Offgassing from plywood shelving

Claudius Schettini <claudius [at] fi__ats__it> writes

>... Ms Jaeschke mentions the spider plant as being of
>help in absorbing formaldehyde gas. I wonder whether anyone on the
>list could provide the scientific name of this plant besides any
>other helpful information on how to deal with the problem.

Actually all ferns help break down environmental gases such as
formaldehyde, so the need to get a specific class of plant is not
necessary. One risk with having plants in a collections area is the
potential for bugs and higher humidity.  Small plant eating bugs may
attract larger pests which could pose threats to paper in their
reproductive and excretory activities, higher humidity could come in
the form of air born moisture and in direct water used to feed the
plants that could pose a threat to the books.

Another approach would be to cover all shelves with an acid free
barrier paper, before installing the collection, that is replaced on
a frequent basis.  Or you could consider coating all sides of the
shelving with a clear latex sealant that is allowed to dry and off
gas for at least two weeks; this will trap any further gases
inside, and pose the need for careful handling around the shelves so
as not to break the sealant coating.

Sean Harrison
Senior Collections Assistant
Experience Music Project

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 13:3
                  Distributed: Thursday, June 24, 1999
                        Message Id: cdl-13-3-004
                                  ***