Abstract
This study investigates the complex mixture of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released by and accumulated within a collection of historic medicinal, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic artifacts housed at the National Museum of American History (Smithsonian Institution). In recent years, staff have become concerned, both for the safety of the objects and for personnel working in the collection, about strong unremediated odors accumulating within several storage cabinets. Museum staff also wondered if non-odorous off-gassing might need remediation. Solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis (SPME–GC–MS) was used to identify VOCs present in the storage room housing the collection. Over 160 compounds were detected and identified overall. Among these, 49 appeared to be directly related to ingredients used in the manufacture of many collection items. The results of the study suggest that SPME–GC–MS can be a strong tool for the rapid screening of multicomponent museum collections exhibiting off-gassing problems, before the pursuit of other more tedious analytical approaches. Additionally, the study reveals valuable insight into the characteristic volatile emission of historic medicinal, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic artifacts, increasing understanding of, and decision-making for, similar collections of objects. Eventually, it is hoped that this information can be used to inform mitigation strategies for the capture and reduction of VOCs in collections storage areas.
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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
AAM acknowledges the Smithsonian Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Conservation of Museum Collections and the Museum Conservation Institute. MW thanks Smithsonian National Museum of American History Preservation Services for support of her graduate fellowship.
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AAM, MW, and RA selected the sampling locations and performed the sampling. AAM performed the analysis and data processing. AAM and MW wrote the manuscript, with edits and comments from all other participants. All authors were responsible for conception and design of the study. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Alvarez-Martin, A., Wilcop, M., Anderson, R. et al. Investigation of volatile organic compounds in museum storage areas. Air Qual Atmos Health 14, 1797–1809 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-021-01054-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-021-01054-2