Pigeon droppings

Gregor Trinkaus-Randall <gregor.trinkaus-randall [at] state__ma__us>

>In talking with one of our building consultants today, I was asked
>what potential diseases, etc. can result from the substantial
>presence of pigeon droppings in an attic and on a dropped ceiling in
>a library. ...

Having had to deal with problems caused by pigeons at one of our
museums, I have done quite a bit of research on this topic. There
are quite a number of hazards contained within pigeon droppings,
some of which have proved fatal to humans in recent years. You might
like to look at a paper I gave on this subject in London last year
at the 2001 Pest Odyssey international conference. There is a table
in the paper listing the diseases that can be transmitted to humans.
The paper also deals with threats to collections from insects
associated with pigeons and also solutions to the problem. The
papers from the conference are published by English Heritage,
"Integrated Pest Management for Collections, Proceedings of 2001: A
Pest Odyssey", ISBN 1-902916-27 1.

Aside from that, try contacting your local environmental health
department for an assessment of the problem. They are often a useful
and knowledgeable ally and it is always useful to have the opinion of
another professional. Photographic evidence is good too--not
everyone making the decisions/holding the purse strings will have
had first hand experience of the horrendous mess and damage that can
be caused. Documentary evidence cannot be ignored! I would be happy
to talk about this in greater detail if needed. Good luck,

Susan Rees
Conservator
Dundee Arts and Leisure
Dundee
Scotland


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 16:37
                Distributed: Wednesday, December 4, 2002
                       Message Id: cdl-16-37-012
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