The National Library of the Netherlands (KB) has discovered that part of its historical collection contains Books bound with pigments that include arsenic. It is a problem that not only affects the conservation of these volumes, but is a potential risk for the workers who manipulate them.
For centuries, the use of Green pigments As the “Green of Paris” or the “Green of Schweinfurt” was a common practice in the binding, without knowing the Toxic effects that these compounds could have time. Today, with the advancement of studies on historical materials, libraries face the challenge of managing these books without compromising the safety of their personnel or the integrity of documentary heritage.
Protocol for the 542 volumes affected
The alarm On the toxicity of these materials It emerged in 2018when a study in Denmark revealed the presence of arsenic at nineteenth -century binding. Following this investigation, the KB decided to analyze its own collection and found that many of its books contained this element. In your studythe library identified a total of 542 volumes with bindings that tested positive for arsenic tests. These books date from the Second half of the eleventh century until 1958 And they present various appearances: from binding in green leather, yellow or brown, to edges of colored pages such as blue and yellow.
Among the affected titles, there are editions of legal and scientific works of the nineteenth century, as well as accounting books and administrative records. In other documented cases outside this study, volumes have been identified as The Ballads of Ireland by Edward Hayes (1855), a Henry Stanley Romanian Poetry Bilingual Anthology (1856) and Shadows from the walls of death (1874) by Robert C. Kedzie, which contains samples of wallpaper with arsenic, reflecting the amplitude of this problem in libraries around the world.
To minimize the risk, the library has established a protocol which includes the Isolation of affected books in acid -free boxesexclusive manipulation with high filtration gloves and masks and the implementation of more rigorous cleaning systems. In addition, they have been carried out Biomonitoring studies among staff To check if prolonged exposure to these volumes has generated arsenic accumulation in the body, although so far No worrying levels have been detected.
Open debate in the field of conservation
The finding of these poisonous books opens a debate in the field of bibliographic heritage conservation. Is it possible to keep them accessible without putting those who manipulate them at risk? The Digitization It is one of the strategies that are proposes to guarantee your consultation without the need for physical contactbut the scan process itself also requires managing books, which entails certain risks. Other options include the Robotic storage or the restriction of access to specialized researchers under strict security measures.
In the case of the KB, the institution will take advantage of the future transfer of its collection to a new automated storage center to make a more exhaustive screening of the affected books. This process will allow to evaluate in detail the magnitude of the problem and make decisions about its long -term management.
The problem is not exclusive to the National Library of the Netherlands. Other institutions in Europe They have identified the presence of toxic pigments in their collectionswhich has promoted international cooperation to establish detection and management protocols.
It also affects the restoration industry
The impact of these discoveries has also reached the restoration and book conservation industry. The specialists have begun to develop analysis methods more precise to identify the presence of toxic substances in binding and determine whether it is possible to stabilize materials without compromising their integrity. In some cases, it has been suggested that certain coatings could encapsulate dangerous pigments and avoid the release of particles to the environment, although this solution is still in the experimentation phase.
The arsenic challenge in ancient bindings has also aroused the Interest of health researchers and security in the workplace. While libraries have implemented measures to minimize exhibition, there is still uncertainty about long -term effects of contact with these materials. Some studies have begun to evaluate whether the arsenic present in the bindings can be transferred into the air or the skin of those who manipulate them, which It may require stricter regulations for management in the future.
#discover #arsenic #books #National #Library #Netherlands
