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)

Public ISBD [article]  inStudies in conservation > Vol.70 N°7-8(2025; October-November) (2025-10-01) Titre : What Escapes the Eye: Exploring the Toxicity of a Red Velvet Spanish Carta Ejecutoria (1792) Type de document : texte imprimé Année de publication : 2025 Langues : Anglais (eng) Catégories : Arsenic -- Toxicologie Documents électoraux -- Espagne -- 18e siècle -- Conservation et restauration Mercure -- Toxicologie Pesticides -- Toxicologie Plomb -- Toxicologie Poussière -- Analyse Spectroscopie des rayons X Velours -- Espagne -- 18e siècle -- Conservation et restauration Index. décimale : 7.025 Dommages. Conservation. Protection Résumé : This case study investigates the toxicity of a Spanish Carta Ejecutoria (1792) from the University of Delaware by analyzing X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and wipe dust data. Studied in 2021–2022 for its materiality and historical context, XRF spot measurements suggested arsenic, lead, and mercury in the left board’s velvet cover. However, because the object’s toxicological profile was peripheral to the initial study, the XRF and dust interpretations remained incomplete. This publication, supported by bilingual literature, XRF spectra, and quantitative dust data review, provided an opportunity to clarify earlier hazardousness concerns. While XRF measurements indicated trace amounts of lead in the velvet cover and no lead in the parchment folio, wipe dust results confirmed that lead was the primary source of toxicity, exceeding EPA’s lowest clearance threshold (10.0 µg/ft²) on both materials. Potential sources include lead-based silk weighting practices, lead-based pesticide campaigns targeting proteinaceous substrates, or contamination from a missing lead hanging seal. Secondary mercury toxicity, identified in trace amounts only in the velvet, likely corresponds to mercuric chloride pesticides or ‘corrosive sublimate’ paste concoctions used in the bookbinding process. Arsenic, found in the Dutch paper’s smalt (a bluing agent), showed no offset evidence. This case study provided crucial insights into the Carta’s toxicological profile by comparing results against established EPA benchmarks, emphasizing the complementary value of XRF and dust analysis. Finally, the presented literature review and results contribute to the broader study of inconspicuously toxic library collections by underscoring the need to identify health risks beyond Victorian-era ‘poisonous books’. [article] What Escapes the Eye: Exploring the Toxicity of a Red Velvet Spanish Carta Ejecutoria (1792) [texte imprimé] . - 2025. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Studies in conservation > Vol.70 N°7-8(2025; October-November) (2025-10-01) Catégories : Arsenic -- Toxicologie Documents électoraux -- Espagne -- 18e siècle -- Conservation et restauration Mercure -- Toxicologie Pesticides -- Toxicologie Plomb -- Toxicologie Poussière -- Analyse Spectroscopie des rayons X Velours -- Espagne -- 18e siècle -- Conservation et restauration Index. décimale : 7.025 Dommages. Conservation. Protection Résumé : This case study investigates the toxicity of a Spanish Carta Ejecutoria (1792) from the University of Delaware by analyzing X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and wipe dust data. Studied in 2021–2022 for its materiality and historical context, XRF spot measurements suggested arsenic, lead, and mercury in the left board’s velvet cover. However, because the object’s toxicological profile was peripheral to the initial study, the XRF and dust interpretations remained incomplete. This publication, supported by bilingual literature, XRF spectra, and quantitative dust data review, provided an opportunity to clarify earlier hazardousness concerns. While XRF measurements indicated trace amounts of lead in the velvet cover and no lead in the parchment folio, wipe dust results confirmed that lead was the primary source of toxicity, exceeding EPA’s lowest clearance threshold (10.0 µg/ft²) on both materials. Potential sources include lead-based silk weighting practices, lead-based pesticide campaigns targeting proteinaceous substrates, or contamination from a missing lead hanging seal. Secondary mercury toxicity, identified in trace amounts only in the velvet, likely corresponds to mercuric chloride pesticides or ‘corrosive sublimate’ paste concoctions used in the bookbinding process. Arsenic, found in the Dutch paper’s smalt (a bluing agent), showed no offset evidence. This case study provided crucial insights into the Carta’s toxicological profile by comparing results against established EPA benchmarks, emphasizing the complementary value of XRF and dust analysis. Finally, the presented literature review and results contribute to the broader study of inconspicuously toxic library collections by underscoring the need to identify health risks beyond Victorian-era ‘poisonous books’.

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