Dust and health hazards

A number of small museums are concerned that their staff (many of
whom are retired people, either elderly or infirm) may be exposed to
hazardous substances in the dust of museum storage areas and have
asked if there is any feasible way of testing the dust for the
presence of poisons, heavy metal compounds, pnicogens, pathogens
etc. For example: lead compounds from pigments, arsenic or mercury
from natural history or costume items, curare or other arrow
poisons. Have any colleagues undertaken this kind of analysis or
come across published results that can reassure curators that their
staff are not likely to be harmed while working with the collections
or in special circumstances (e.g. a flood) ?

Helena Jaeschke
Conservation Development Officer
+44 1392 665951
Royal Albert Memorial Museum
Queen Street
Exeter EX4 3RX


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 19:6
                   Distributed: Sunday, July 17, 2005
                        Message Id: cdl-19-6-022
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