<div dir="ltr">Dear Lennart,<div><br></div><div>Wooden cabinetry is normally not desired because of the off gassing of formic acid, which in turn can cause Bynes disease or other efflorescence issues on mollusks and eggshells, among others. However, there is a chance that if your cabinets are very old, the off gassing of formic acid has already occurred and the cabinets are no longer a problem, but that is not always the case. That said, formic acid is not the only compound wooden objects may off gas, so you never know how these volatile organic compounds (VOCs) will interact with your collections.</div><div><br></div><div>Whether you have older or newer wooden cabinets in your collection, testing is always a good idea. I would recommend getting something like A-D strips to monitor the inside of the cabinets (I don't know how these are marketed in Europe). These were initially developed for acetic acid but have proved useful for formic acid as well. Also, you can set up a VOC test with a chemist or industrial hygienist.</div><div><br></div><div>Finally, I recommend this paper by Kaczkowski <i>et al.</i> 2017:</div><div><a href="https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/32603/Investigation%20of%20Residual%20Contamination%20Inside%20Storage%20Cabinets%20Collection%20Care%20Benefits%20from%20an%20Industrial%20Hygiene%20Study.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y">https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/32603/Investigation%20of%20Residual%20Contamination%20Inside%20Storage%20Cabinets%20Collection%20Care%20Benefits%20from%20an%20Industrial%20Hygiene%20Study.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y</a></div><div><br></div><div>If you have other questions, don't hesitate to ask.</div><div>Best,</div><div>Mariana</div><div><br clear="all"><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="font-size:12.8px"><font color="#351c75"><b>Mariana Di Giacomo, PhD</b></font></div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><b style="color:rgb(53,28,117);font-size:small">Natural History Conservator, Yale Peabody Museum</b><div style="font-size:small"><span style="color:rgb(53,28,117)">Coordinator, </span><span style="color:rgb(53,28,117)">ICOM-CC Natural History Collections Working Group </span><br></div><div style="font-size:small"><span style="color:rgb(53,28,117)">Co-chair, Emerging Professionals Committee, SPNHC</span></div><div style="font-size:small"><span style="color:rgb(53,28,117)">Associate Editor, Collection Forum, SPNHC</span> <br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">El jue., 10 sept. 2020 a las 12:17, Lennart Lennuk (<<a href="mailto:Lennart.Lennuk@loodusmuuseum.ee">Lennart.Lennuk@loodusmuuseum.ee</a>>) escribió:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
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<p class="MsoNormal">Dear specialists,<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I wonder on what collections the wooden cabinets are safe to use?<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I read that for example eggs and mollusc shells there is a gaseos vapor hazard.<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I went through ConserveOGram and Museum Handbook but did not find any information<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">on herbarium for example.<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Best regards,<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Lennart Lennuk<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Head of zoology<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Estonian Museum of Natural History<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>+37256569916<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
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