This message is posted on behalf of Corneliu Ponta. Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to recommend a new book on cultural heritage preservation that was published by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Austria for those of you who didn’t know the news. *IONIZING RADIATION FOR TANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE CONSERVATION*, STI/PUB/1747, ISBN 978–92–0–103316–1, IAEA Rad Tech Series Nr. 6, Vienna, Austria, 2017 Ionizing radiation is known mostly for its medical application in radiography, for tumor treatment and medical devices sterilization. Radiation processing is used also for preservation of cultural heritage for its disinfestation/ disinfection – of biological effect on artifacts made from natural materials of organic origin like wood, paper, leather, wool, silk, and cotton among others. The book offers for the first time a wide perspective of this interdisciplinary area thus presenting the technology, its rationale, scientific basics and equipment, biodeteriogenes, pros and cons, up-to-date treatment conclusions and trends its use and directions. A large number of case studies are presented in the book; from Ramses mummy and Chroma baby mammoth to the infected wooden churches or giant statue or from flooded archives to ethnographical artifacts. These examples illustrate the level acceptance of this technology in various countries like Brazil, Croatia, France, Poland, Romania, The Netherlands and Tunisia. Numerous references are cited in this publication and especially those investigating side-effects. The book is written in a language understandable to conservators, collection keepers, administrators and other decision-stakeholders with responsibilities in cultural heritage area. The irradiation treatment of cultural artifacts takes advantages of the applications at an industrial level and following standards of efficiency, reliability, and safety. Other characteristics like short intervention time, large volume of materials being simultaneously treated and the low costs during the implementation of the irradiation technology as an option in emergency/ disaster scenarios. The publication provides a comprehensive introduction by the late Dr. John B.G.A. Havermans, TNO Building and Construction Research (TNO Bouw), Delft, The Netherlands. Havermans and the other main contributors – C.C. Ponta, Q.K.Tran, P. Vasquez and J.L. Boutaine come from research centers where irradiation preservation of cultural heritage artifacts is constantly studied and being used in IFIN-HH – Romania, NUCLEART – France and USP-IPEN – Brazil. IAEA presentation of the book can be find at: <https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/learn-about-our-past-new-publication-on-preserving-cultural-artefacts-using-ionizing-radiation> https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/learn-about-our-past-ne w-publication-on-preserving-cultural-artefacts-using-ionizing-radiation In conformity with IAEA's policy, the book may be free downloaded at: http://www-pub.iaea.org/books/*IAEABooks*/10937/Uses-of-Ionizi ng-Radiation-for-Tangible-Cultural-Heritage-Conservation <http://www-pub.iaea.org/books/IAEABooks/10937/Uses-of-Ionizing-Radiation-for-Tangible-Cultural-Heritage-Conservation> ; Corneliu Ponta, Chemical Engineer and Researcher Horia Hulubei National Institute for R&D in Physics and Nuclear Engineering (IFIN-HH) Magurele, Romania E-mail: [email protected] -- Valeria Orlandini Conservator of Works on Paper and Photographic Materials Chevy Chase, MD http://orlandini-paperconservation.blogspot.com/ ****** Unsubscribe by sending a message to [email protected] Searchable archives: http://cool.conservation-us.org/byform/mailing-lists/cdl/
