By John Salak –
Talk about a killer read. Antiquarian bibliophiles take notice. Those brightly colored, cloth-bound books from the Victorian era might be deadly to peruse. Some of the attractive and brilliant hues seen in those books come from toxic dyes that could pose a health risk to readers, collectors and librarians, researchers at Lipscomb University warn. The dangers could be lurking on shelves almost anywhere. Potential threats from toxic dyes include among others, brain and nervous system disorders, along with increased risk of cancer and kidney and liver damage.
“These old books with toxic dyes may be in universities, public libraries and private collections,” noted Abigail Hoermann, Lipscomb undergraduate studying chemistry.
The latest research on these poisonous books used various techniques to assess the dangers, including one that hasn’t previously been applied to books. The researchers noted that users can be put at risk simply if pigments from the cloth covers rub onto their hands or become airborne and are inhaled.
“So, we want to find a way to make it easy for everyone to be able to find what their exposure is to these books, and how to safely store them,” Hoermann added.
These warnings have wider applications than many expect, especially with the rise in interest in rare books from collectors and the information they hold for historians. Many rare books have, in fact, become extremely valuable, leading collectors to go searching for these exclusive tomes.
The Victorian-era books, admittedly, may not reach the lofty prices of da Vinci’s Codex Leicester valued at $54.4 million, The Book of Mormon valued at $30.7 million or The St. Cuthbert Gospel valued at about $16 million. But their artwork and rarity still make these Victorian books of interest.
The Lipscomb project began after university librarians became curious as to whether their collection of 19th and 20th Century books contained an arsenic compound known as copper acetoarsenite that was often found in Victorian-era wallpaper, garments and cloth book covers.
The researchers used three different techniques to determine whether arsenic or other heavy metals were present, the concentration of those metals and to identify the pigment molecules that contained any metals.
They discovered that lead and chromium were both present at high levels in some books. Related testing found that in some instances these heavy metals were in the form of lead chromate, one of the compounds that contributes to the chrome yellow pigment favored by Vincent van Gogh in his sunflower paintings.
The dangers varied by cover, but in some incidences, researchers discovered metal concentrations were well above acceptable limits set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for chronic exposure. The most contaminated cover, in fact, had lead concentration levels at more than twice the CDC limit, while chromium concentration reached almost six times the limit.
While lead was far more prominent in most covers, excessive chronic exposure can lead to an increased risk of cancer, lung damage or fertility issues. Lead and heavy metals present their own risks, raising dangers for brain and nervous system orders, as well as kidney and liver failures.
“I find it fascinating to know what previous generations thought was safe, and then we learn, oh, actually, that might not have been a great idea to use these brilliant dyes,” noted Joseph Weinstein-Webb, an assistant chemistry professor at Lipscomb.
These findings have already led to precautions at Lipscomb that other institutions may want to follow on these particular books for the time being. Many of these works have been sealed in plastic and removed from circulation until more information is available and more thorough testing is conducted.
