Assessing the Health Risks of Arsenic in Nineteenth-century Books at the UC Berkeley Library: Evaluating the Exposure Levels for Staff and Patrons in the Library Context in Studies in conservation, Vol.70 N°7-8(2025; October-November) (2025-10-01)  

Public ISBD [article]  inStudies in conservation > Vol.70 N°7-8(2025; October-November) (2025-10-01) . - P. 740-744 Titre : Assessing the Health Risks of Arsenic in Nineteenth-century Books at the UC Berkeley Library: Evaluating the Exposure Levels for Staff and Patrons in the Library Context Type de document : texte imprimé Année de publication : 2025 Article en page(s) : P. 740-744 Langues : Anglais (eng) Catégories : Arsenic -- Toxicologie Conservation et restauration -- Échantillonnage Livres -- États-Unis -- 19e siècle -- Conservation et restauration Patrimoine écrit -- Conservation et restauration -- Évaluation du risque -- 21e siècle Santé au travail -- Bibliothèques -- 21e siècle Sécurité du travail -- Appareils et matériel Spectroscopie de fluorescence Spectroscopie des rayons X University of California, Berkeley. General library -- Fonds spéciaux -- Livres rares -- Conservation et restauration Index. décimale : 7.025 Dommages. Conservation. Protection Résumé : After confirming the presence of arsenic and lead in selected nineteenth-century books using XRF, the UC Berkeley Library Preservation Department and the UC Berkeley Office of Environment, Health and Safety conducted an exposure test to evaluate the risk of handling books for patrons and library staff. This test was designed to replicate a patron or conservator’s exposure levels while reading or mending a book that contains arsenic and lead. It involved handling one book for an hour, wearing fitted personal protective equipment (PPE), while taking air samples near the handler’s breathing zone, and subsequent wipe samples taken from the underlying surface and gloves used to handle the book. Results were compared with the CAL/OSHA action levels, the California Department of Health standard for lead contaminated dust, and the ‘World Trade Center Indoor Environment Assessment’ guidelines. Despite being anecdotal evidence, this case study contributes to an information gap that cannot be easily filled given that individual libraries do not have the resources to undertake a large-scale analysis of nineteenth-century materials. En ligne : https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00393630.2025.2514983 [article] Assessing the Health Risks of Arsenic in Nineteenth-century Books at the UC Berkeley Library: Evaluating the Exposure Levels for Staff and Patrons in the Library Context [texte imprimé] . - 2025 . - P. 740-744. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Studies in conservation > Vol.70 N°7-8(2025; October-November) (2025-10-01) . - P. 740-744 Catégories : Arsenic -- Toxicologie Conservation et restauration -- Échantillonnage Livres -- États-Unis -- 19e siècle -- Conservation et restauration Patrimoine écrit -- Conservation et restauration -- Évaluation du risque -- 21e siècle Santé au travail -- Bibliothèques -- 21e siècle Sécurité du travail -- Appareils et matériel Spectroscopie de fluorescence Spectroscopie des rayons X University of California, Berkeley. General library -- Fonds spéciaux -- Livres rares -- Conservation et restauration Index. décimale : 7.025 Dommages. Conservation. Protection Résumé : After confirming the presence of arsenic and lead in selected nineteenth-century books using XRF, the UC Berkeley Library Preservation Department and the UC Berkeley Office of Environment, Health and Safety conducted an exposure test to evaluate the risk of handling books for patrons and library staff. This test was designed to replicate a patron or conservator’s exposure levels while reading or mending a book that contains arsenic and lead. It involved handling one book for an hour, wearing fitted personal protective equipment (PPE), while taking air samples near the handler’s breathing zone, and subsequent wipe samples taken from the underlying surface and gloves used to handle the book. Results were compared with the CAL/OSHA action levels, the California Department of Health standard for lead contaminated dust, and the ‘World Trade Center Indoor Environment Assessment’ guidelines. Despite being anecdotal evidence, this case study contributes to an information gap that cannot be easily filled given that individual libraries do not have the resources to undertake a large-scale analysis of nineteenth-century materials. En ligne : https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00393630.2025.2514983

A Case of Identity : A Technical Study of Victorian Wallpapers in Studies in conservation, Vol.70 N°7-8(2025; October-November) (2025-10-01)  

