IAQ in Museum Display Cases: Comparison
View Latest Version
Please note this is a comparison between Version 2 by Vivi Li and Version 1 by Oscar Chiantore.

The control of air quality in museum showcases is a growing issue for the conservation of the displayed artefacts. Inside an airtight showcase, volatile substances may rapidly concentrate and favor or directly cause the degradation or other unwanted phenomena on the objects. The role of materials used in the construction of museum display cases as a source of pollutants and volatile compounds dangerous for the cultural heritage integrity is here reviewed with an illustration of consequences and critical damages. Ways of assessing the suitability of materials used either in the construction or in use of the display cases are also discussed altogether with an overview of the possible choices for monitoring the air quality and limiting the concentration of volatile compounds in their interior.

  • indoor air quality
  • display cases
  • volatile organic compounds
  • pollutants
  • emissions
  • preventive conservation
  • heritage science
Please wait, diff process is still running!

References

  1. Salthammer, T. Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds from Products and Materials in Indoor Environments. In Indoor Air Pollution; The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry; Pluschke, P., Ed.; Springer: Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany, 2004; Volume 4F, pp. 37–71.
  2. Uhde, E.; Salthammer, T. Impact of Reaction Products from Building Materials and Furnishings on Indoor Air Quality—A Review of Recent Advances in Indoor Chemistry. Atmos. Environ. 2007, 41, 3111–3128.
  3. Hatchfield, P.B. Pollutants In The Museum Environment: Practical Strategies For Problem Solving. In Design, Exhibition and Storage; Archetype Publications: London, UK, 2002.
  4. Toby, R.; Burke, M. A set of conservation guidelines for exhibitions. In Objects Specialty Group Postprints; The American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works: Washington, DC, USA, 2000; Volume 7, pp. 5–20.
  5. Cassar, M.; Martin, G. The environmental performance of museum display cases. Stud. Conserv. 1994, 39 (Suppl. 2), 171–173.
  6. Watts, S.; Crombie, D.; Jones, S.; Yates, S. Museum showcases: Specification and reality, costs and benefits. In Museum Microclimates; Padfield, T., Borchersen, K., Eds.; National Museum of Denmark: København K, Denmark, 2007; ISBN 978-87-7602-080-4.
  7. Tennent, N.H.; Baird, T. The deterioration of Mollusca collections: Identification of shell efflorescence. Stud. Conserv. 1985, 30, 73–85.
  8. Salem, M.; Bohm, M. Understanding of Formaldehyde emissions in solid wood: An overview. BioResources 2013, 8, 4775–4790.
  9. Tennent, N.H.; Baird, T. The identification of acetate efflorescences on bronze antiquities stored in wooden cabinets. Conservator 1992, 16, 39–47.
  10. Tennent, N.H.; Tate, J.; Cannon, L. The corrosion of lead artifacts in wooden storage cabinets. SSCR J. 1993, 4, 8–11.
  11. Thickett, D.; Bradley, S.; Lee, L. Assessment of the Risks to Metal Artifacts Posed by Volatile Carbonyl Pollutants; Mourey, W., Robbiola, L., Eds.; James and James (Science Publishers) Ltd.: London, UK, 1998; pp. 260–264.
  12. Boccia Paterakis, A. The Influence of Conservation Treatments and Environmental Storage Factors on Corrosion of Copper Alloys in the Ancient Athenian Agora. J. Am. Inst. Conserv. 2003, 42, 313–339.
  13. FitzHugh, E.W.; Gettens, R.J. Calclacite and Other Efflorescent Salts on Objects Stored in Wooden Museum, Cases; Science and Archaeology; Brill, R.H., Ed.; The MIT Press: Cambridge, MA, USA, 1971; pp. 91–102.
  14. Gibson, L.T.; Cooksey, B.G.; Littlejohn, D.; Tennent, N.H. Investigation of the composition of a unique efflorescence on calcareous museum artifacts. Anal. Chim. Acta 1997, 337, 253–264.
