Abstract
At high relative humidity (RH) similar survivals were obtained for storage in oxygen, air or nitrogen. At low RH the survival in nitrogen was much greater than that in air or in a 20% (v/v) oxygen+80% (v/v) nitrogen mixture, in which the survivals were similar. In oxygen alone, survival was even lower than in air. Hence oxygen, or a trace contaminant in it, was responsible for the poorer survival in air than in nitrogen. The mechanism of death caused by oxygen is discussed.