Inert Gases in the Control of Museum Insect Pests

by Charles Selwitz; Shin Maekawa

• ISBN13: 9780892365029
• ISBN10: 0892365021
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-01-28
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Summary

This book describes successful insect eradication procedures developed at the Getty Conservation Institute and elsewhere, whereby objects are held in an atmosphere of either nitrogen or argon containing less than 1000 ppm of oxygen--a process know as anoxia--or in an atmosphere of more than 60 percent carbon dioxide. The book describes in detail the techniques, materials, and operating parameters of these procedures as well as recent case histories.

Author Biography

Charles Selwitz works primarily for the Getty Conservation Institute in such diverse areas as the preservation of earthen architecture by backfilling, the use of polymers for stone preservation, control of insect pests in museums by use of modified atmospheres.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xv
Mechanisms of Insect Mortality	p. 1
Desiccation
Anoxia at High Humidities
Anoxia as a Conservation Procedure	p. 7
From Food Preservation to Conservation
Early Museum Anoxia Studies
Determining Kill Times
Thermal Techniques
Killing Burrowed Insects
Methods and Materials	p. 17
Barrier Films
Gas Supplies
Oxygen Scavengers
Closures
Heat Sealers
Zippers
Clamps
Adhesive Strips
Portals
Operational Problems and Practices	p. 29
Humidification
Argon versus Nitrogen
Monitors
Electronic Oxygen Monitors
Passive Oxygen Monitors
Carbon Dioxide Monitors
Relative Humidity Monitors
Temperature Sensors
Leak Detectors
Monitoring Life Signs
Safe Use of Nontoxic Fumigants
Anoxia Treatment in Barrier-Film Bags	p. 41
General Procedures
Conservators' Experience
Comments
Anoxia Treatment in a Dynamic Mode	p. 49
Treatment in Small Pouches
Treatment in Constructed Containments
Objects at the J. Paul Getty Museum
Back Seat Dodge '38
The Spanish Piano
Reusable Anoxia Systems	p. 57
Flexible Chambers
The Getty Barrier-Film Tent
The Small Rentokil Bubble
The Large Rentokil Bubble
Rigid Chambers
Homemade Containers
Vacufume Chambers
Fumigation with Carbon Dioxide	p. 67
Effectiveness of Carbon Dioxide versus Nitrogen
Carbon Dioxide Fumigation Requirements
Treatment Experience in the United States
Old Sturbridge Village
The Winterthur Museum
Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities
The Oakland Museum
The Smithsonian Institution
Treatment Experience in Canada
The National Museum of Science and Technology
The Canadian Museum of Civilization
Treatment Experience in Germany
Professional Contacts	p. 79
Materials and Suppliers	p. 81
Common and Scientific Names of Insect Species	p. 91
References	p. 93
Index	p. 101
About the Authors	p. 107
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