Influence of Moisture in Museum Rooms on the State of Microbial Contamination of the Air and Decoration Surfaces: The Example of a 17th Century Monument in the Museum of King John III’s Palace at Wilanow (Warsaw, Poland) (original) (raw)
Related papers
Buildings
Problems in the degradation and biodegradation of cultural heritage objects exposed or stored in public buildings and museums and of construction materials are caused (between others) by the activity of microorganisms. Biodeterioration can be observed not only at the level of the building materials of museum buildings, but also at the level of materials from which art objects are made (natural or artificial) and is determined by factors such as the chemical composition and nature of the composition material, the microclimate characteristics and exposure objects, but also through the manner and frequency of surface cleaning and housekeeping in museums. Based on this, the present study offers, through classical methods, a qualitative and quantitative identification of microorganisms inside a heritage museum building located in a temperate climate country. The purpose of the work was to determine to what extent the bacteriological microflora inside can directly and indirectly contribut...
Cultural heritage constitutive materials can provide excellent substrates for microbial colonization, highly influenced by thermo-hygrometric parameters. In cultural heritage-related environments, a detrimental microbial load may be present both on manufacts surface and in the aerosol. In this study, bacterial and fungal colonisation has been investigated in three Sicilian confined environments (archive, cave and hypogea), each with peculiar structures and different thermo-hygrometric parameters. Particular attention has been paid to microorganisms able to induce artifacts biodeterioration and to release biological particles in the aerosol (spores, cellular debrides, toxins and allergens) potentially dangerous for the human health (visitors/users). Results provided information on the composition of the biological consortia, highlighting also the symbiotic relationships between micro (cyanobacteria, bacteria and fungi) and macro-organisms (plants, bryophyte and insects). The results of this integrated approach, including molecular biology techniques, are essential for a complete understanding of both microbial colonization of the cultural objects and the potential relationship with illness to human.
Indoor air fungal pollution of a historical museum, Egypt: a case study
Aerobiologia, 2020
Fungi can cause serious damages to historical works of art. This study aims to evaluate fungal pollution in the indoor air environment, deposited dust and surfaces of works of art in a historic house museum ''Prince's Mohamed Ali museum'', Giza, Egypt. Fungal pollution was evaluated at six museum's buildings differed in size, design, location and content, for 2 years of campaign. The deposited dust was collected once every 3 months, while surface swabs were collected twice, after 1 year and 2 years of exposure. Airborne fungal concentrations were evaluated using volumetric (Andersen 2 stage impactor) and gravimetric (index microbial air contamination) air samplers. Airborne fungal concentrations ranged within 47-784 CFU/m 3 and 175-40,250 CFU/m 2 /h using volumetric and gravimetric samplers, respectively. Indoor/outdoor ratio confirmed that outdoor environment was the main source of indoor fungal pollution. The rate of deposited dust was * 90-folds lower indoor than outdoor. Fungal concentrations associated deposited dust ranged between 10 2 and 10 4 CFU/g, representing a cause of concern. In respect to medium type, fungal diversity profile was in order of deposited dust C airborne C surfaces. Alternaria, Aspergillus and Cladosporium were the common fungal taxa. Secondary and tertiary fungal colonizers were detected after 2 years of exposure, indicating the presence of adequate moisture content inside the museum. No clear relationship patterns were found between microclimatic conditions and fungal culturability. The measured indoor fungal pollution and microclimatic conditions represented a problem for works of art and early indicator for fungal accumulation and biodegradation.
Seasonal monitoring of microbiological air contamination from a museum - a case study
MATEC Web of Conferences
The aim of this study was to monitor microbial contamination in the work place of a museum, for estimating the influence of seasons, microclimatic parameters and tourists. The analysis was carried out in artefacts deposits, restoration laboratories and exhibition spaces. The media used to demonstrate the presence of biological agents, nonpathogenic and with pathogenic potential (opportunistic bacteria and filamentous fungi with haemolytic properties) were: simple agar, blood agar and Sabouraud with chloramphenicol. The isolated bacterial strains were identified by API tests and the fungal strains by examination of features with taxonomic value, aspects based on macroscopic observations of colony/cultures and microscopic assessment of mycelia. The counts of the microorganisms in the air were higher especially in the textiles deposits (the mesophilic microorganisms ranged from 200 to 1.4x10 4 CFU/m 3 ). The filamentous fungi most frequently isolated species were: Aspergillus spp.; Penicillium spp., Cladosporium spp. The most frequently isolated bacteria swere: Staphylococcus (S. epidermidis, S. xylosus, S. capitis); Bacillus (B. cereus, Bacillus spp). The results of this study indicate a microbial air load containing both filamentous fungi and bacteria strains, including some opportunistic pathogens which can represent a health risk for the museums workers, especially in the seasons with higher exposure.
