A COVID-Redirect: Investigation and mitigation of adhesive off-gassing and crystal formation inside exhibition cases takes an unexpected detour.

Presenters: Susan Heald, Gwen Kavich, John George, Asher Newsome, Becky Kac​​zkowski, ​Lauren Osmond​​

In January 2020, the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) was awarded Collections Care Initiative funding from the National Collections Program to investigate off-gassing inside the Infinity of Nations exhibition display cases at NMAI-New York. The exhibit cases, constructed in 2010, used a structural adhesive in case construction that was releasing a piperidinol compound and causing crystal growth on various types of objects. The goal of the project is to evaluate mitigation strategies inside the cases to reduce or eliminate off-gassing piperidinol and evaluate strategies for safe and efficient crystal removal methods from NMAI objects.