Hello all—
My museum has been offered an important collection of
documents related to one of the major industries in our community. They are located
six stories up in an industrial complex now owned by the city and the main
power cable was cut several years ago.
The bigger issue, however, is that there is more paint—lead
based, mind you---on the floor and the stairs that is actually still adhering
to the walls. Our initial plan to remove these documents was to station
volunteers on every floor and “bucket brigade” the documents down.
However, now that we have spent an afternoon in the building assessing and
inventorying the collection, we have new concerns on how to safely remove the
documents with all this lead paint dust being kicked up as we go.
Has anyone dealt with a similar situation? We had planned to
go in with masks and gloves but then we would still, I presume, have to vacuum
the documents after bringing them back into our museum. Is there a standard
that anyone is aware of as to the length of exposure that can be undertaken
safely if you are wearing protective gear? Does vacuuming safely remove the
dust of would it just run the risk of spreading it around more?
It is an important collection for documenting the
communities industrial heritage, but it has become quite complex to get our
hands on! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Laura M. Bachelder, Curator of Collections
815-397-9112 ext 108
815-397-9156 fax