2018
Changes in the concentration of microbial aerosol were examined in the selected premises of the Jagiellonian University Museum in Kraków, made available to visitors during the Night of Museums, i.e. Hall, Libraria and Treasury. The samples were collected four times using the collision method with MAS-100 air sampler. The concentration of mesophilic and heamolytic bacteria, molds, staphylococci and actinomycetes was examined and an attempt was made to find the correlation between the number of museum visitors and the concentration of microbial aerosol. The smallest number of visitors (600 persons) was recorded in Libraria, while the greatest (900 persons) in the Hall. The prevalence of microorganisms varied significantly between the hours of sampling, from the smallest number in the morning, after opening, to the greatest recorded while there were most visitors (9 p.m.). The largest number of molds was observed after the museum was closed (0:30). A strong positive correlation was fou...
Air Contamination With Fungals In Museum
ACTA Universitatis Cibiniensis, 2015
The aim of the studies was to determine the level and kind of fungal contamination of air in museum, deposits patrimony, restoration and conservation laboratories and their effects on health of workers. Microbiological air purity was measured with a SAS-100 Surface Air System impactor. The fungal contamination was observed in all 54 rooms where we made determinations. The highest levels of fungal were recorded at rooms with hygroscopic patrimony objects, eg carpets, chairs, upholstered chairs, books etc. The most species identified included under common allergens: Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Mucor. There fungal species belonging to the genus identified in this study, can trigger serious diseases museum workers, such as for example Aspergillus fumigatus, known allergies and toxic effects that may occur. In some places of the museum, occupational exposure limit values to fungi present in the air in the work environment, recommended by the specialized literature, have been overcome.
Industria Textila
The present paper is analyzing the quality of the air (temperature, humidity, light, contamination with fungi) inside the Museum House from Salacea, Bihor county, and the influence of such factors on textile materials that are exposed inside it in the context of the need to protect the heritage elements and in order to diminish the risks related to human health: the inhabitants, the tourists, museographers and all those who have access to the interior. Monitoring of the temperature and humidity was carried out between 03.06.2018 and 02.07.2018 and we used the thermo-hygrometer with data function logger KlimaLogg Pro (seven sensors), and for other analyzed parameters: Luxmeter data logger Extech SDL400 Oxygen meter Extech SDL150. The fungal contamination was determined using Koch sedimentation method. Due to the fact that the low temperature together with the high air humidity of the ambient environment stimulates the formation of microorganisms and mold and high temperatures can deh...
International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, 2017
Museum artefacts are generally stored for a long period in repositories and are prone to microbiological colonisation. The goal of this research was to assess the risk of biodeterioration of artefacts stored in the Regional Museum in Rzeszow, Poland. The museum building consists of the historic and newly built parts and the aim was to verify the hypothesis about higher airborne concentrations of microorganisms in the historic part. In all repositories, the number of bacterial colonies was higher than those of fungi. The most polluted depots were those where different types of artefacts were stored. There were no differences in the number of fungal colonies in the repositories located in the historic and modern parts of the museum. The differences concerned only bacteria. The most common fungi were Penicillium expansum and Penicillium spp., while among bacteria Micrococcus luteus/lylae and Staphylococcus warneri. The highest microorganism biodiversity was in the historical depots and the lowest in the room with a book collection in the modern part of the museum. Findings showed that the microbial biota is not specific for either building type or the kind of artefact. Regarding bacteria, we detected the effect of 'historical building air'.
Indoor environment and conservation in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp, Belgium
Journal of Cultural Heritage, 2004
Indoor and outdoor atmospheres of the 'Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten' (KMSK, Royal Museum of Fine Arts) in Antwerp, Belgium, were thoroughly characterised to determine the air quality inside the museum and the factors controlling it. During a winter and a summer campaign aerosol particles, pollutant gases, bacteria and fungi were sampled and different indoors microclimatic parameters were measured. The chemical composition of particulates suspended in indoor and outdoor air was analysed, both with reference to bulk aerosol matter and to individual particles. Outdoor sources largely determined the composition of indoor aerosol. The main particle types identified in winter were Ca-rich, Ca-Si and sea salt particles. In summer, S-rich particles were most abundant. Dry deposition was sampled in order to determine the amount of particulate matter that could potentially deposit onto the works of art. The concentrations of NO 2 and SO 2 amounted to 12 and 5-6 ppb, respectively, both in winter and in the summer. The microclimates inside the exhibition rooms were affected by poorly balanced heating and air-conditioning, free-standing humidifiers, ventilating and lighting systems and the daily flux of visitors, which produced rapid changes and marked thermo-hygrometric gradients. Based on these results, suggestions for the improvement of the heating and air-conditioning system could be made. Microbial loads were higher in summer than in winter. However, the proportion of microorganisms capable of degrading proteins or hydrolysing fats, and thus pernicious to works of art, was not significantly increased inside the museum.