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To the best of my knowledge there is not a significant reaction
between fabrics and sulfuryl fluoride (Vikane). The lachrymose (eye tearing)
chemical used to warn animals and required by federal regulations can have an
adverse reaction to some compounds. The lachrymose is chloropicrin and you can
look it up in the Merck Index etc or ask the Pest Control firm about it. Sulfuryl
fluoride is a fumigant also labeled (legal) for clothes moths or carpet
beetles, but the dosage for these insects is not the same as the dosage for
termites. The pest control firm that is licensed for fumigation must also
attend special courses and have calibrated equipment in order to have the
fumigant delivered by the manufacturer. Such fumigation is a very safe process controlled
by federal and state regulations, because the fumigant is odorless and colorless.
CCI, the Getty, and CAL (now MCI) did a review of sulfuryl fluoride on paints, pigments,
dyes, waxes, metals and published the results in 1990 Preprints of ICOM-CC (
Baker et al. “Laboratory Investigation of the Fumigant Vikane”). Mary W. Ballard Senior Textiles Conservator, Museum Conservation Institute, Smithsonian Institution 4210 Silver Hill Road, Suitland MD 20746 U.S.A. tel: 301-238-1210 fax: 301-238-3709 email ballardm@xxxxxx From: Textile
Conservators [mailto:TEXCONS@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of scurtis Dear list, [I volunteer
with a local historical society and have been working with them on improving
the storage of their textile collection (mostly costume) in an old barn (think,
no HVAC, humidity controls). They are going to tent fumigate for termites and
asked me if they should do something special with the collection. My first
reaction was to remove everything, but that’s not very practical. Is there an
adverse effect on textiles that are in acid free boxes? The exterminator is
going to fumigate with sulfuryl fluoride (Vikane)] |