Volume 10, Number 1, Jan. 1988, p.14

Health & Safety

Vikane

In Virginia, an elderly couple died after reentering their home after five hours of ventilation of the Sulfuryl Fluoride (Vikane) used in the fumigation. The incident was reported in "Fatalities Resulting from Sulfuryl Fluoride Exposure after Home Fumigation - Virginia" in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 36, 602 (18 Sept 1987).

"Hands-on" Danger

In "Danger in the Discovery Room? Potentially Hazardous Materials in Museum Education Programs" by Julia Fenn, Department of Conservation, Royal Ontario Museum, published in Museum Quarterly (fall issue), the author discusses potential hazards in "hands on" programs. The programs encourage children to handle artifacts that may have been treated with hazardous chemicals in past preservation attempts.

Paradichlorobenzene

In the August 1987 (v.11 #6) Abbey Newsletter, pp 96-97, Monona Rossol in "Bulletin on PDB Hazards", reports that PDB (one of the common types of moth balls, also known as 1,4 dichlorobenzene) has recently been linked to cancer in male rats and both male and female mice. For further information, contact: Monona Rossol, ACTS, 181 Thompson St. #23, New York, NY 10012

OSHA Hazard Communication Standard

In the December 1987 (v.11 #8) Abbey Newsletter, p 127, Monona Rossol in "Revised OSHA Standards Affect Conservation Labs" discusses the impact of the revised Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) and its impact on museums and conservation laboratories. For further information, contact: Monona Rossol, ACTS, 181 Thompson St. #23, New York, NY 10012

From: The Abbey Newsletter