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Material Compatibility for Historic Items Decontaminated with Gamma Irradiation
Citation:
U.S. EPA. Material Compatibility for Historic Items Decontaminated with Gamma Irradiation. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-16/264, 2017.
Impact/Purpose:
The objective of this project was to investigate the impact of decontamination using gamma irradiation on selected historical materials. This project continued research of the effects of decontamination methods for biological agents on materials identified as representative of types of irreplaceable objects or works of art found in museums and/or archive settings. In the previous research, surrogate materials were checked for compatibility with four decontamination methods: chlorine dioxide, hydrogen peroxide vapor, methyl bromide, and ethylene oxide gas. This project investigated the effects of gamma irradiation, which has also been shown to be an effective decontamination method for biological agents, on the surrogate test materials. These assessments include the impact on the aesthetic (visual) value of historical objects and instrumental spectrophotometric technical analyses for color changes in the materials. These assessments include the impact on the aesthetic (visual) value of historical objects and instrumental spectrophotometric technical analyses for color changes in the materials.
Description:
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