Public ISBD [article]  inStudies in conservation > Vol.70 N°7-8(2025; October-November) (2025-10-01) . - P. 579-590 Titre : A Case of Identity : A Technical Study of Victorian Wallpapers Type de document : texte imprimé Année de publication : 2025 Article en page(s) : P. 579-590 Langues : Anglais (eng) Catégories : Arsenic -- Toxicologie Microscopie électronique à balayage Papier peint -- Grande-Bretagne -- 19e siècle -- Conservation et restauration Peinture (produit chimique) -- Constituants Pigments -- Toxicologie Spectroscopie des rayons X Spectroscopie Raman Vert de Paris Index. décimale : 7.025 Dommages. Conservation. Protection Résumé : Public perception of arsenic in nineteenth-century Britain encompassed a variety of things: criminal poison, useful medicine, and a raw material for manufacturing an array of goods. During this era, Henry Carr tested wallpaper and fabric samples sent in by private individuals and manufacturers, as part of an early effort in gathering scientific data to inform and protect consumers against chronic arsenic poisoning. In 2022, eight wallpaper samples that Carr had tested were acquired by Winterthur Library. These samples were analyzed by polarized light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence, and Raman spectroscopy to identify the presence of arsenic. Of the eight wallpaper swatches, seven suggested trace-to-elevated levels of both arsenic and copper. Two swatches were confirmed as having the arsenical pigment emerald green (copper acetoarsenite) specifically. Research into these wallpaper samples furthers the legacy of knowledge gathering and sharing in order to protect everyday users by contributing to toxicology research in library and archives materials. En ligne : https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00393630.2024.2443713 [article] A Case of Identity : A Technical Study of Victorian Wallpapers [texte imprimé] . - 2025 . - P. 579-590. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Studies in conservation > Vol.70 N°7-8(2025; October-November) (2025-10-01) . - P. 579-590 Catégories : Arsenic -- Toxicologie Microscopie électronique à balayage Papier peint -- Grande-Bretagne -- 19e siècle -- Conservation et restauration Peinture (produit chimique) -- Constituants Pigments -- Toxicologie Spectroscopie des rayons X Spectroscopie Raman Vert de Paris Index. décimale : 7.025 Dommages. Conservation. Protection Résumé : Public perception of arsenic in nineteenth-century Britain encompassed a variety of things: criminal poison, useful medicine, and a raw material for manufacturing an array of goods. During this era, Henry Carr tested wallpaper and fabric samples sent in by private individuals and manufacturers, as part of an early effort in gathering scientific data to inform and protect consumers against chronic arsenic poisoning. In 2022, eight wallpaper samples that Carr had tested were acquired by Winterthur Library. These samples were analyzed by polarized light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence, and Raman spectroscopy to identify the presence of arsenic. Of the eight wallpaper swatches, seven suggested trace-to-elevated levels of both arsenic and copper. Two swatches were confirmed as having the arsenical pigment emerald green (copper acetoarsenite) specifically. Research into these wallpaper samples furthers the legacy of knowledge gathering and sharing in order to protect everyday users by contributing to toxicology research in library and archives materials. En ligne : https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00393630.2024.2443713

‘Dash on the Poison' : Analysis of an 1837 Bound Herbarium Laced with Colorless Arsenic Trioxide in Studies in conservation, Vol.70 N°7-8(2025; October-November) (2025-10-01)  