  15. Segan Wheeler, G.; Wypyski, M.T. An unusual efflorescence on Greek ceramics. Stud. Conserv. 1993, 38, 55–62.
  16. Halsberghe, L.; Gibson, L.T.; Erhardt, D. A collection of ceramics damaged by acetate salts: Conservation and investigation into the causes. In Proceedings of the 14th Triennial Meeting, The Hague, The Netherlands, 12–16 September 2005; pp. 131–138.
  17. Linnow, K.; Halsberghe, L.; Steiger, M. Analysis of calcium acetate efflorescences formed on ceramic tiles in a museum environment. J. Cult. Herit. 2007, 8, 44–52.
  18. Costa Pessoa, J.C.; Antunes, J.L.F.; Figueiredo, M.O.; Fortes, M.A. Removal and analysis of soluble salts from ancient tiles. Stud. Conserv. 1996, 41, 153–160.
  19. Bettea, S.; Eggert, G.; Fischer, A.; Stelzner, J.; Dinnebier, R.E. Characterization of a new efflorescence salt on calcareous historic objects stored in wood cabinets: Ca2(CH3COO)(HCOO)(NO3)2·4H2O. Corros. Sci. 2018, 132, 68–78.
  20. Gibson, L.T.; Watt, C.M. Acetic and formic acids emitted from wood samples and their effect on selected materials in museum environments. Corros. Sci. 2010, 52, 172–178.
  21. Podany, J. Corrosion of Metal Artifacts and Works of Art in Museum and Collection Environments. In ASM Handbook, Volume 13C: Corrosion: Environments and Industries; Cramer, S.D., Covino, B.S., Eds.; ASM International: Materials Park, OH, USA, 2006; pp. 279–288.
  22. Selwyn, L. Metals and Corrosion: A Handbook for the Conservation Professional; Canadian Conservation Institute: Ottawa, ON, Canada, 2004; ISBN 0662379845.
  23. Lykiardopoulou-Petrou, M. The Museum Environment and its Effect on Coins (Storage and Display Materials: Problems and Solutions at The Numismatic Museum of Athens). Available online: (accessed on 8 March 2021).
  24. Al-Malaika, S.; Axtell, F.; Rothon, R.; Gilbert, M. Additives for Plastics, 8th ed.; Brydson’s Plastics Materials; Butterworth-Heinemann: Oxford, UK, 2017; Chapter 7; pp. 127–168.
  25. Costa, V. The deterioration of silver alloys and some aspects of their conservation. Rev. Conserv. 2001, 2, 19–35.
  26. Sease, C.; Selwyn, L.S.; Zubiate, S.; Bowers, D.F.; Atkins, D.R. Problems with coated silver: Whisker formation and possible filiform corrosion. Stud. Conserv. 1997, 42, 1–10.
  27. Koob, S.P.; Astrid, R.; van Giffen, N.; Kunicki-Goldfinger, J.J.; Brill, R.H. Caring for Glass Collections: The Importance of Maintaining Environmental Controls. Stud. Conserv. 2018, 63, 146–150.
  28. Verhaar, G.; van Bommel, M.R.; Tennent, N.H. Weeping Glass: The Identification of Ionic Species on the Surface of Vessel Glass Using Ion Chromatography. In Recent Advances in Glass and Ceramics Conservation; Roemich, H., Fair, L., Eds.; ICOM Committee for Conservation: Paris, France, 2016; pp. 123–133.
  29. Miles C., E. Wood coatings for display and storage cases. Stud. Conserv. 1986, 31, 114–124.
  30. Choosing New Display Cases, Museum Galleries Scotland. Available online: (accessed on 5 January 2021).
  31. Ganiaris, H.; Readman, J. Hazing on Display Case Glass: A Review and Progress on Prevention. Paper presented at the Indoor Air Quality in Heritage and Historic Environments. In Proceedings of the 12th International Conference, Birmingham, UK, 3–4 March 2016; Available online: (accessed on 5 January 2021).
  32. Poulin, J.; Coxon, H.; Anema, J.R.; Helwig KCorbeil, M. Investigation of Fogging on Glass Display Cases at the Royal Ontario Museum. Stud. Conserv. 2020, 65, 1–13.
