[Nhcoll-l] Mold curiosity

[Simon Moore]

Thanks for this Gali,

I have not come across Aspergillus in natural history collections yet but I think that it does grow in grain silos and if inhaled, the spores can lead to a nasty condition called aspergillosis in people who have lung conditions which is probably why the conservator in the article is wearing full protective equipment. 

 If anyone has any idea how to tell it apart from the more usual moulds found in NH collections, it would be useful to know.

With all good wishes, Simon 

Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR
Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian.




> On 7 May 2025, at 07:06, Gali Beiner <gali.beiner at mail.huji.ac.il> wrote:
> 
> Dear All, 
> 
> I noticed this little popular press article on mold that thrives in RH ca. 55%: 
> 
> Denmark’s museum objects at risk from ‘extreme’ new mould, say conservators | Denmark | The Guardian
> 
> Has anyone noticed this happening in natural history collections? There are, of course, many types of mold - we dealt with some in our bird collections - but generally lowering the RH (to taxidermy-appropriate levels) appears to help. However, it would be good to know what other professionals see in "their" collections in terms of molds working in lowered RH conditions. 
> 
> Gali 
> 
> -- 
> Gali Beiner (ACR)
> Conservator, Palaeontology Lab
> National Natural History Collections
> The Hebrew University of Jerusalem 
> Berman Building, Edmond J. Safra campus, Givat Ram
> Jerusalem 91904, Israel
> Fax. 972-2-6585785
> gali.beiner at mail.huji.ac.il
> https://nnhc.huji.ac.il/?lang=en
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