[NHCOLL-L:276] Re: corrosive effects of dichlorvos (Vapona)

Fri Oct 8 14:47:34 EDT 1999

Chris,
DDVP is one of the best-studied of all the pesticides used in natural
history museums.  Check first in:

Williams, S.L. and E.A. Walsh.  1989.  Developing chemical pest
control strategies for museums.  Curator 32(1):34-69

Also, before you proceed with a program of using any chemical for
so-called "prophylactic" measures, I urge you to review the extensive
literature on Integrated Pest Management (IPM).  The first principle
of IPM is to use chemicals as little as possible, thereby increasing their
effectiveness when they are used.  If your specimen cabinets do, in
fact, require regular fumigation, then there are many other measures
you need to take first to reduce the number of pests entering your
collection.

Following is a list of some citations I recommend for learning more about
pests in collections, control measures, and IPM:

Ballard, M.W. and N.S. Baer.  1987.  Is fumigation possible?  International
Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship 6:83-86.

Bio-Integral Resource Center.  1989.  Least Toxic Pest Management:  Fabric and
Paper Pests.  Bio-Integral Resource Center, Berkeley.  [reprints of three
articles from Common Sense Pest Control Quarterly on clothes moths, carpet &
hide beetles, and silverfish, firebrats, & booklice].

Burke, J.  1996.  Anoxic microenvironments:  A simple guide.  Society for the
Preservation of Natural History Collections Leafelets 1(1):1-4.

Butcher-Younghans, S. and G.E. Anderson.  1990.  A holistic approach to museum
pest management.  History News 45(3), Technical Leaflet Number 171, pp. 1-8.

Dawson, J.E.  1988.  The effects of insecticides on museum artifacts and
materials.  Pp. 135-150 in Zycherman, L.A. and J.R. Schrock (eds).  A Guide to
Museum Pest Control.  Foundation of the American Institute for the Conservation
of Historic and Artistic Works and The Association for Systematic Collections.
Washington, D.C. xi + 205 pp.

Dawson, J.E. and T.J.K. Strang.  1992.  Solving museum insect problems:
chemical control.  Canadian Conservation Institute Technical Bulletin No.
15:1-26.

Dove, Carla J.  1995.  Evaluation of an integrated pest management program,
Division of Birds, U.S. National Museum of Natural History.  Collection Forum
11(1):28-38.

Florian, M-L.  1987.  Methodology used in insect pest surveys in museum
buildings--a case history.  Pp. 1-13 in ICOM 1987, Biodeterioration.

Florian, M-L.  1990. Freezing for museum pest eradication.  Collection Forum
6(1):1-7.

Gilberg, M.  1991.  The effects of low oxygen atmospheres on museum pests.
Studies in Conservation 36(32):93-98.

Hancock, E.G.  1993.  Museum pests from pigeon nests.  Journal of Biological
Curation 1(3/4):41-43.

Jessup, Wendy.  1995.  Pest managenent.  Pp. 211-218 in Rose, Carolyn and
Amparo de Torres.  Storage of Natural History Collecitons:  A Preventive
Conservation Approach.  Society for the Preservation of Natural History
Collections, Iowa City.

Linne, M.J.  1990.  Pest control in museums--the use of chemicals and
associated health problems.  Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship
9(4):419-433.

Mallis, A.  1997.  Handbook of Pest Control:  The Behavior, Life History, and
Control of Household Pests.  8th edition.  Franzak and Foster, Cleveland, 1152
pp.

Pinniger, D.  1990.  Insect Pests in Museums.  Second edition.  Archetype
Publications, London.  48 pp.

Story, K.O.  1985.  Approaches to Pest Management in Museums.  Conservation
Analytical Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution.  Suitland, Maryland.  165 pp.

Strang, T.J.K.  1992.  A review of published temperatures for the control of
pest insects in museums.  Collection Forum 8(2):41-67

Strang, T.J.K. and J.E. Dawson.  1991.  Controlling vertebrate pests in
museums.  Canadian Conservation Institute Technical Bulletin No. 13.

Valentin, N. and F. Preusser.  1990.  Insect control by inert gases in museums,
archives, and libraries.  Restaurateur 11:22-33

Williams, S.L.  1992.  Metal frames for raising storage cases above floor
surfaces.  Pp. 253-254 in  Rose, C.L. and A.R. de Torres (editors.).  Storage
of Natural History Collections:  Ideas and Practical Solutions.  Society for
the Preservation of Natural History Collections.  xvi + 346 pp.

Williams, S.L.  1992.  Heat panels for controlling crawling insects in storage
areas.  Pp. 255-256 in  Rose, C.L. and A.R. de Torres (editors.).  Storage of
Natural History Collections:  Ideas and Practical Solutions.  Society for the
Preservation of Natural History Collections.  xvi + 346 pp.

Williams, S.L., C.A. Hawks, and S.G. Weber.  1986.  Considerations in the use
of DDVP resin strips for insect pest control in biological research
collections.  Pp. 344-350 in S. Barry, D.R. Houghton, G.C. Llewellyn, and C.E.
O’Rear (editors).  Biodeterioration IV.  London.  CAB International Mycological
Institute and The Biodeterioration Society.  xv + 691 pages.

Williams, S.L. and S.B. McLaren.  1990.  Modifications of storage design to
mitigate insect problems.  Collection Forum 6(1):27-32

Williams, S.L. and E.A. Walsh.  1989.  Developing chemical pest control
strategies for museums.  Curator 32(1):34-69.

Zycherman, L.A. and J.R. Schrock.  A Guide to Museum Pest Control.  Foundation
of the American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works
and The Association for Systematic Collections.  Washington, D.C. xi + 205 pp.

Sincerely,
John

John Simmons
Natural History Museum
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas

Christopher A. Norris wrote:

> For the last two years, we've been regularly fumigating specimen cabinets
> in the AMNH Department of Mammalogy using Vapona (dichlorvos). Recently,
> however, we've begun to think about discontinuing prophylactic use of
> Vapona, and instead using napthalene as a repellent. We'd still use Vapona,
> but only for the treatment of pest outbreaks. The stimulus for this has
> been concerns about the corrosive effects of dichlorvos on unpainted metals
> - many of our study skins have tail wires inserted and we also have a large
> number of specimens with metal field tags.
>
> The only evidence for corrosion that I have seen so far, however, is
> annecdotal evidence based on specimens stored in jars containing Vapona,
> and a 1976 paper by Janet Stone and Jennifer Edwards, again involving jars.
> Has anyone using Vapona or other dichlorvos-based products observed any
> corrosion in cabinet-housed specimens which they attribute to the fumigant?
> Have there been any studies since that of Stone and Edwards?
>
> Regards, Chris Norris
> Dr Chris Norris
> Department of Mammalogy
> American Museum of Natural History
>
> Tel. 212-769-5475
> WWW. http://www.amnh.org/
> http://research.amnh.org/mammalogy/norris/index.html