More on Autoclaving the Mail

[Tim May]

On Wednesday, October 17, 2001, at 10:59 AM, Harmon Seaver wrote:

>         I'm not understanding the comments about wetness affecting mail
> in a pressure cooker -- using it as an autoclave, that is. I would
> assume anyone doing this would put the perishable objects in a
> waterproof container, such as a canning jar. You can get them in 1/2
> gallon size. And I'm sure there are any number of steel, aluminum, etc.
> waterproof containers that would work as well.
>

As I write about in another post, this is generally correct. The main 
purpose of an autoclave or pressure canner is to get the internal 
temperature to above 240 F, because some organisms can live at boiling 
water temperatures.

However, pressure canners allow the air inside Mason jars, or cans, to 
escape during the heating process, then during the cooling period the 
lid is pressed down on the lip of the jar and a seal is made. This is a 
big part of canning, of course.

I doubt an already tightly-sealed Mason jar would implode, but it might. 
Some experiments would be easy to do.

(Along with experiments to see what temperatures are reached inside 
sealed containers after various amounts of time. I have a "peak 
temperature recording" thermometer, but mine is only good for "normal" 
weather temps. I'm sure such things exist for higher temperatures. Check 
a chemical equipment supply house, like Fisher, or even Edmund 
Scientific. Or just type suitable terms into search engines, if actually 
interested in doing this experiment. Experimenting with anthrax cultures 
is no longer feasible, or politically safe to do.)


--Tim May, Occupied America
"They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety 
deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Benjamin Franklin, 1759.