IRRADIATION METHOD IN THE

PROTECTION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

OBJECTS ENDANGERED BY MASSIVE

BIODEGRADATION

Branka Katušin-Ražem, Branka Mihaljević

Radiation chemistry and dosimetry laboratory

Ruđer Bošković Institute

Mario Braun,

Croatian Conservation Institute

Cultural heritage artefacts made of organic materials are

susceptible to deterioration caused by insects, moulds, fungi and bacteria.

Biodeterioration is a widely present natural process which is causing

unwanted changes in cultural heritage objects:

alteration of appearance, loss of strength, partial degradation, which eventually

leadş to complete disintegration.

In fulfilment of the task of safeguarding of our cultural heritage all

necessary actions must be exercised:

preventive measures, as well as all actions aimed at suppression, eradication

and control of biodegradation agents.

Nevertheless, serious infestations occur in store rooms of museums,

collections and sacral places1-3, which is an acute problem worldwide.

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1. International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, ICCROM (http://www.re-

org.info/en) - “an estimated 60% of the world's collections in storage are inaccessible and deteriorating rapidly.”

2. D. Allsopp, K. Seal, C.Gaylarde, 2004. Introduction to Biodeterioration, Second ed.,Cambridge University Press,

Cambridge,UK.

3. P. Tiano, 2001. Biodegradation of Cultural Heritage: Decay Mechanisms and Control Methods.

CNR Centro di studio sulle ‘‘Cause Deperimento e Metodi Conservazione Opere d’Arte’’. Via G. Capponi 9, 50121

Firenze, Italy. /http:// www.arcchip.cz/w09/w09_tiano.pdf.

Biodeterioration, a permanent problem of safekeeping of cultural heritage objects

Biodeterioration, a permanent problem of

safekeeping of cultural heritage objects in

museums and church premises

The situation in Croatia is similar to conditions elsewhere in the

world: deterioration in store rooms is to a great extent caused by insects and moulds.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ž. Laszlo: Problemi biodegradacije predmeta kulturne baštine u muzejima, zbirkama i sakralnim prostorima / The Problem of

Biodegradation of Cultural Heritage Artefacts in Museums, Collections and Sacral Buildings.(lecture 4)

. In: Zbornik prezentacija IRB/HRZ Seminar: Radijacijske metode u zaštiti kulturne baštine: 4-6.listopada 2011, Zagreb.

http://www.h-r-z.hr/index.php/djelatnosti/struni-skupovi/318-radijacijske-metode-u-zatiti-kulturne-batine (1.05.2014)

Sacral collection, CrCI archive Museum store room

Intensive biodegradation of CH objects is provoked by abrupt

changes of their stable and optimum keeping conditions caused by:

- natural catastrophes (floods, earthquakes, etc.)

- man-inflicted activities and conflicts (wars, riots, etc.)

The necessary repositioning of a large number of objects in the course of a

rescue operation is bringing infested and uninfested materials in contact, which

leads to an abrupt development of pests and endangerment of whole collections.

The pronounced problems of

biodeterioration of CH objects in case of

natural and man-made catastrophes

War in Croatia: St. Mary, Gora, Petrinja (1992). The flood at the Morgan Library,

CO State University USA (1997)

The methods suitable for the suppresion of massive

biocontamination of CH objects by fast processing large quantity of materials are:

treatment with poisonous gasses and treatment with ionising radiation

The use of ethylene oxide is severely restricted nowadays.

Irradiation has been proven an effective method of preservation of perishable

cultural heritage objects; the principle was described in the previous lecture:

Irina Pucić, Katja Kavkler, Branka Mihaljević:

MATERIAL RESPONSE AS A CRITERION FOR THE APPROACH TO RADIATON

TREATMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE OBJECTS

Present lecture will focus on the efficacy of irradiation method for rescuing

large numbers of CH objects endangered by massive biocontamination and

successful examples will be given.