Public ISBD [article]  inStudies in conservation > Vol.70 N°7-8(2025; October-November) (2025-10-01) . - P. 599-611 Titre : ‘Dash on the Poison' : Analysis of an 1837 Bound Herbarium Laced with Colorless Arsenic Trioxide Type de document : texte imprimé Année de publication : 2025 Article en page(s) : P. 599-611 Langues : Anglais (eng) Catégories : Adhésifs -- Toxicologie Anhydride arsénieux Arsenic -- Toxicologie Chlorure mercureux Fourier, Spectroscopie infrarouge à transformée de Herbiers -- États-Unis -- 19e siècle -- Conservation et restauration Herbiers -- Teneur en pesticides -- États-Unis -- 19e siècle Microscopie électronique à balayage Spectroscopie de fluorescence Spectroscopie des rayons X Spectroscopie Raman Index. décimale : 7.025 Dommages. Conservation. Protection Résumé : Herbaria, collections of dried plants, have been essential resources in the study of botany for hundreds of years. Like other natural historians, botanists have always struggled to protect their specimens from insects, and heavy metal pesticides were considered indispensable until relatively recently. Prominent nineteenth-century botanists usually recommended the liberal ‘poisoning’ of dried plant specimens with ‘corrosive sublimate,’ mercury (II) chloride in alcohol, among other pesticides. This study describes the instrumental analysis of a book of dried plant specimens assembled by an anonymous botanist in 1837. It was suspected that the plants in this bound herbarium had been poisoned with corrosive sublimate but, instead, arsenic was identified throughout with X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy. Further investigations were made with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), micro-Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), to identify the source of the arsenic in the volume. XRF and SEM-EDX confirmed that a colorless arsenic compound, likely arsenic trioxide, had been dissolved into the gum Arabic adhesive that affixes the plant specimens to each page. The authors are not aware of other instances in which a poisoned adhesive was used to mount herbarium specimens. This botanist’s unusual technique appears to have been largely successful at both securing the plant specimens to the book’s pages and protecting them from insect activity. The ubiquity of arsenic in nineteenth-century life is discussed, in addition to historical pest control measures, and the USA's gradual regulation of arsenic, mercury, and other poisonous substances. En ligne : https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00393630.2024.2448101 [article] ‘Dash on the Poison' : Analysis of an 1837 Bound Herbarium Laced with Colorless Arsenic Trioxide [texte imprimé] . - 2025 . - P. 599-611. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Studies in conservation > Vol.70 N°7-8(2025; October-November) (2025-10-01) . - P. 599-611 Catégories : Adhésifs -- Toxicologie Anhydride arsénieux Arsenic -- Toxicologie Chlorure mercureux Fourier, Spectroscopie infrarouge à transformée de Herbiers -- États-Unis -- 19e siècle -- Conservation et restauration Herbiers -- Teneur en pesticides -- États-Unis -- 19e siècle Microscopie électronique à balayage Spectroscopie de fluorescence Spectroscopie des rayons X Spectroscopie Raman Index. décimale : 7.025 Dommages. Conservation. Protection Résumé : Herbaria, collections of dried plants, have been essential resources in the study of botany for hundreds of years. Like other natural historians, botanists have always struggled to protect their specimens from insects, and heavy metal pesticides were considered indispensable until relatively recently. Prominent nineteenth-century botanists usually recommended the liberal ‘poisoning’ of dried plant specimens with ‘corrosive sublimate,’ mercury (II) chloride in alcohol, among other pesticides. This study describes the instrumental analysis of a book of dried plant specimens assembled by an anonymous botanist in 1837. It was suspected that the plants in this bound herbarium had been poisoned with corrosive sublimate but, instead, arsenic was identified throughout with X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy. Further investigations were made with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), micro-Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), to identify the source of the arsenic in the volume. XRF and SEM-EDX confirmed that a colorless arsenic compound, likely arsenic trioxide, had been dissolved into the gum Arabic adhesive that affixes the plant specimens to each page. The authors are not aware of other instances in which a poisoned adhesive was used to mount herbarium specimens. This botanist’s unusual technique appears to have been largely successful at both securing the plant specimens to the book’s pages and protecting them from insect activity. The ubiquity of arsenic in nineteenth-century life is discussed, in addition to historical pest control measures, and the USA's gradual regulation of arsenic, mercury, and other poisonous substances. En ligne : https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00393630.2024.2448101

Hazardous Hues : Identification of Arsenic Present in a Range of Colours Found on Historic Archival Material in the Collection of Parks Canada / Timothy Greening in Studies in conservation, Vol.70 N°7-8(2025; October-November) (2025-10-01)  

