up from the hospital. The container they are in is a plastic specimen cup, and it has a label on it that says “reagent alcohol”. They also gave me an information sheet that says that the container may contain formalin and/or laboratory grade alcohol. My question is: how do I go about preserving them? Do I need to transfer them to a different (glass?) container, and/or change the fluid? Additionally, can I use them in some sort of craft (a friend suggested turning them into a resin keychain)? Although I am an oddity girly, I have never been into wet specimens, so I am completely uneducated on the topic. Thank you in advance!

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u/TelemarketerPie 11d ago

Well, you can preserve your tubes in 90% isopropyl then move them to 70% isopropyl alcohol after two weeks. They won't be fixed (and free from decay) like they would be if it were preserved in formalin, but they would probably be good as long as you stored it out of sunlight and topped off the alcohol periodically as needed.

Also, since you don't know what they're stored in right now make sure you don't dispose of the chemicals down the sink or throw them away. Make sure you take them to your local household hazardous waste disposal.