Freezer Labels Play Key Role in National Pollution Study

The Centre for Ecology & Hydrology has set up a National Fish Tissue Archive, in order to study trends in chemical contamination in rivers. Frozen samples are labelled using the Brady FreezerBondz™ ID system, specially developed to withstand long-term low-temperature storage.

Part of the Natural Environment Research Council, the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) is the UK’s Centre of Excellence for integrated research in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and their interaction with the
atmosphere. Based at the CEH site at Wallingford, Oxfordshire, researcher Monika Jürgens is involved in developing the National Fish Tissue Archive:

“A lot of the chemicals we use on a daily basis are discharged into rivers via sewage works. We can best study patterns of contamination and the potential effects on wildlife by monitoring substances which are taken up and concentrated in the tissues of fish. This gives us much more meaningful results than we could get from water sampling. Collected fish are frozen on site and homogenised in the laboratory before division into sub-samples. Some sub-samples are analysed immediately for the presence of PCBs, organochlorine pesticides and PBDEs, and trace metals such as mercury, but most are placed in longterm storage at –80 ºC. Retrospective monitoring will enable us to answer future questions regarding changes in levels of river pollution.”

Clearly, labelling which remains intact during long-term storage at –80 ºC is vital to the integrity of the National Fish Tissue Archive. Any detached label would mean the loss of potentially valuable data. The Archive relies on Brady’s FreezerBondz™ labels, printed using the BBP11 thermal transfer printer. According to Monika Jürgens, the FreezerBondz™ ID System has several important advantages:

“The special FreezerBondz™ labels are very reliable: they stick to the glass vials we use for our frozen fish tissue samples and, just as important, they remain readable to maintain accurate sample identification in long-term storage. The BBP11 printer’s
small size means there is space for it in my office, which is very convenient, and a wide variety of label types and sizes are available. BradySoft software makes it simple to create sample labels combining text and barcodes.”

The BBP11 thermal transfer printer from Brady, the world leader in Identification Solutions, provides high quality 300 dpi printing at low cost. FreezerBondz™ labels can be applied to frozen surfaces including glass and polypropylene stored in liquid nitrogen. BradySoft labelling software makes quick work of printing legible, durable and accurate labels. Database import and 2D or linear barcoding are supported, while easy-to-use wizards help create new files and templates.