Public ISBD [article]  inStudies in conservation > Vol.70 N°7-8(2025; October-November) (2025-10-01) . - P. 640-646 Titre : Hazardous Hues : Identification of Arsenic Present in a Range of Colours Found on Historic Archival Material in the Collection of Parks Canada Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Timothy Greening (19..-....), Auteur Année de publication : 2025 Article en page(s) : P. 640-646 Langues : Anglais (eng) Catégories : Archives -- Conservation et restauration -- Canada Arsenic -- Toxicologie Colorants synthétiques -- Toxicologie Pigments -- Identification Pigments -- Toxicologie Spectroscopie de fluorescence Spectroscopie des rayons X Index. décimale : 7.025 Dommages. Conservation. Protection Résumé : Since late 2019, Parks Canada has been active in the identification of hazardous materials in the collection under the care of the Indigenous Affairs and Cultural Heritage Directorate, using non-destructive XRF analysis. This method of analysis can detect elements of concern including lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic. In the case of arsenic, selected case studies show that arsenic is found in more places than initially expected. This paper outlines the XRF analysis of collections materials expected to be found in library and archives, and discusses the visual identification of arsenic, based on the colour of the material. Arsenic yellows (orpiment and/or realgar) were not positively identified in this survey, nor was cobalt violet (cobalt arsenate). A copper-arsenic green, likely emerald green, was occasionally detected. In addition, both a green ink distinct from typical arsenical greens, and dark reds were shown to contain varying levels of arsenic on paper artefacts during this survey. This paper posits the use of early synthetic organic pigments as an explanation for the presence of arsenic in the artefacts under investigation. Historical research indicates that aside from the colours green and yellow, arsenic can also be found in materials in the red and mauve colour families, from arsenic used in the synthesis of aniline dyes. En ligne : https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00393630.2025.2465954 [article] Hazardous Hues : Identification of Arsenic Present in a Range of Colours Found on Historic Archival Material in the Collection of Parks Canada [texte imprimé] / Timothy Greening (19..-....), Auteur . - 2025 . - P. 640-646. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Studies in conservation > Vol.70 N°7-8(2025; October-November) (2025-10-01) . - P. 640-646 Catégories : Archives -- Conservation et restauration -- Canada Arsenic -- Toxicologie Colorants synthétiques -- Toxicologie Pigments -- Identification Pigments -- Toxicologie Spectroscopie de fluorescence Spectroscopie des rayons X Index. décimale : 7.025 Dommages. Conservation. Protection Résumé : Since late 2019, Parks Canada has been active in the identification of hazardous materials in the collection under the care of the Indigenous Affairs and Cultural Heritage Directorate, using non-destructive XRF analysis. This method of analysis can detect elements of concern including lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic. In the case of arsenic, selected case studies show that arsenic is found in more places than initially expected. This paper outlines the XRF analysis of collections materials expected to be found in library and archives, and discusses the visual identification of arsenic, based on the colour of the material. Arsenic yellows (orpiment and/or realgar) were not positively identified in this survey, nor was cobalt violet (cobalt arsenate). A copper-arsenic green, likely emerald green, was occasionally detected. In addition, both a green ink distinct from typical arsenical greens, and dark reds were shown to contain varying levels of arsenic on paper artefacts during this survey. This paper posits the use of early synthetic organic pigments as an explanation for the presence of arsenic in the artefacts under investigation. Historical research indicates that aside from the colours green and yellow, arsenic can also be found in materials in the red and mauve colour families, from arsenic used in the synthesis of aniline dyes. En ligne : https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00393630.2025.2465954

It’s Not Easy Being Green – The Challenge of Having Poisonous Arsenic Containing Books in a National Library Collection in Studies in conservation, Vol.70 N°7-8(2025; October-November) (2025-10-01)

