Recently Midwest Art Conservation Center was here testing pieces of our taxidermy for heavy metal and organic pesticides through an MNHS Heritage Partnership Program grant consisting of Lake of the Woods County Historical Society, Warroad Heritage Center, and Roseau County Historical Society.
The assessment will focus on the use of pesticides and their potential hazard to staff and visitors and will include analysis of a representative sample from items in the three collections as well as identification of pesticides present and staff training.
This project includes a three-day site visit for two conservators from the Preventive Conservation team at the Midwest Art Conservation Center, during which time we will visit each of the three
collections, conduct non-destructive surface analysis, and take samples of surface residues for additional analysis. Artifacts will be chosen for analysis that represent a variety of different species,
makers, and creation dates. We will also meet with the staff to discuss the role of the taxidermy items in each of the collections and provide a training session on the safe handling of hazardous materials.
collections, conduct non-destructive surface analysis, and take samples of surface residues for additional analysis. Artifacts will be chosen for analysis that represent a variety of different species,
makers, and creation dates. We will also meet with the staff to discuss the role of the taxidermy items in each of the collections and provide a training session on the safe handling of hazardous materials.
In addition to visual inspection, two forms of analysis will be used in this project. The first is X-Ray Fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), a non-destructive technique that uses a portable, hand-held
instrument to provide information about the elements present on the surface. The limitations of this technique are that it cannot provide the information below the surface, for example on the interior of the artifacts, nor can it provide quantitative information about how much of a specific element is present. It also cannot detect very light elements, which are often the components of organic pesticides. This technique is, however, very well-suited for the detection of heavy metals, such as arsenic, mercury, and lead – all of which were commonly used in the preparation of taxidermy specimens. The second technique is pyrolysis Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (py-GCMS) which is used to identify organic compounds. Unlike XRF, this technique identifies compounds rather than elements and will be used to show what organic pesticides – such as paradichlorobenzene (PDB), dichloro-diphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), as well as many others – are present. By using these two techniques, both organic and inorganic pesticides will be identified.
instrument to provide information about the elements present on the surface. The limitations of this technique are that it cannot provide the information below the surface, for example on the interior of the artifacts, nor can it provide quantitative information about how much of a specific element is present. It also cannot detect very light elements, which are often the components of organic pesticides. This technique is, however, very well-suited for the detection of heavy metals, such as arsenic, mercury, and lead – all of which were commonly used in the preparation of taxidermy specimens. The second technique is pyrolysis Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (py-GCMS) which is used to identify organic compounds. Unlike XRF, this technique identifies compounds rather than elements and will be used to show what organic pesticides – such as paradichlorobenzene (PDB), dichloro-diphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), as well as many others – are present. By using these two techniques, both organic and inorganic pesticides will be identified.
After the site is visit is complete, the data will be analyzed and a final report will be prepared.
This grant program is funded through the Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund of the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment to the Minnesota Constitution.
Thank you, Lindsay, at LOWCHS for all the leg work preparing the grant for our organizations!
