[NHCOLL-L:4475] RE: Mould on fossils

[Anderson, Gretchen]

The best way to remove the mould is to use a soft brush with a HEPA vacuum cleaner  Be sure to wear a HEPA dust mask as well.  Brush the mold into the nozzle of the vac.  If possible, resist the use of chemicals.

The mold is growing on something - probably not the fossil itself.  It is probably growing on dust or some kind of organic matter.  To keep it from happening again, reduce the relative humidity and increase the air flow (fan, open windows, etc).  Monitor the RH% and keep it well below 65%.  That should control future growth.

In one bad situation, I used paint on the walls that is designed for the interior of barns - it has a fungicide built in.  I could not determine if the fungicide was helpful or not.

Good luck
Gretchen Anderson
Conservator 
Carnegie Museum of Natural History    

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu on behalf of Dr Heidi Fourie
Sent: Sat 8/29/2009 7:36 AM
To: nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu
Subject: [NHCOLL-L:4474] Mould on fossils
 
I've discovered mould growing on fossils we stored in our basement.  These are invertebrate fossils in blocks mounted in wooden frames.  Both the frame and fossil are covered in mould.  The mould is  whitish grey wooly and round in pattern.  It even grows on the Glyptal.
My question is, what is the safest chemical to clean this with or is water and soap safest.  The storage room that it is going to has a very low humidity so I don't think the mould will reappear and how safe is the fossil plants in the same basement storeroom?
 
Heidi 
Dr H. Fourie
Curator: Vertebrate Palaeontology
Transvaal Museum
Tel: 012 3227632
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