I am not a conservator but would say that whether it is completely 
inert could only be determined with physical tests, ethafoam often 
starts to get crumbly over time. If it is the typical texture of 
ethafoam you should have another material in there anyway so that the 
objects do not get scratched. Something like a high density 
polyethylene sheeting or some volara could give a soft surface and 
also a vapor barrior between the ethafoam and the object.


At 01:57 PM 5/30/2008, you wrote:
>Hello list,
>
>I'm planning to build several hundred long-term travel/storage 
>cavity mounts.  I have an opportunity to buy recycled polyethylene 
>foam (black Ethafoam) planks at 15% less than the white stuff.  Will 
>there be conservation issues if I go with the black foam?  The 
>supplier is "sure" that the black stuff is just as inert as the 
>white.  What does the conservation world think?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Todd
>
>
>
>
>
>
>Todd Topper
>Director of Collections Management
>Colorado Historical Society
>1300 Broadway
>Denver, CO 80203
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