I have been practicing taxidermy as a hobby for some 25 years now. I am in the Navy stationed in San Diego. I just spent the last 3 evenings reading through the forums...great info Guys & Gals, thank you very much. My question is this...If working on a fresh killed game bird, are there any nasty bodies living in the lungs of the bird that can be harmful if inhaled? V/R Mark Duby, USN.
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I think the concern is more with whatever chemicals you may be treating your animals with to preserve them. Of course you've got the normal diseases, etc. that an animal can carry. And, from what I understand pigeons are pretty filthy birds. But all in all I can't imagine there's anything from a game bird that you'd have to worry about inhaling. I've dressed out probably a thousand pheasants and I'm still kicking!
I appreciate the confident words of advice Marty. In college I took Taxidermy for an elective and seem to recall my old college prof mentioning a virus or something similar in nature that was transferable to humans. I freeze everything I mount as a just in case precaution. Do you know of any other little critters besides ticks, fleas and feather mites that a taxidermist should be concerned about? Concerning the preservatives: I don't have the MSDS data on the preservative chemicals we use. Do you know of a web site listing MSDS ? Might be helpful to some.
Mark,
I am also in the Navy...Stationed in Willow Grove Pa. I was stationed
at Miramar for 8 years 82-90. I have never received any MSDS when
I ordered DP. I just try to apply the common sense factor when using
certain chemicals...ie respirators, rubber gloves and goggles.
I also use the same common sense factor when it comes to a diseased
looking/smelling animal. Chances are if it looks real bad...something not right.
Good luck......1yr,5mo,9days till retirement...but whos counting!
Mark,
Working on birds is no more hazardous that any other creature. Having said that, there are precautions to be taken with each of them. Freezing, as you probably know, has no effect on viruses and may bacteria survive and thrive at temperatures below our comfort levels. With birds, a dust mask should be used when skinning. Our lungs are quite susceptible to many of the dust, dirt, and viral parasites that are released when feathers are cut. Ducks, pigeons, and geese are especially testy with releasing airborne particles during skinning. I always, ALWAYS, wear rubber gloves when I'm working on animals. Aside from the safety precautions, it keeps my fingernails from harboring the filth that you'd find in a lions claws. (Just WHERE is Stephen Rogers when you need him? LOL) As for the site for MSDS, I doubt there is such a place since the MSDS is required of the manufacturer of these substances for their particular product. And remember, the Material Safety Data Sheet tends to be generic with the only real information based in the "Health Hazard Data". Let me quote one. "EFFECTS OF OVEREXPOSURE: This product is nontoxid orally at 5 g/kg dose using Consumer Product Safety Commision Guidelines. Results of testing at 200 mg/liter dose show this product is considered nontoxic by inhalation rout as per the CPSC Guidelines. Due to results of skin irritation testing, this product is not considered a primare skin irritant as per guidelines of the CPSC. According to CPSC's scoring system for eye irritation studies, this is classified as nonirritating." This MSDS as all others lists ONLY those substances that are KNOWN to be hazardous, not all the ingredients. The product this MSDS refers to is a citric acid based air freshener. What did that statement tell those people who are allergic to oranges, have dermititis, or accidentally have it sprayed in or near their eyes? Now it did go on to tell you what to do if it were swallowed, inhaled, or contacted the eyes and skin, but those procedures were the same you'd find on a bottle of vinegar.
What I'm really saying is that we have people who use Coleman fuel to wash birds, spray lacquer paints, mix epoxies and resins containing MEK and MEKP, and used dry preservative without ever taking common simple safety precautions. I'd bet very few of them have ever read an MSDS on anything. Common sense isn't common at all any more. I get kidded all the time by customers who find me gloved up skinning birds, but when I invite them to try it without a glove, they always sober up and ask me if there's anything they should do to protect themselves and if it's dangerous. You can never over protect yourself.
Hey Guys, thank you very much for the help.
Mark,
The disease that the professor probably was referring to was psitticosis which is commonly found in lungs of birds. It is easily transferrable to humans AND is not uncommon in aviary birds. Having opened up about 16,000 birds for examination for gonads and parasites during preparation of bird mounts, scientific study skins and skeletons, I would say that only a small amount had lesions in the lungs, perhaps only 80. Many of the lesions/nodules were probably some sort of Cancer, but the dangerous ones are those with exposed dry moldy surfaces where the spores can become airborne. Most wild birds have some sort of roundworm or flatworm in the alimentary tract, or in the general body cavity. For the most part the parasites are host specific i.e. designed to live inside that specific host or a very closely related one.
If you handle the bird, I would suggest that you not open up the body cavity, and plug the cloaca with cotton prior to beginning to skin the bird.
Actually, while all species can harbor bacteria dangerous to humans, like salmonella and specific types of escherichia, most diseases don't transmit to humans - AT LEAST THE ONES FOUND SO FAR. Every year some new variety shows up. Lyme disease has probably been around for hundreds of years but only was noticed in the 1970's (?). Ebola virus made headlines in recent times. Aids has been traced back to the 1930's probably coming from green monkeys. In just the last two years West Nile Encephalitus has made a beach-head in North America, and been found in Crows and other birds (probably Icterids, i.e. blackbirds).
In many ways there is risk in anything you do. In the early 1980's we had a Museologist visiting from England who told me of the methods used at the time in the British Museum. The health inspector recommended to the labs that they swab down the lab tables each day with formaldehyde - which they did in a religious manner, until the risks of Formaldehyde became evident.
Chemical Exposure is a whole other story. Many things only effect some people and build up slowly over time, while other people can have horrible reactions instantaneously.
George is probably prudent to take the precautions he takes but I have not yet reached his level of judiciousness. Unless the specimen is totally decomposed (wherein I can only make a skeletal specimen), I don't even wear gloves. The few times I have worn gloves I end up nicking myself with the scalpel more often - thereby inviting in the nasties. The human skin is a wonderful barrier if it is not broken, and I have gone more than a month at a time without breaking through it. When skinning heavily though I wash my hands dozens of times a day.
Sorry to take so much space up. Diseases are a serious subject, though in a posting a few months ago where I made other comments about this subject I was chastised at talking up the dangers of handling carcasses.
In the words of the old TV show
"Let's be careful out there!"
Why would someone be chastised for educating others? I most certainly appreciate the biology lesson and am sure that others do to. I thank you Sir for answering my questions.
George, when I first read your response, I thought it WAS Stephen!
Thanks boys.
All I can tell you is to be exremely careful while skinning your water fowl. Two years ago we had a client wanting to mount a HUGH Sand Hill Crane. While skining/cutting I inadvertently poked a finger with a wing bone (yes, it drew blood)...To make a long story short, the next morning I awoke with that finger purple/black from infection, and twice it's normal size. Spent the next two weeks on antibiotics getting over it. FORGET THE CHEMICALS---BEWARE off what you're mounting...and WEAR RUBBER GLOVES!