By Charles Selwitz and Shin Maekawa

A serious problem facing museum professionals is the protection of collections from damage due to insects. This book describes successful insect eradication procedures developed at the Getty Conservation Institute and elsewhere, whereby objects are held in an atmosphere of either nitrogen or argon containing less than 1000 ppm of oxygen—a process known as anoxia or oxygen deprivation—or in an atmosphere of more than 60 percent carbon dioxide.

Techniques, materials, and operating parameters are described in detail. The book also discusses the adoption of this preservation technology, the development of these methods, and instructions for building and upgrading treatment systems, as well as recent case histories.

Charles Selwitz is a scientific consultant and the author of Epoxy Resins in Stone Conservation and Cellulose Nitrate in Conservation. Shin Maekawa is a senior scientist at the Getty Conservation Institute.

Research in Conservation series
150 pages, 8-1/2 x 11 inches
14 illustrations and 20 line drawings
ISBN 0-89236-502-1, paper, $25.00.

This publication is out of print. A PDF version is available.