Tyvek

What is the conservation community's experience of Tyvek in storage
and conservation applications?

Tyvek, produced by DuPont, is a PP (polypropylene) or PE
(polyethylene) sheet that is claimed by the manufacturer to be long
term archival ideal as well as breathable to moisture. Some
technical information can be obtained from the DuPont web site but I
would like to get a museum approach to the use of this material.
Alternatives for keeping objects sheltered  would be e.g. paper or
cotton fabric, which have the disadvantage of being less resistant
to tear and water respectively.

PP is known to belong to a group of polymers containing tertiary
hydrogen, thus being susceptible to UV and other radiation, as well
as being easily oxidized. To improve the performance of the polymer
different stabilizing agents are added in the manufacturing process.

    *   What are the museum experiences with this material, either
        good or bad?

    *   How permeable is "breathable" compared to e.g. fabrics?

    *   How long is the longest use in museum application?

    *   Has anybody observed migration of additives into
        neighbouring porous materials?

    *   What tests have been made before use in museums?

    *   What about adding (maybe) large quantities of plastic
        material into storages and the risk of fire?

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 13:32
                Distributed: Thursday, December 2, 1999
                       Message Id: cdl-13-32-022
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