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rules to advise the employees how to act in the storerooms and the collection when handling the objects. 3. A report was madę on the different insecticides and on how these could be removed.

Examination of the Ethnographic Collection

Due to the discovery of insecticides, the Conservation Laboratory thoroughly examined about a third of the storę rooms in the Ethnographical Collection of the National Museum of Denmark. Samples were taken from show cases and museum objects, either as dust or scratch or feathers. To analyse the samples, the laboratory used a Perkin Elmer Sigma 3 B gas chromatograph.

The analyses showed that most of the insecticides used were DDT, Lindane and Methoxychloride.

EOT, 1 ,1 ,1 - trichloro - 2,2 -bis (p - chlorophenyle) -ethane, is insoluble in water but soluble in most organie solvents.

^c,OrO“

CC1₃

DDT

H    Cl

Lindane

DDT is resistant to destruc-tion by light and oxidation and has about thirty years half-life in soil. Its unusual stability has resulted in dificulties in residue removal frcm water, soil and food. DDT should not be kept in iron con-tainers and should not be mixed with iron and aluminium salts, nor with alkaline substances because of its corrosive ability. The sale of DDT is forbidden in Denmark sińce 1984.

Lindane, hexachlorocyclohexane, is insoluble in water but soluble in some organie solvents. Its half-life in soil is two years. Lindane is still used in Denmark.

Methoxychloride, 1,1 ,1 - tri-chlor -2,2 -di - (4 methoxy -phenyle) - ethane, is also insoluble in water and soluble in some organie solvents. Its half-life in soil is about one year. Methoxychloride is still in use.

OCH,

Methoxychlor ide

We have mentioned the various half-lives of the three insecticides because we have the impression that DDT, when used in storerooms with a minimum of light and no air shift, perhaps has a half-life of about 300-3000 years.

Common ąualities of the mentioned insecticides are that they are health-hazardous. DDT is the most poisonous, followed by Lindane and Methoxychloride. A11 the three ccm-bine into lipoids and accumulate in fat tissue.

Another similarity is the generally lew vapour pressure of these insecticides (DDT: 25 Pa/20°C, Lindane: 1,3 m Pa/20°C, methoxychloride: very lcw/20°C) in comparison with e.g. p-dichlorous-benzene 92 Pa/20°C.

The Work of the Health and Safety Committee

The Conservation Laboratory madę a map of the storerooms. They used colours to show where storerooms were polluted: red for heavily stained rooms, yellow for medium stained rooms and blue for rooms polluted with other insecticides than DDT or Methoxychloride.

According to the map, the staff has to follcw different rules while working in red, yellcw and blue areas. Red and yellcw indicate areas where the staff has to wear dispo-sable suits with hood and shoes, vinyl gloves and microdust mask. You have to be very careful conceming your persona 1 hygiene afterwards. Blue areas indicate that gloves and perhaps a mask are obligatory. Even though the area is considered poison-free you have to keep up a high standard of personal hygiene.