Mitteilungen des Österreichischen Staatsarchivs 39. (1986)
Archive Buildings and the Conservation of Archival Material. An Expert Meeting, held in Vienna, Austria October 30 - November 1, 1985 - THOMAS, David: Architectural Design and Technical Equipment for the Physical Protection and Conservation of Documents
Architectural Design and Technical Equipment 237 problem is to provide warmth for staff in the winter and then to deal with the consequent low RH a cheaper method would be to install central heating and local humidifiers. The capital costs would be 40% of full air-conditioning and energy consumption would be a similar proportion. Such a system would control low RH in the winter; the only other risk in Europe would probably be high RH on cool rainy days in the summer. This could be dealt with by a little heating17). In the humid tropics where the major problem is excessive humidity, the simplest solution would be to use local dehumidifiers, possibly combined with filtration. The capital costs would be much lower than for full air- conditioning and the running costs would also be less. Whichever approach is chosen, it is important that the system provides a good air flow to all areas of the repository; air is difficult to mix and the use of fans may be necessary. 3 The air in modem cities contains a range of gases and particles which can harm records. Some are generated inside buildings and can be controlled by suitable construction and operational techniques. Others come into archives from the streets and demand different methods of elimination. 3.1 Early British researchers into the decay of library materials were very concerned about the effects of indoor air pollution. Michael Faraday investigated the harmful effects of gas lighting on the books in the London Athenaeum in 1842 and his findings were confirmed by a committee of the Society of Arts in 1905 which also stressed the injurious effects of tobacco smoke and dust18). Although tobacco smoke, gas, oil or coal heaters are potentially powerful sources of pollutants, they are not normally found in modern archives. Technological developments have, however, produced newer and equally dangerous hazards. Electrostatic copiers, now almost universal, can generate ozone. Concentrations can be quite high, especially if the machines are poorly maintained or are in confined spaces. Electrostatic dust precipitators in air-conditioning systems can also generate this gas which is a powerful oxidant capable of destroying cellulose19). Building materials and techniques can affect the atmosphere. New concrete and cement can give off fine particles which will pass through air filters and are sufficiently alkaline to damage materials20). The use of alkyd oil base paints 17) Thomson The Museum Environment 91-92; J. R. Briggs Environmental Control of Modem Records in Cambridge 1980 Abstracts and Preprints (London 1980) 98. ls) Viscount Cobham and H. T. Wood (eds.) Report of the Committee on Leather for Bookbinding (London 1905) 1, 21. 19) Thomson The Museum Environment 130; D. Hughes and B. McIntosh Ozone and photocopiers in Health and Safety at Work (December 1981) 29. 20) Thomson The Museum Environment 126-128.
