Indoor Air Quality in a Museum Storage Room: Conservation Issues Induced in Plastic Objects

Abstract

This study focuses on assessing the indoor air quality in a storage room (SR) belonging to Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci in Milan (MUST), covering pollutants originating from outdoor sources and emissions from historical plastic objects made from cellulose acetate (CA), cellulose nitrate (CN), and urea–formaldehyde (UF) stored in metal cabinets. The concentrations of SO2 (sulphur dioxide), NO2 (nitrogen dioxide), NOx (nitrogen oxides), HONO (nitrous acid), HNO3 (nitric acid), O3 (ozone), NH3 (ammonia), CH3COOH (acetic acid), and HCOOH (formic acid) were determined. The concentrations of SO2, O3, and NOx measured inside the metal cabinets were consistently lower compared to the other sampling sites. This result was expected due to their reactivity and the lack of internal sources. The SR and metal cabinets showed similar concentrations of NO and NO2, except for CA, where a high NO concentration was detected. The interaction between the CA surfaces and NO2 altered the distribution of NO and NO2, leading to a significant increase in NO. The presence of HNO3 potentially led to the formation of ammonium nitrate, as confirmed by ER-FTIR measurements. High levels of HONO and HNO3 in CN and NH3 in the UF indicate object deterioration, while elevated concentrations of CH3COOH in CA and HCOOH in the SR suggest specific degradation pathways for cellulose acetate and other organic materials, respectively. These results could direct conservators towards the most appropriate practical actions.