Air Pollution in Museum Buildings

This paper reviews the main air pollutants relevant for preservation of cultural heritage objects. Air pollutants may originate from outdoor or indoor sources. Indoor sources include the emission of corrosive vapors from construction materials used for museum display settings. Air pollution may cause corrosion
to some metal objects, or oxidize or cause acid hydrolysis in organic materials. Control methods include better shielding from outdoor climate, and test of indoor construction materials for their potential to emit harmful substances, before their use near susceptible museum objects.