Pesticide Contamination (2009)

Title: Pesticide Contamination: Working Together to Find a Common Solution
Authors: P. Jane Sirois, Jessica S. Johnson, Aaron Shugar, Jennifer Poulin, and Odile Madden
Citation: Preserving Aborigional Heritage: Technical and Traditional Approaches: Proceedings of Symposium 2007, Canadian Conservation Institute, Canadian Heritage, Ottawa, pp. 175-186
Year: 2009
Link: http://hdl.handle.net/... (pdf, 730 Kb)

Abstract
The need to detect a broader range of pesticides and to develop more quantitative analyses has grown as the repatriation of Aboriginal objects has become more frequent and commonplace. This paper summarizes information from literature surveys and object testing that shows the extent and type of pesticide contamination on museum objects. Global objectives for assessing pesticide-contaminated cultural objects are outlined. The most recent developments in X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (a common methodology for detecting inorganic pesticide residues) and the detection of organic pesticide residues such as naphthalene, para-dichlorobenzene, and DDT amongst others are presented. Future steps include developing collaborations that can lead to providing meaningful toxicological assessments of the artifacts to the users along with handling guidelines or recommendations. Mitigation is currently being studied, but not by these authors, and remains an area for future research.