Air quality monitoring in a museum for preventive conservation: Results of a three-year study in the Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp, Belgium

Impacts of air pollution on cultural heritage corrosion at European level: What has been achieved and what are the future scenarios.

Atmospheric aerosol monitoring as a strategy for the preventive conservation of urban monumental heritage: The Florence Baptistery

High resolution estimates of the corrosion risk for cultural heritage in Italy.

Air pollution monitoring is one of the most important features in contamination risk management. This is because many of the compounds contained within air pollution present a serious risk both for the preservation of open air cultural heritage and for human health. New particle formation is a major contributor to urban pollution, but how it occurs in cities is often puzzling. As more and more people enjoy an increased quality of life through outdoor activity, managing outdoor air quality is vital. This study presents the application of a low-cost system for monitoring the current level of road traffic passengers’ exposure to particulate air contamination. The global rise in tourism also leads to apprehension about its probable destructive influence on various aspects of global preservation. One of the major risks encountered by tourists, stemming from modes of transport, are nanoparticles (NPs) (≤100 ​nm) and ultra-fine particles (UFPs) (100–1000 ​nm) consisting of potentially hazardous elements (PHEs). This study examines Steen Castle, a medieval fortress located in Antwerp, Belgium. Significant NPs with PHEs, were found in the air sampled in this area. The self-made passive sampler (LSPS) described in this study, consisting of retainers specially designed for advanced microscopic analysis, is used for the first time as a simple way to characterize the surrounding atmospheric contamination caused by NPs and UFPs, without the need of other commonly employed more expensive particulate focused active samplers such as cascade impactors. This study aims to assess the result of the utilization of a low-cost, LSPS, to determine outdoor NPs and UFPs in a Belgian urban (Steen Castle) and rural area (Fort van Schoten). This work is the first to detail the usefulness of LSPS for the evaluation of Belgium’s outdoor air for NPs and UFPs, which contain PHEs.

An analysis of vehicular exhaust derived nanoparticles and historical Belgium fortress building interfaces

It is now well known that air pollution is responsible for the accelerated damage encountered on cultural heritage located outdoors. Although several works on atmospheric pollutants have been performed, studies of atmospheric pollutant monitoring close to monuments remain rare. In addition, the few cases reported in the literature mostly regard indoor environments. As the protection and conservation of monuments and historic buildings constitutes a priority for each country, knowledge of particle composition near monuments over time is an important issue in conservation strategies. For this reason, the atmosphere in proximity of the Florence Baptistery, located in the city centre, was continuously monitored during 2003 and 2004 by means of aerosol sampling performed close to two of the three doors of the monument. In particular, the monitoring was performed close to the North Door, realized by Lorenzo Ghiberti (1403-1424), currently utilized as the entrance to the monument, and the South Door, a masterpiece of Andrea Pisano (1330), employed as the exit for visitors. The sampling sites were characterized by different expositions to road traffic emissions. The non-carbonate carbon and soluble ionic components of the total suspended matter were measured. The data obtained is presented and discussed with the goal of contributing to the formulation of guidelines for a suitable safeguard of the built cultural heritage.

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A. Bonazza

Papers

The Importance Of Atmospheric ParticleMonitoring In The Protection OfCultural Heritage