Storing books bound in Velbex vinyl sheeting

We have discovered four printed books in our library collections
today where the covers have been made from  'Velbex' vinyl sheeting,
and the smell from this plastic is incredibly strong and pungent.
Velbex is made from polyvinyl chloride and plasticisers, and we
think the books were printed in the 1960s.  They were published by
the chemical division of The Distillers Company Limited and Velbex
was made by BX Plastics, and neither of these companies survive
today.

I am looking for advice please on how these four volumes are best
stored and preserved, as I am very conscious of the strong smell
from them which is now hitting me at the back of the throat having
had them on my desk for the past half hour.   At the moment they are
stored in an archival storage box with other books at 16 degrees
centigrade and 50% humidity.  I guess I should separate them from
the other books in the box, but I am wondering how they should be
packaged and should we isolate them because of any undesirable
off-gasing, etc.  The Velbex is quite soft and flexible and not
showing any signs of deterioration, it is just the smell which is
not dissipating.

Christine Brown
Conservation and Preservation Manager
Hull History Centre
Worship Street
Hull HU2 8BG
+44 1482 317503


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 29:30
                 Distributed: Friday, December 18, 2015
                       Message Id: cdl-29-30-022
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