Special emphasis will be given to successful cases of rescuing of art objects

during the war in Croatia (1991-1995) from the aspect of emergency treatment. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

B. Katušin-Ražem, R. Jagić, M.Braun, Radijacijska metoda u spašavanju predmeta kulturne baštine u slučajevima

ugroženosti širih razmjera // Zbornik radova Devetog simpozija Hrvatskog društva za zaštitu od zračenja / Knežević, Ž.;

Majer, M.; Krajcar Bronić, I. (ur.), Zagreb: HDZZ, 2013. 77-83.

Methods suitable for rescuing large

quantities of heritage material endangered

by biodeterioration

Radiation method is most often applied for desinsection, i.e.

insect eradication in wooden CH objects (about 90 % of all treatments).

Radiation desinsection in mass treatment of entire museum collections during

regular and urgent clean-up and renewal actions, represents an example of

especially successful application of radiation method

France:

(2004) Gadagne Museum

The entire collection of the museum

(Historical Museum of Lyon),

about 200 m3 mostly wooden objects,

was treated for desinsection by irradiation

at ARC-NucléArt in Grenoble

in the process of rearrangement,

cleaning up of the museum

and repositioning of the objects. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Conservation-restauration du patrimoine. Objets en bois sec. In: Art-Nucleart Rapport de Activite 2004.

p 46. Atelier Régional de Conservation NUCLÉART, CEA Grenoble

Radiation desinsection, an especially

suitable curative treatment of entire infested museum collections

Radiation desinfection in rescuing of

entire collections heavily endangered by

moulds Professional literature presents some especially successful

cases of radiation decontamination of heavily infested large collections:

Romania:

(2001) film archive, tens of boxes of film rolls (300 rolls), heavily infested by

moulds, were successefully treated with 25 kGy. 1

Poland:

(2001) 60.000 pieces of prisoners’ shoes, exhibits from the

Majdanek Nazi Camp Museum, were irradiated with 19 kGy ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. A. Mitran, C. Ponta, A. Danis, 2002. Traitement antimicrobien des films cine´matographiques au moyen du rayonnement

gamma In: La Conservation a` l’e re du Numerique. In: Proceedings of the 4th International Days of Research of the

Association for Scientific Research on Graphic Arts (ARSAG), Paris, 27–30 May 2002. Association pour la recherche

scientifique sur les arts graphiques (ARSAG), Paris, France. pp. 235–248.

2. J. Perkowski, T. Gozdzicki, 2002. Disinfection of prisoners’ shoes from the National Museum in Majdanek. Conservator–

Restorers’ Bulletin 13 (3–4), 219–223.

The Netherlands:

(2006) A famous collection of books in international law and archives of the

Peace Palace Library, The Hague, had to be moved to a new place.

Prior to transportation, archival and library materials had to be cleaned, dusted

and subjected to urgent mould and insects eracidation. Radiation disinfestation

with 10 kGy was applied, followed by vacuum cleaning.

Clean treated materials are kept in new storage under controlled conditions. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

J. Havermans, Gamma Disinfection of Ligno Cellulose Historical Collections,

New Approaches to Book and Paper Conservation-Restoration, P. Engel, J.Schirò, R. Larsen, E. Moussakova & I.

Kecskeméti, ed. Wien/Horn: Verlag Berger 2011, XXIV, pp. 559– 574.

Radiation desinfection in rescuing of

entire collections heavily endangered by

moulds

Radiation desinfection in rescuing of

entire collections heavily endangered by

moulds

USA:

(1982) abandoned artefacts of the Alan Mason Chesney Medical Archives,

Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Boston, MA

295 packages of heavily infested archival and paper materials were irradiated

with 4.5 kGy. Monitoring of treated artefacts over 8 years revealed no apparent

changes: “the project has to be considered a success” 1

(1997) water-damaged book collection,

The Morgan Library, Fort Collins, CO

Library collection at Colorado State University

suffered the largest water-related library disaster

in the USA. After a rapid outbreak of mould

infection, 425 000 soaked books were freeze

dried and successfully treated with 15 to 25 kGy 2 --------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Gamma radiation, Abbey Newsletter, Volume 8, Number 2, Apr 1984

http://cool.conservation-us.org/byorg/abbey/an/an08/an08-2/an08-201.html (1.05..2014.)

2. R. Silverman. The Day the University Changed

http://cool.conservation-us.org/byauth/silverman/day/index.html (1.05..2014.)

