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 Kaczkowski, 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.
