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• Metals
• Glasses and ceramics
• Pigments
• Precious stones and rocks
• Organic Material
• Photographs
• Toxic products

Toxic products

Although far less common than pigments, metal alloys or oils, toxic materials exist and are present in art and archaeological items. It is therefore imperative to remove or replace them (when possible) with more stable and less harmful material.

The detection of the toxic products

This is the first step prior to any decontamination process. Some products are toxic if inhaled, others are if they are in contact with skin. All toxic products are theoretically detectable if their concentration is sufficiently high.The main products studied at CARAA are lead, chromium, arsenic, mercury and asbestos.

Where to look for toxic products ?

Lead can be found in large amounts in certain works of art, but also in infrastructure or industrial materials such as paints. Its detection by SFX is one of the specificity of CARAA.

Asbestos has only been considered toxic very recently. It has been used extensively in the past in the building sector, but it is also detected in some historical items such as magic lanterns (19th century) where it acts as insulation or in books, in association with talc (see pictures below).

Arsenic and mercury are other toxic elements often used in the past and that can be detected today in ethnological or taxidermy items.