CCI2014050731

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Treatment Procedurę

Treatment procedurę for the objects was as follows:

1.    Frozen for 24 hours, taken out for 24 hours, frożen for 24 hours, in a deepfrezer with a capacity of -40°C, for the destruction of any insects, larvae and eggs.

2.    Treatment with pressurized air in the fume cupboard -removal of dust, moth debris, loose hairs etc.

3.    Registration of conservation condition (see the last part of this paper).

4.    Packing with acid-free tissue paper in acid-free card-board boxes.

5.    Intermediate storage in a room with a relative humidity of between 50 and 60%, before transportation back to the new storerooms at the National Museum.

Conclusion

Our starting point was 1700 objects of which an uriknown ąuantity had been treated with insecticides which represen-ted a health hazard for conservators and other personal in the Museum. We chose a treatment method which was simple, quick and as safe as possible for ourselves. The ąuestion in whether this treatment really worked out the way we wanted to?

Our laboratory madę gaschromatographic analyses of hair fran the same place on an object, both before and after treatment. The results showed us that we were not able to remove all of the insecticides.

The probable explanation for this is that the bigger part of our objects are fatty or oily. Insecticide powder as for instance DDT binds especially well for these sticky sur-faces. But we have been able to remove a lot, as we can see fran analyses of the first filter of the fume cabin.

What we achieved by using the method with pressurized air, was the removal of all the loose DDT-dust which represents the biggest health hazard. However, the following points should be madę:

1 . One should still use gloves and special clothing when handling the objects.

2.    The conservator has still an insecticide problem when an object needs conservation.

3.    And the most positive: the objects are still protected against insect attack.

Data Registration System

Let us go back to one of the interesting things we have spent our time on: the registration of the treated objects. After treating the objects with pressurized air in the fume-cupboard, their condition was considered and filled into a printed scheme: