The uses of cyclododecane in conservation

Rowe, Sophie; Rozeik, Christina

doi:10.1179/sic.2009.54.supplement-1.17

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…It is very difficult to keep the exposure conditions of the experiments exactly the same; thus it is pretty difficult to directly compare the absolute sublimation rates from different experiments in the literature (Rowe and Rozeik 2008). However, the comparisons of the relative sublimation rates within this work, which are performed simultaneously, are convincing.…”

Section: Figure 3 the Sublimation Of Menthol (•) And Cyclododecane (○mentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Such humidity changes lead to the release of moisture within the polychromy, which makes these lacquer layers go through severe shrinkage within minutes, accompanied by deformation, cracking and detachment from the terracotta surface (Emmerling et al 2001). In addition, the adhesion between the inorganic pigment layers and ground organic lacquer layers becomes very weak after 2000 years However, many conservators, while 'jumping on the bandwagon' (Rowe and Rozeik 2008), are unaware of the health-and safety-related issues concerning cyclododecane, especially now it is confirmed that cyclododecane is highly bioaccumulative and its exposure limits have not been established to date (Muros and Hirx 2004;Pool 2006;European Chemicals Agency 2008). Thus, it has been suggested that cyclododecane should be used cautiously and that preliminary tests should be conducted before any treatment is applied (Nichols and Mustalish 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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The Use of Menthol as Temporary Consolidant in the Excavation of Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army

Han

Rong²,

Huang

et al. 2013

Archaeometry

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Temporary consolidation is widely used to protect delicate artefacts or other fragile relics in art conservation. Although cyclododecane is extensively accepted, the safety-related issues have become an increasing concern and its short working time is always annoying. Inspired by its low melting point, polar structure, well-established safety profile, easy local availability and low cost, we propose menthol as a new temporary consolidant on the new excavation site of Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army. In this paper, we offer a preliminarily exploration of the kinetics of menthol sublimation on two different matrices, its residue after volatilization, its penetrability and distribution in simulated terracotta samples, as well as other important properties in the laboratory. The results obtained from these tests reveal that the sublimation of menthol can be a zero-or a first-order process, depending on the porosity of the matrices, and its best operational temperature resides in the range of 60-80°C. Finally, two field cases at the archaeological site of Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army are presented to show that menthol is a very effective temporary consolidant.

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Section: Figure 3 the Sublimation Of Menthol (•) And Cyclododecane (○mentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

The Use of Menthol as Temporary Consolidant in the Excavation of Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army

Han

Rong²,

Huang

et al. 2013

Archaeometry

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“…Since its introduction in the conservation literature in 1995 (Hangleiter et al), many conservation uses for CDD have been proposed, including as a temporary consolidant for fragile surfaces during transport or intervention (Stein et al 2000;Caspi and Kaplan 2001;Neuner and Hubert 2001), as an aid to block-lifting during archaeological excavations (Jeberien 2002), as a separation layer during mold-making (Maish and Risser 2002), and as a waterproof barrier for moisture-sensitive materials undergoing aqueous treatments (Brückle et al 1999;Muros and Hirx 2004). Rowe and Rozeik (2008) have summarized its many uses in the conservation literature, as well as all research into the safety of cyclododecane to date.…”

Section: Testing Of Cyclododecane On Unbaked Mudmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Treatment of an Unbaked Mud Statue from Ancient Egypt

Rozeik¹

2009

Journal of the American Institute for Conservation

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Unbaked mud can be problematic because of its fragility and its extreme sensitivity to moisture. This paper describes a treatment that was carried out on an ancient Egyptian statue in the Fitzwilliam Museum. The statue was found in Abydos in 1901, and shortly afterwards was reconstructed using animal glue and cotton wool gap fills. These repairs were unsightly and the object was also very unstable and friable. The old repairs were reversed after first masking areas of vulnerable mud with cyclododecane to prevent water damage. Water was applied in the form of a Laponite poultice, through a separating layer of Bondina polyester sheet. Cyclododecane was also used to reduce staining of the porous substrate during subsequent consolidation with polyvinyl butyral and as a temporary support during intervention. The treatment significantly improved the stability and appearance of the statue, making it suitable for long-term display.

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“…The Vernez study is remarkable because the museum field does not have this kind of published exposure assessment data for even our most frequently used chemicals with wellestablished OELs-like acetone. Rowe and Rozeik (2009) describe different CDD use and applications based on a literature review; detail the conflicting reported physical properties of CDD; and discuss health and safety related concerns. Notably, looking at manufacturer provided safety information suggests that the substance is poorly soluble and not highly flammable (Evonik Industries 2010).…”

Section: Part 1: a Conservator's Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Not a Known Carcinogen: Health and Safety Considerations of New and Innovative Treatments

Schrager

Kingery-Schwartz²,

Sobelman³

2023

Collections: A Journal for Museum and Archives Professionals

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When considering the use of new and innovative materials in the treatment and handling of museum objects, there are many issues concerning health and safety, particularly when the toxicity of these new materials is unknown. However, issues related to exposure of toxic materials are not just related to new innovations; health and safety information is incomplete for most of the materials already used in collection care. Many topics covered in this article apply to any chemical/material to which museum personnel may be exposed. The discussion is divided into three parts: (1) an explanation of why museum workers, particularly conservators, are a unique exposure population when it comes to health and safety concerns; (2) a specific chemical case study (cyclododecane) describing how to approach materials with limited safety information; and (3) practical protocols to protect workers and the public. To gain a better understanding of how to approach these challenges, a summary of related literature, interviews, and survey responses on this topic are provided.

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The uses of cyclododecane in conservation

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

The Use of Menthol as Temporary Consolidant in the Excavation of Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army

The Use of Menthol as Temporary Consolidant in the Excavation of Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army

The Treatment of an Unbaked Mud Statue from Ancient Egypt

Not a Known Carcinogen: Health and Safety Considerations of New and Innovative Treatments

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