if they have experienced any of the health hazards during the time they worked in the museums . Moreover , they were asked the following ; if they sense any changes in their environments while they move from one exhibition area to another . If there is any time limits that they should not exceed in staying at specific areas . How long is their working hours and if they are required to be standing all the time .
The security staff agreed that they could sense change in temperature in the exhibition areas , specially the hall containing pottery and ceramic works . However , they stated that it was not discomforting for them . All of them did not face any serious health hazards , even though some experienced skin dryness and very simple symptoms at the beginning of their working experience .
Discussion
Based on the above information gathered and the analysis carried out , it was expected that the museum personnel be exposed to very high risks and serious health hazards in their working environment due to the nature of their work as well as their contact with the historical items . Chemical reactions and materials used were expected to have strong negative impact . It was aimed that after gathering the exact chemicals used by the conservators , a comparison will be made to show the impact of each chemical on human health .
However , based on the results from interviews with the personnel and especially from the information provided by the conservation department in Dubai Municipality and the working method adopted , they mostly depend on mechanical conservation and avoid any type of chemical usage as much as possible to ensure longer life for the artifacts . Even when chemicals are used in the conservation , they are very weak chemicals with minimum amounts . The table below ( Table 3 ) is showing a summary of chemicals needed in very advanced level of conservation , when mechanical tools were not as effective . Moreover , further information on how and where these chemicals are used regularly in daily life activities is provided as well .
Table 3 : A summary of chemicals needed in very advanced level of conservation |
|
Chemicals |
Amount |
Daily life Usage |
Metals and bronze |
weak acids ( citric acid , |
0.5 % - 0.3 % |
Found in citrus fruits |
|
formic acid ) |
|
|
Pottery |
weak acids ( citric acid , formic acid ) |
Not experienced so far |
Found in citrus fruits |
Softening the deposit layers
Attaching broken pieces of pottery
Stabilization
Ethanol Methanol |
One drop |
Alcoholic drinks made from them / used |
|
|
regularly for different function directly |
Polyvinyl Acetate |
|
Reversible material can be removed in future |
BTA solution with acetone B72
One drop
Acetone is used for removing nail polishes directly on the hands on a regular basis
The only concerned part is the availability of all different chemicals in the laboratory environments in Dubai Municipality . Even though they are not used , people should be very careful in working in such environments and not to cause any damages and chemical reactions . Moreover , the storage and the containers of these chemicals should be sealed properly and separated to avoid any reaction .
816 ZEMCH 2015 | International Conference | Bari - Lecce , Italy