Ozone generators

Barbara Appelbaum <aandh [at] mindspring__com> writes

>I have always heard that ozone is a strong oxidizer and therefore
>cannot be used on art, but this stuff has no long-term value, and my
>main concern is whether the ozone could possibly alter the colors in
>a major way.  I would appreciate information on what kind of
>noticeable changes the ozone can be reasonably expected to cause.  I
>would also appreciate information on whether the ozone really does
>eliminate smells!

We have dealt with a number of fires over the years and have seen a
lot of material treated by remediation companies with ozone.
Although I have not carried out any rigorous scientific testing, I
cannot say that I have ever seen anything obviously altered by
exposure.  However, I have made extensive inquiries with
conservation scientists at various times and have always come to the
same conclusion:  I am not going to be the one responsible for
exposing [fine art] paintings to ozone.  In particular because of
alterations that may not be apparent to the naked eye and
deleterious effects that may not become apparent except over time.
Where to draw the line between fine art and commercial decorative
material is a tough one I will leave to you and Paul.  I seem to
recall that the Chicago Conservation Center used to treat paintings
with ozone. I don't recall if they had their own generator, but you
may want to get in touch with them...

We have had a great deal of success collaborating with local
remediation companies to contract for the use of their ozone
chambers to treat frames. Treatment is generally carried out for
12-24 hours, often overnight. Some objects required repeated
treatment.  Some were never entirely rid of their odor.  Contact a
local ServiceMaster office (or similar) to get more info and see if
they will work with you.

Steven Prins
Conservator of Paintings
Steven Prins and Company
1570 Pacheco, Suite D-4
Santa Fe, NM 87505
505-983-2528
Fax: 505-986-0846


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 24:3
                  Distributed: Wednesday, June 2, 2010
                        Message Id: cdl-24-3-007
                                  ***