Peter Brimblecombe

University of East Anglia

AN APPROACH TO AIR POLLUTION STANDARDS IN MUSEUMS

ABSTRACT

THE ROLE OF STANDARDS
These seem to lie at the heart of preventive conservation and potentially offer enhanced protection...

• creating uniformity
• spreading the load
• offering justified goals
• offering peace of mind
• creating a sense of professionalism

CYNICAL VIEW OF REGULATION
One may take a very cynical view of regulation and see pollution control, consumer protection linked to the accretion of regulatory power

Within cultural heritage we should consider:

• external agencies keen to regulate
• cultural ministries have typically been weak
• European Commission keen to regulate in EC 62/96 and CAFÉ
• HVAC engineers favour regulation

COST OF REGULATION
It is important to recognise that the cost of regulation dispersed away from the regulatory agency, which may gain financially through licences, validation etc.

In urban air pollution:

• monitoring and enforcement costs borne by local authorities
• adaptation borne by industrial/consumer

PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE
When knowledge is not perfect we should take precaution
Yet it is important to recognise the differences between weak and strong precaution - would one take precautions agains panthers loose in Norfolk and carry a hunting rifle?

REWARDS AND SANCTIONS
There are pressure to adopt or enforce standards:

• certification
• loan of exhibits
• insurance and indemnity

ACHEIVEMENTS
Regulatory agencies justify existence by claiming positive outcomes e.g. The UK Clean Air Act of 1956.

What drives improvements in museums?

• regulation
• attitudes/knowledge
• available controls
• external factors...?

THE FORM OF AIR POLLUTION STANDARDS

• Concentration/time dependent
• Risk factors - carcinogens
• AOT40 - vegetation
• Critical loads - ecosystems
• Target values - if standards too difficult to meet

THE BASIS of 96/62/EC AIR POLLUTION STANDARDS

• "limit values... based on findings of international scientific groups..."
              from position papers
• "reference methods... specified"
• "other techniques beside direct measurement" indicative monitoring
• "preliminary representative data"
              cost benefit analysis important

PRE-REGULATORY STANDARDS IN MUSEUMS

• Customary practice
• Ambient conditions
• Architecturally achievable
• Measurement limited

MUSEUM STANDARDS vs 96/62/EC
Can museums follow the pathway of the European environmental standards:

based on scientific findings in position papers
    In museums - knowledge sketchy, so justification difficult

specified reference methods papers
    In museums - some agreed methods

indicative monotoring papers
    In museums - diffusion tube in use

preliminary representative data papers
    In museums - representative data available

cost benefit analysis papers
    In museums - little formal CBA

COMPLICATIONS
The talk then looked at many of the complications that arise in air pollutant damage to objects in museums and how the mechanistics complicate standards.

CONCLUSIONS
Standards offer no panacea!

• Complicated by:
  pollutant identification, damage issues, many targets, timescales, cummulation, synergisms...
• Standards would need to be built on rationalised justification:
      scientifically, economically...

Prof. Peter Brimblecombe
School of Environmntal Sciences
University of Est Anglia
Norwich NR4 7TJ UK

e-mail: P.Brimblecombe@uea.ac.uk