Project Background
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are present as indoor air pollutants in libraries and museums as a result of the off-gassing of building and storage materials, human activities, as well as the collections themselves through several mechanisms. Significant research is being undertaken to determine the impact of specific VOCs on specific materials. Their potential impact on longevity of collections has become of increasing interest. Examples of VOCs that have been shown to have detrimental effects on paper are acetic acid and aldehydes such as formaldehyde. Methods using thermal desorption gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GCMS), field air sampling, extracts from test materials, and other sampling methodologies are being developed and utilized to identify and quantify VOCs in the Library. Beyond determining the identity and quantity of VOCs, additional work is being done to examine the impact of different classes of VOCs on collection items as well as characterizing the potential of sorbent materials to mitigate the harmful VOCs found in libraries and museums.
Contributing Studies
Bembibre, C.; Strlič, M. Smell of Heritage: a Framework for the Identification, Analysis and Archival of Historic Odours. Heritage Science 5 (2017) 1-11.
Strlič, M., Cigić, I. K., Možir, A., de Bruin, G., Kolar, J., Cassar, M. The Effect of Volatile Organic Compounds and Hypoxia on Paper Degradation. Polymer Degradation and Stability 96 (2011) 608-615.
Tsukada, M., Rizzo, A., Granzotto, C. A new strategy for assessing off-gassing from museum materials: air sampling in Oddy test vessels, AIC News 37 (2012) 1-7.
Project Description
Direct samples of indoor air are sampled and analyzed by using SPME-GC-MS. The results are compared to data obtained from analytical standards, and compounds of interest are quantitated. Headspace SPME-GC-MS is used to sample and analyze building and storage materials.
Findings
- TD-GCMS has been found to be a reproducible and highly sensitive method for evaluating off-gassing of building and storage materials in a quantitative manner.
- Sorbent materials are capable of reducing the types of VOCs found in museums and libraries.
- Many modern building materials may be detrimental to collection objects. Testing of the off gassing of proposed materials is necessary to mitigate the risk to the collections.
Outcomes
Methods are being further developed and are currently being used to determine background ambient levels of VOCs and their sources. These methods are also being utilized to assist in the decision making process regarding the suitability of building and storage materials under consideration for use at the Library.