Public ISBD [article]  inStudies in conservation > Vol.70 N°7-8(2025; October-November) (2025-10-01) . - P. 702-713 Titre : It’s Not Easy Being Green – The Challenge of Having Poisonous Arsenic Containing Books in a National Library Collection Type de document : texte imprimé Année de publication : 2025 Article en page(s) : P. 702-713 Langues : Anglais (eng) Catégories : Archives -- Matériaux -- Toxicologie -- Identification Arsenic -- Toxicologie Documentation de bibliothèque -- Conservation et restauration -- Toxicologie Koninklijke bibliotheek (Pays-Bas) -- Fonds spéciaux -- Livres rares -- Conservation et restauration Pigments -- Toxicologie Index. décimale : 7.025 Dommages. Conservation. Protection Résumé : Poisonous books in library collections with public access pose a specific challenge due to the fact that library staff and readers handle collection items intensely. This article describes the quest of the KB National Library of the Netherlands in how to deal specifically with arsenic used in colorants for library materials. It addresses the challenges of not knowing which collection items contain poisonous arsenic components, whether or not their presence constitutes a health risk, as well as dealing with official hygiene laws and regulations in handling arsenic. It describes two lines of research carried out by the library: one addressing the potential exposure to arsenic when handling these items and the other identifying arsenic containing items in the collections. The overall results of the exposure research do not show a direct link between increased arsenic levels found in the biomonitoring study and the work environment (at this specific library, at the time of testing). However, arsenic was found on work surfaces and tools used while handling arsenic containing objects. Legal health and safety regulations stipulate strict hygiene measures, which at first glance appear somewhat paradoxical to the outcome of the exposure study. Libraries have the duty to implement hygiene measures to ensure safe handling of these materials by staff and readers. The article describes the quest of the KB National Library of the Netherlands in dealing with books containing arsenic and will discuss the specific challenge and possible opportunity of the upcoming relocation of the entire collection to a new external robotized storage facility. [article] It’s Not Easy Being Green – The Challenge of Having Poisonous Arsenic Containing Books in a National Library Collection [texte imprimé] . - 2025 . - P. 702-713. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Studies in conservation > Vol.70 N°7-8(2025; October-November) (2025-10-01) . - P. 702-713 Catégories : Archives -- Matériaux -- Toxicologie -- Identification Arsenic -- Toxicologie Documentation de bibliothèque -- Conservation et restauration -- Toxicologie Koninklijke bibliotheek (Pays-Bas) -- Fonds spéciaux -- Livres rares -- Conservation et restauration Pigments -- Toxicologie Index. décimale : 7.025 Dommages. Conservation. Protection Résumé : Poisonous books in library collections with public access pose a specific challenge due to the fact that library staff and readers handle collection items intensely. This article describes the quest of the KB National Library of the Netherlands in how to deal specifically with arsenic used in colorants for library materials. It addresses the challenges of not knowing which collection items contain poisonous arsenic components, whether or not their presence constitutes a health risk, as well as dealing with official hygiene laws and regulations in handling arsenic. It describes two lines of research carried out by the library: one addressing the potential exposure to arsenic when handling these items and the other identifying arsenic containing items in the collections. The overall results of the exposure research do not show a direct link between increased arsenic levels found in the biomonitoring study and the work environment (at this specific library, at the time of testing). However, arsenic was found on work surfaces and tools used while handling arsenic containing objects. Legal health and safety regulations stipulate strict hygiene measures, which at first glance appear somewhat paradoxical to the outcome of the exposure study. Libraries have the duty to implement hygiene measures to ensure safe handling of these materials by staff and readers. The article describes the quest of the KB National Library of the Netherlands in dealing with books containing arsenic and will discuss the specific challenge and possible opportunity of the upcoming relocation of the entire collection to a new external robotized storage facility.

Multi-Analytical Investigation of Arsenical Transfer and Remediation on Nineteenth-Century Green Books in Studies in conservation, Vol.70 N°7-8(2025; October-November) (2025-10-01)

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Orpiment on Seventeenth-Century Blue-Coloured Textblock Edges / Mitchel Gundrum in Studies in conservation, Vol.70 N°7-8(2025; October-November) (2025-10-01)

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Risk-based Decision-making Informed by Analysis of an Early Nineteenth-century Manuscript Containing Smalt in Studies in conservation, Vol.70 N°7-8(2025; October-November) (2025-10-01)  

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Vol.70 N°7-8(2025; October-November) - 2025-10-01 - Special Issue : Bibliotoxicology : Hazard Identification. Special Issue : Bibliotoxicology : Case Studies (Bulletin de Studies in conservation)    

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Toxic Tales: Arsenic’s Legacy in Nineteenth-century Green Book Bindings at Northwestern University Libraries in Studies in conservation, Vol.70 N°7-8(2025; October-November) (2025-10-01)  

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Toxicity in 3D : XRF Analysis for the Presence of Heavy Metals in a Historical Stereograph Collection at Queen’s University Library, Canada in Studies in conservation, Vol.70 N°7-8(2025; October-November) (2025-10-01)  

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What Escapes the Eye: Exploring the Toxicity of a Red Velvet Spanish Carta Ejecutoria (1792) in Studies in conservation, Vol.70 N°7-8(2025; October-November) (2025-10-01)

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