  33. Schilling, M.; Carson, D.; Khanjian, H. Gas chromatographic determination of the fatty acid and glycerol content of lipids IV. Evaporation of fatty acids and the formation of ghost images by framed oil paintings. In Preprints of 12th Triennial Meeting of ICOM Committee for Conservation, Lyon, France, 29 August–3 September 1999; ICOM James and James: London, UK, 1999; pp. 242–247.
  34. Ordonez, E.; Twilley, J. Clarifying the Haze Efflorescence on Works of Art; Analytical Chemistry News & Features, American Chemical Society: Washington, USA, 1997; pp. 416A–422A.
  35. Grøntoft, T.; Schmidbauer, N.; Wisthaler, A.; Mikoviny, T.; Eichler, P.; Müller, M.; Hackney, S. A Sommer Larsen, Voc Emissions from Canvas and Acetic Acid Deposition to Canvas and Glass. Available online: (accessed on 8 March 2021).
  36. Newman, R.; Derrick, M.; Byrne, E.; Tan, M.; Chiantore, O.; Poli, T.; Riedo, C. Strange Events Inside Display Cases at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Lessons To Be Learned From Them—Part 1. In Conservation and Exhibition Planning: Material Testing for Design, Display, and Packing; Abstracts, Page 11; Lunder Conservation Center: Washington, DC, USA, 2015; Available online: (accessed on 5 January 2021).
  37. Van Iperen, J.; van Keulen, H.; Keune, K.; Abdulah, K.; Van Langh, R. Crystalline Deposits in New Display Cases at the Rijksmuseum: Characterisation and Origin. Available online: (accessed on 8 March 2021).
  38. Canosa, E.; Norrehed, S. Adsorbents for Pollution Reduction in Cultural Heritage Collections, Swedish National Heritage Board, Technical Report. 2019. Available online: (accessed on 5 January 2021).
  39. Grosjean, D.; Parmar, S.S. Removal of air pollutant mixtures from museum display cases. Stud. Conserv. 1991, 36, 129–141.
  40. Joao Cruz, A.; Pires, J.; Carvalho, A.P.; Brotas de Carvalho, M. Adsorption of Acetic Acid by Activated Carbons, Zeolites, and Other Adsorbent Materials Related with the Preventive Conservation of Lead Objects in Museum Showcases. J. Chem. Eng. Data 2004, 49, 725–731.
  41. Joao Cruz, A.; Pires, J.; Carvalho, A.P.; Brotas de Carvalho, M. Comparison of adsorbent materials for acetic acid removal in showcases. J. Cult. Heritage 2008, 9, 244–252.
  42. Grøntoft, T.P.; Lankester, D. Thickett. Reduction of Acidic Pollutant Gases Inside Showcases by the use of Activated Carbon Adsorbers. e-PS 2015, 12, 28–37.
  43. Msallamova, S.; Kouril, M.; Charlotte Strachotova, K.; Stoulil, J.; Popova, K.; Dvorakova, P.; Lhotka, M. Protection of lead in an environment containing acetic acid vapour by using adsorbents and their characterization. Herit. Sci. 2019, 7, 76.
  44. Hjerrild Smedemark, S.; Ryhl-Svendsen, M.; Toftum, J. Removal of Organic Acids from Indoor Air in Museum Storage Rooms by Active and Passive Sorption Techniques. Stud. Conserv. 2020, 65, 251–261.
  45. Schieweck, A. Adsorbent media for the sustainable removal of organic air pollutants from museum display cases. Herit. Sci. 2020, 8, 1.
  46. Gibson, L.T. Mesosilica Materials and Organic Pollutant Adsorption: Part A Removal From Air. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2014, 43, 5163–5172.
  47. Dedecker, K.; Pillai, R.S.; Nouar, F.; Pires, J.; Steunou, N.; Dumas, E.; Maurin, G.; Serre, C.; Pinto, M.L. Metal-Organic Frameworks for Cultural Heritage Preservation: The Case of Acetic Acid Removal. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2018, 10, 13886–13894.
  48. Chiantore, O.; Riedo, C.; Poli, T.; Cotrufo, G.; Hohenstatt, P. Risk Assessment and Preservative Measures for Volatile Organic Compounds in Museum Showcases. Stud. Conserv. 2018, 63, 58–63.
More
© Text is available under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Video Production Service
Feedback