Ethanol, history toxicity

In museum collections, most invertebrates will be encountered as natural history specimens, which are divided into dry and wet-preserved. Those animals having a shell or tough exoskeleton, like starfish, shelled mollusks, and lobsters, may be dried after death. The tissue may be removed, but it is often left inside the shell or carapace to shrivel and dry. Wet-preserved specimens are usually fixed in a solution of formalin or some other preservative to prevent the tissues from deteriorating quickly after death. After a brief period, the specimen is usually removed from the toxic fixing solution, rinsed, and placed in a storage solution of 70% ethanol (alcohol) mixed with water. 

Frequently, diazepam overdoses are adequately managed with clinical observation and supportive care. However, coingestion of ethanol and other CNS depressants which may exacerbate toxicity are common and warrant investigation in the patient history. Flumazenil, a benzodiazepine antagonist, effectively reverses symptoms of CNS toxicity, but is hazardous with the coingestion of other substances such as antidepressants. Therefore, it should not be used routinely. 

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