Hantavirus

The following appeared on Museum-l and is reproduced here without
the knowledge or consent of the author.

    Date: Wed 14 Jan 1998
    From: Cindy Van Volsem <mhmcoll [at] TELUSPLANET__NET>

    I have the daunting task of moving over-size artifacts to a new
    storage facility from a mouse ridden, dusty, off-site storage
    environment where there is potential risk of Hantavirus. Having
    done my homework on the Hantavirus, I respect the need to clean
    the artifacts without raising a lot of dust! The recommended
    solution is bleach and water, fine for some enamelled stoves,
    but has anyone had experience cleaning wooden artifacts where
    there is risk of the virus? I am braced to compromise some
    conservation standards for the sake of health & safety, but I
    can't imagine using a bleach solution on wood!

    Have any outdoor museum facilities where the virus exists had to
    cope with this? Thanks for any help,

        **** Moderator's comments:   As I recall, this topic has
        been discussed here before, so look in the DistList archives
        in CoOL <URL:http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/>

Audrey Yardley-Jones
Conservation Co-ordinator
Museums Alberta

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 11:63
                 Distributed: Friday, January 23, 1998
                       Message Id: cdl-11-63-013
                                  ***