Refrigerated Storage of Rodent Carcasses

ERIK, Office of the Attending Veterinarian Guideline, Revised 11/27/2019

Introduction

According to the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, “Refrigerated storage, separated from other cold storage, is essential for storage of dead animals and animal tissue waste; this storage area should be kept below 7°C (44.6°F) to reduce putrefaction of wastes and animal carcasses and should be constructed in a manner that facilitates cleaning.” This Guideline outlines practices for rodent carcass storage to comply with these recommendations.

General Guidelines

Rodent carcasses must be placed within leak-proof, sealable bags (supplied by ULAR within the vivarium) and labeled with the investigator, date, and personnel initials OR labeled OWC (if appropriate to donate carcasses to the Ohio Wildlife Center). Bagged carcasses should then be placed in a designated carcass refrigerator/freezer for routine collection and disposal by EH&S. A secondary leak-proof container (e.g. sealable Rubbermaid® container or plastic tub) is required if the space is also used to store reagents or other experimental compounds to minimize the likelihood of contamination. Within ULAR space, animal carcasses will be stored under refrigeration (not in the freezer) to minimize impacts on tissue architecture in the case that samples are required by the research team.

Hazardous Carcasses

Animal carcasses exposed to hazardous substances (biosafety level 2 or 3 agents, chemical hazards, or radioisotopes) must be handled, stored, and disposed of in accordance with Environmental Health & Safety Guidelines or the Animal Hazard Safety Protocol (AHSP). 

Resources

• Environmental Health and Safety
• Ohio State IACUC Policy 034:  CO2 Euthanasia of Rodents 
• Ohio State IACUC Policy 005: IACUC Hazard Risk Assessment 
• National Research Council. Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, Eighth Edition. National Academy of Sciences, 2011