Abstract.-The so-called "Oddy test" has gained popularity in art and archaeology collections because it is inexpensive to use, and the results are relatively easy to analyze. However, the method is also subjective and does not identify the pollutants. Here we present a modification to the traditional test that addresses these drawbacks and aims at providing solutions. Activated carbon was used to adsorb the volatile emissions generated within the standard Oddy test setup. Gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) desorbed from the activated carbon detected pollutants within a considerably shorter time frame than the traditional Oddy test and provided both qualitative and quantitative data. GC-MS analysis of volatiles offgassed during the Oddy test provided information about the VOCs from local brands of materials commonly used for conservation and storage of objects in collections. The use of GC-MS analysis of volatiles improves the Oddy test in a fast, sensitive, and quantitative manner.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.