A Preliminary Research Study for Distribution Characteristics and Sources of Indoor Air Pollutants in the Valuable Archive of the National Library of Korea

Abstract

Important records can be damaged directly and indirectly. Their restoration, if possible, is difficult as it is very time-consuming and costly. Although measures have been taken to permanently preserve records, most studies focus on preventing short-term damage from physical or biological factors and not on preventive measures against chemical damage from long-term polluted air exposure. This study investigated the types, concentrations, and distribution characteristics of hazardous chemicals present in the valuable archive of the National Library of Korea (NLK) and identified the sources of these pollutants. Mean SO2, NOX, CO, CO2, and total volatile organic compound (TVOC) concentrations were 1.49 ± 0.44 ppb, 30.52 ± 19.70 ppb, 0.75 ± 0.21 ppm, 368.91 ± 32.23 ppm, and 320.03 ± 44.20 µg/m3, respectively, meeting the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) of Korea standards. Toluene (66.43 ± 10.69 µg/m3) and acetaldehyde (157.23 ± 6.43 µg/m3) were present at the highest concentrations, respectively. Two principal components were extracted via a principal component analysis; the primary component (66%) was closely related to outdoor pollution sources and the secondary component (33%) to indoor sources. Results contribute to establishing air quality standards and management measures for preservation of this archive.

The Deutsches Museum Spacesuit Display: Long-Term Preservation and Atmospheric Monitoring

“…In this case, similarly to the present study, the sensors were based on the chemical reactivity of metals such as silver or copper to pollutants. Other studies focused on the determination of the sources of gaseous pollutants in museums or archives by using sampling methods [35] or gas sensors [36]. The main differences between these previous studies and the present one is the ultra-low cost and low visual nuisance of RFID sensors.…”