Fire retardant plastic sheeting

The University of Kansas Libraries have recently contracted with a
new insurance company.  During walk-throughs of some of our
buildings, the insurance agent was concerned about some areas of our
bookstacks that are semi-permanently covered in sheet plastic (where
roof leaks are not uncommon).  The agent suggested replacing plastic
visqueen with fire retardant tarps to lower the flammability of the
sheeting.

The manufacturer states that the tarp "consists of two sheets of
high strength fire retardant film laminated together with a third
layer of molten polyethylene".  I would welcome comments from the
conservation community on having fire-retardant plastic in contact
with collections on a semi-permanent basis.

Whitney Baker
Head, Conservation Services / Librarian
University of Kansas Libraries
1425 Jayhawk Blvd., #135
Lawrence, KS 66045


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 27:45
                  Distributed: Saturday, May 17, 2014
                       Message Id: cdl-27-45-014
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