Controlled Atmosphere Treatment Protects 19th-Century Books from Insects
A “controlled atmosphere” treatment for the books of Francesco Fontana. The small but specialized personal library and collection of the 19th-century scientist who devoted himself to chemistry, botany, and earth sciences, associating his name with important discoveries such as salicin, as well as finds and classifications that remained in natural sciences, needed to be protected from insect infestation. The Lacisese Municipality, owner of what remained of the scholar’s cultural heritage—born in Pesina di Caprino in 1794, and who lived and managed the pharmacy in Lazise—decided to research the latest techniques developed as alternatives to the use of toxic gases such as methyl bromide, ethylene oxide, and others, which require specific facilities, methods, licenses, and authorizations. Gas treatments, after all, have been banned in several countries due to environmental concerns (namely the ozone hole). Therefore, to eliminate the voracious and unwanted inhabitants made of wood, paper material, and leather used in bindings, which cause significant damage to cultural heritage daily, the Municipality turned to a specialized company, Isolcell Italia, a Bolzano-based corporation capable of eradicating all living forms—larvae, eggs, and adults—of insects from genera such as Anobidi, Dermestidi, Hylotrupes Bayulus, and others, principal culprits in the deterioration of artworks, using “controlled atmosphere” techniques. In essence, this is a simple and revolutionary treatment that involves subjecting the insects to a state of “asphyxiation” (oxygen deprivation) in a sealed, impermeable space for a predetermined period, at specific temperature and relative humidity levels suitable for each insect species. The 130 volumes were collected and arranged in a special tent set up in the room reserved for the city council, then subjected for about twenty days to this “controlled atmosphere” process. The operation begins by setting the atmospheric parameters on the control software of the personal computer. Throughout the pest control period, a sophisticated microprocessor analysis system monitors temperature, relative humidity, and residual oxygen levels inside the tent, transmitting real-time data to the control PC, which stores and uses it as feedback to adjust any deviations from the preset values. The advantages of using controlled atmosphere in art conservation treatments are numerous. Firstly, it employs well-established technology that has been used for years in the ecological preservation of perishable goods; toxic or harmful substances are not used—only the proportions of gases naturally present in the air we breathe are adjusted. The Fontana books’ treatment costs just over five million lire and complements previous successful applications of the same technique on famous wooden works such as Cimabue’s crucifix, the wooden choir of the Lombardum Chapel, furnishings of Donnafugata Castle, the rooms of the Miniature Codices, and the parchment-bound books of the Cividale del Friuli National Archaeological Museum. These examples highlight how controlled atmosphere is now recognized as a valid alternative to toxic gases in insect disinfestation treatments.
