[NHCOLL-L:1482] whale bone fossils fungus?

[King, Angela]

We have five small whale bone fossils (about 30,000,000 years old from Gay
Head, Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod, Mass. USA) that have a yellow dust like
substance on them it is causing them to turn to dust. Humidity is 45%, temp.
is 68*F. Can fossil get fungus? Anyone know how to treat this safely?

thanks,

Angela C. King
Collections Care Assistant
Springfield Science Museum
220 State Street
Springfield, Mass. 01103
U.S.A.
(413)-263-6800 Ext. 397
fax (413)-263-6884
aking at spfldlibmus.org
www.quadrangle.org