Green, but not with envy – poison book in Monaco
A swatch bookmark, available from the University of Delaware, can help identify possible issues. Photo credit: Evan Krape, University of Delaware.
If we ask you what professions are exposed to risks, what do you think of? Mountain rescue? Police? Construction workers? Test pilots? Fair guesses, and they certainly rank among the most dangerous. Bet you didn’t think of Librarians though? “Wait, what? Librarians? Surely not,” we hear you cry. Well, Monaco Tribune has exclusive news for you.
When we read a Guardian article last year reporting that the French national library was quarantining books that might be laced with arsenic, we were intrigued.
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On further reading, we learned that the noxious chemical could be contained in emerald green coloured covers of 19th-century books identified by the Poison Book Project, run by the University of Delaware. The US researchers discovered that publishers in the Victorian era had used the chemical to colour book bindings. The green pigments were called Paris green, emerald green or Scheele’s green after a German-born chemist. Testing hundreds of book covers for heavy metals since 2019, researchers at the University of Delaware have drawn up a list of potentially dangerous volumes as part of the Project.
While the World Health Organization says there is a cancer risk from long-term exposure to inorganic arsenic, mainly through drinking water and food, it says nothing about contact with objects that contain it. However, the Poison Book Project says arsenic-laced green bindings present a health risk to librarians, booksellers, collectors and researchers, and should be handled and stored with caution.
So when one of the UK-printed tomes mentioned by the Guardian happened to be The Ballads of Ireland by Edward Hayes, published in 1855, of course we thought of the Princess Grace Irish Library and felt duty… ahem… bound to do a bit of investigative journalism and … ahem… cover the story (so many book puns, so little time…). Our task was made easier by the fact the PGIL’s catalogue is now online and we realised one of the potentially poisonous publications was indeed in the collection.
Works in the 19th century were sometimes fabric bound and, with handling, the fabric tends to fray, potentially releasing arsenic in the air or through touch…
Paula Farquharson, the Library’s director, took our news ‘deadly’ seriously and confirmed the library had the tainted title. An archive specialist was consulted. Subsequently, “We had a company here last September to do analysis on the air in the library – they wore the full protection gear and opened the potentially affected books and then let their equipment do the job,” said Ms Farquharson. “Thankfully the results came back negative for arsenic in the air. However, the cover of books on the world Poison Book Project list may still contain some arsenic which could potentially be transferred if touched. Hence, we took the extra precaution to get them specially covered by another company – experts in the field.”
The offending emerald volume was placed in quarantine for analysis by an external laboratory to gauge how much arsenic was present.
The books are now home safe. Which is to say, back in the Library, and rendered inoffensive:
We contacted Sophie Lepron, of AB Antiquo, who told us this was the first time they had been approached for an issue of this kind. “Given the lack of specific protocols in France, we took a cautious approach.” As well as the basic precautions described below, she mentioned ‘secure dust removal.’ involving controlled vacuuming with HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters, which are designed to trap at least 99.87% of particles with a diameter of 0.3 micrometres (µm), to avoid particles being spread. Boxing the books, as in the photo above, using conservation paper and a made-to-measure box, means they can be isolated in an acid-free environment. She believes France’s National Library is currently researching the best methods to conserve the books and manage the risks involved (digitised copies for example).
General Handling Tips for 19th-Century Cloth-Case Bindings
If any of our readers are collectors of 19th Century editions, they should be aware that nearly 50% of the cloth-case bindings from that era analysed by the Poison Book project to date contain lead in the bookcloth, regardless of colour. Lead levels have been shown to be particularly high in book bindings containing chrome yellow.
“No matter which pigments or dyes may be present, it is best practice to avoid ingesting anything or touching the face while handling any 19th-century books. It is also best practice to wash hands after handling books, especially before eating, drinking, or smoking,” is the advice from the Delaware University researchers.
Safer Handling & Storage Tips for Arsenical Books
Avoid opportunities for ingestion, inhalation, or skin contact with arsenical green pigment. Avoid eating, drinking, smoking, biting fingernails, or touching the face while handling potentially arsenical book bindings.
Wear nitrile gloves: Avoid handling suspected arsenical green books with bare hands. A significant amount of arsenic may offset onto the hands and inadvertently be ingested or inhaled when touching the face or eating/drinking. Handling books with damp or sweaty hands can increase the risk of arsenic offsetting onto the skin.
Wash hands: Even when gloves have been used, wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling suspected arsenical green books.
Isolate book for storage: If a bookbinding component is suspected of containing arsenical green pigment, seal the book in a zip-top, polyethylene bag to keep handling to a minimum and to contain potentially friable pigment (especially with cloth binding). The bagged book can be shelved as-is. If high humidity in the storage area is a concern, a small silica packet may be inserted into the bag to help control moisture.
Wipe down surfaces: Handle books bound with arsenical green pigment on hard surfaces and avoid upholstered ones. After handling, wipe down hard surfaces that have come into contact with the book using a damp, disposable cloth.
Disposal of Hazardous Waste
Emerald green bookcloth is sufficiently friable that it is likely to offset arsenic onto other surfaces, especially porous ones, which would be invisible to the naked eye. Disposable cloths used to wipe down surfaces that have come into contact with emerald green book cloth, as well as nitrile gloves used to handle arsenical green books, should be considered contaminated with trace hazardous waste, and should be disposed of accordingly. Institutions and private collectors without access to a hazardous waste disposal stream should contact local authorities for advice about how to dispose of arsenic-contaminated gloves and cloths safely.
Source. University of Delaware Poison Book Project : https://sites.udel.edu/poisonbookproject/