Yesterday Linda Norbut Suits wrote:
     <...I would love to hear from anyone who has information on journal
     articles, URLs, <conference sessions, etc. that are 1992+ that deal
     with curatorial health and safety <issues that I can use to update my
     session.

     "Saving the Twentieth Century: The Conservation of Modern Materials.
     Proceedings of a Conference Symposium '91 - Saving the Twentieth
     Century. Ottowa, Canada 15-20 September 1991" published by CCI in
     1993, contains an article "Radiation Hazards in Museum Aircraft" by
     John Ashton.

     Don't forget to look at old museum records for information. Some of
     the pesticides/preservatives used by museums in the past are real
     nasties, eg arsenic & DDT, which break down very slowly (if at all)
     and can transfer from the surface of an object to the bare hands of a
     curator (or other person). Another good reason for wearing gloves when
     handling museum objects.

     Old medical kits that still contain medicines can be very dangerous.
     Some of the chemicals break down over time to produce some nasty
     cocktails. Some, such as picric acid and nitroglycerine (used for
     heart attack victims) are potentially explosive if they dry out and
     are dropped or bumped.

     Other dangerous objects that are not uncommon in museums include
     firearm ammunition, poison tipped arrows/spears, natural toxins in
     some plants and animals, springs under tension in mechanical objects,
     objects containing asbestos, lead and lead based paint. The list goes
     on.

     It makes you wonder why we don't get danger pay, doesn't it?

     George Bailey
     Objects Conservator
     Australian War Memorial
     Treloar Centre for Conservation
     4 Callan St, Mitchell, A.C.T. 2911
     Australia
     Phone: +61 6 241 6122
     fax:   +61 6 241 7998
     email: [log in to unmask]