Karen Barbosa, Teresa Ferreira, P. Moreira, E. Vieira
{"title":"Monitoring pollutant gases in museum microclimates: a relevant preventive conservation strategy","authors":"Karen Barbosa, Teresa Ferreira, P. Moreira, E. Vieira","doi":"10.14568/CP2020069","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Exposure to an atmosphere rich in volatile pollutants can endanger collections in museums, galleries, libraries or archives. Monitoring volatile pollutants in museum microclimates remains an unusual practice in most institutions. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be released by many sources, including the artefacts’ materials themselves. The presence of pollutants in an enclosed space with poor ventilation, adding to high temperature and relative humidity levels or significant fluctuations, may increase the risk of damage for the more susceptible materials. The tendency observed in museums to enclose artefacts in vitrines or boxes may contribute to the formation of microclimates with high VOCs concentration. Based on the studies developed in the last decades, this work intends to draw attention to the risks associated with gaseous pollutants in museum environment and outline some recommendations that encourage cultural heritage institutions to implement a pollutant monitoring plan associated with risk prevention.","PeriodicalId":55942,"journal":{"name":"Conservar Patrimonio","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.4000,"publicationDate":"2021-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"1","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Conservar Patrimonio","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.14568/CP2020069","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"0","JCRName":"HUMANITIES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 1
Abstract
Exposure to an atmosphere rich in volatile pollutants can endanger collections in museums, galleries, libraries or archives. Monitoring volatile pollutants in museum microclimates remains an unusual practice in most institutions. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be released by many sources, including the artefacts’ materials themselves. The presence of pollutants in an enclosed space with poor ventilation, adding to high temperature and relative humidity levels or significant fluctuations, may increase the risk of damage for the more susceptible materials. The tendency observed in museums to enclose artefacts in vitrines or boxes may contribute to the formation of microclimates with high VOCs concentration. Based on the studies developed in the last decades, this work intends to draw attention to the risks associated with gaseous pollutants in museum environment and outline some recommendations that encourage cultural heritage institutions to implement a pollutant monitoring plan associated with risk prevention.
期刊介绍:
Conservar Património is a journal, published three times a year, that intends to create a space for the diffusion of conservator-restorers’ studies and activities. However, at a time when Conservation-Restoration pretends to develop further through collaboration with other areas of knowledge, such as History of Art, Archaeology, Museum Studies, Chemistry, Physics, Biology and other related disciplines from the fields of the natural and social sciences, the journal also receives contributions from any other provenance as long as directed towards the multiple dimensions of the works that integrate our Cultural Heritage. Theoretical issues on the conservation activity may also be submitted.