A Collaborative Approach to Hazardous & Contaminated Collections Conundrums

A wide range of inherent vices and acquired hazards can be found in museum collections worldwide. Inherent hazards include items decorated with lead paint, objects containing dyes and pigments, archaeological and geological collections containing silica dust, poisonous herbarium specimens, geological collections that naturally contain heavy metals or are radioactive, objects created from uranium glass and even historic medicinal collections containing old medications and other dangerous substances. Acquired hazards include historic chemical pesticide treatments including toxic metal-based poisons such as arsenic and mercuric salts and, later in time, organic compounds such as DDT were also employed. How can museums identify and manage these complex issues? This case study addresses these concerns and highlights a multi-year collaboration between the Indiana University Indianapolis Museum Studies Program, Purdue University’s School of Health Sciences and the Indiana Medical History Museum (IMHM) that can serve as a replicable model for other museums grappling with these same conundrums.