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FW: Housing for items contaminated with mold



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rekrut, Ala (CHT)
> Sent: 2002-Jan-08 10:23 AM
> To:   'archives@listserv.muohio.edu'
> Cc:   Beattie, Judith H. (CHT); 'info@museumsalberta.ab.ca'
> Subject:      RE: Housing for items contaminated with mold
>
> This enquiry was forwarded to me my a colleague.
>
> Many moulds present a serious health hazard, dormant or not, and the idea
> is to reduce the risk as much as possible.  Keep the spores out of the air
> by sealing dry mouldy records in heavyweight plastic - polypropylene or
> polyethylene are reasonably chemically stable, cheap and available.  For a
> few sheets, 2 layers of Ziplock bags (polyethylene) may do; books and
> boxes can be wrapped in clear polyethylene sheeting (vapour barrier from
> hardware stores).  All should be labelled to indicate the presence of a
> health hazard.
>
> In my workplace we restrict access to mouldy records, except for Mylar
> encapsulated individual sheets which may be consulted freely.  Loose mould
> spores are removed from the records to reduce the concentration of
> hazardous particles and to get a better image when the record is
> reformatted. Researchers have access to the copy, although if there was a
> pressing need to see the original we would inform them of the potential
> risks to their health, then have them work in the fumehood of our
> conservation laboratory, wearing gloves and possibly a Tyvek smock and
> respirator.
>
> This is a very short answer and you will probably wish to speak to your
> college's workplace safety and health officer/committee about the risks to
> staff and researchers, procuring appropriate protective clothing and
> developing training and procedures for staff.  What's necessary and/or
> appropriate will vary with each individual situation.  I'm not sure what
> the US Workplace Safety and Health/ Right to Know, etc federal and state
> legislation requires, but workplaces usually must inform employees
> (including visitors and researchers) of the hazard and provide training
> and protective clothing.  Building mould cleanup often follows the same
> protocols as asbestos clean-up.  The college may also have a risk
> management/control office which can advise you on liability issues.
>
> An invaluable resource for preservation questions is Conservation OnLine
> at:
> http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/.  All postings to this site are screened
> for general reliability, but if possible please discuss potential
> solutions with a local conservation/preservation specialist to ensure the
> solution is actually the best for your situation (resources, collection
> size, building, climate, environmental conditions, value, frequency of
> use, type of use,...).  A section of the site has information sorted by
> topic, including a section on mold.  Among the links at this site are
> NARA's Emergency Salvage of Flood Damaged Family Papers which may be of
> particular use for small quantities of mouldy records:
> http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/disasters/primer/narafam.html.
>
> An excellent and inexpensive disaster planning resource is Help! A
> Survivor's Guide to Emergency Preparedness, see
> http://www.museumsalberta.ab.ca/contact.html.  The publication covers a
> wide variety of topics of interest to archives, including a chapter on
> mould written by me (contributors do not profit from sales).
>
> Please feel free to contact me off-list with questions or comments.
>
> Ala Rekrut
> Chief, Preservation Services
> Provincial Archives of Manitoba
> 200 Vaughan Street
> Winnipeg, MB  R3C 1T5
> CANADA
> (204) 945-1265
> (204) 948-2008 fax
> arekrut@gov.mb.ca
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Fitzgerald, Rebecca [SMTP:rfitzger@MSMARY.EDU]
> Sent: 2002-Jan-07 3:53 PM
> To:   ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
> Subject:      Housing for items contaminated with mold
>
> I have scoured my resources and looked in vain to my disaster recovery
> plan for the answer to this question.
>
> How do you house manuscripts which have been contaminated with mold that
> is now dormant?  Is it sufficiently safe to line with tissue paper?  Do
> you store them in separate folders, away from uncontaminated items?  Is it
> necessary to store them in separate boxes?  They have artifactual value,
> so I can't just photocopy and discard the originals.
>
> Some helpful soul Scotch-taped these letters together and this has
> apparently encouraged the growth of mold at some time during their
> history.
>
> Thank you again for your invaluable advice!
>
> Rebecca Fitzgerald, CA
> Mt. St. Mary's Archives & Dept. of Special Collections
> Mt. St. Mary's College & Seminary
> Emmitsburg, MD
> 301/447-5397
> 301/447-6868 (fax)
> rfitzger@msmary.edu
>
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> Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>

A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

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      In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
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Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
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Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>