Panoramic batch-type dry storage 60Co irradiator (constructed 1963.)

Pilot plant level: in 1983: 50 kCi; presently:~ 26 kCi

Irradiation chamber:

- rectangular room: 4.9 m × 3.9 m × 3.5 m

- capacity 4 - 6 m3 of material

Applications:

- services: desinsection, desinfection and sterilization of

pharmaceutical, medical, cosmetic and food materials1

- 30 years application of radiation method for treatment

of CH objects (wood, textile, paper, leather and other)

- about 20 m 3/year, mainly wooden objects

Recommended doses:

insect eradication 0,5 - 2 kGy

fungi control 5 - 10 kGy

decontamination 10 - 25 kGy ------------------------------------------------------------------

1. D. Ražem: Twenty years of radiation sterilization in Croatia, Radiation Physics and Chemistry 71 (12), 595-600 (2004)

Croatia: Irradiation facility at the Ruđer

Bošković institute (RBI), Zagreb

Radiation treatment of cultural heritage

objects in the RBI facility

Treated by irradiation over 25 years:

More than 8,000 wooden sculptures, parts

of altars, furniture pieces, tools, musical

instruments, other wooden, paper, leather,

textile, straw items, etc.

-----------------------------------------

B. Katušin-Ražem, D. Ražem, M. Braun, Irradiation treatment for the protection and conservation of cultural heritage

artefacts in Croatia, Radiat. Phys. Chem., 78(2009)729-731.

In colaboration with Croatian Conservatian Institute

and all interested parties

Selected case of massive radiation

desinsection : Contemporary art objects

Atelier Kožarić contains more than 6,000 exhibits:

sculptures, reliefs, assemblages, objects, installations, paintings, prints, drawings,

sketches, ready-mades, and many everyday items

http://www.msu.hr/#/en/93/

Selected case of massive radiation

desinsection : Contemporary art objects

Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb (MSU), purchased the

entire inventory of Atelier Kožarić in 2007 for future permanent exhibition,

management and maintenance. Before moving into the Museum building a large

number of objects were treated with 2 kGy for preventive and curative purposes.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I.R. Janković, Project ''Atelier Kožarić''. Conservation of objects by irradiation desinsection. (Poster No. 11)

In: Zbornik prezentacija IRB/HRZ Seminar: Radijacijske metode u zaštiti kulturne baštine: 4-6.10. 2011, u Zagrebu,

(http://www.h-r-z.hr/index.php/djelatnosti/struni-skupovi/318-radijacijske-metode-u-zatiti-kulturne-batine (1.5..2014.)

Selected case of massive radiation

desinsection : The Altar of Our Lady of

Loretto, Plešivica

The Altar of Our Lady of Loretto, Plešivica, from 1757, was

damaged by pest attack provoked by exposure to humidity caused by bad roof

- for conservation within CrCI-RBI cooperation, the altar was dismantled, taken

apart to 147 pieces, wrapped and transported to the RBI irradiator. As the first

step of conservation the altar was desinsected by irradiation treatment with 2 kGy.

Project leader: K. Škarić, Croatian Conservation Institute ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

D. Ivić, K. Škarić, N. Bradić, Oltar Majke Božje Loretske, Plešivica (The Altar of Our Lady of Loretto, Plešivica) (in

Croatian). Croatian Conservation Institute, Zagreb, 2007.,

before conservation, 2003 conservationrestoration 2005

Radiation method in rescuing of cultural heritage objects during the war in Croatia

The war against Croatia 1991-1995, which followed the breakdown

of Yugoslavia put many cultural objects on the Croatian soil to serious jeopardy.

During the autumn of 1991, in anticipation of war, the Institute for the Protection of

Cultural Monuments of the Croatian Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports

initiated a massive action of withdrawing CH objects from immediate war zone

together with local (then) Conservation Restauration Institutes.

The collections of museums and galleries, churches, libraries and archives were

moved into previously determined, sometimes improvised, storage spaces1,2.

On the territory of northern Croatia there were 15 pre-selected secret depots

outside the areas affected by war operations. In joint actions of conservators and

restorers, church authorities and other involved groups and individuals, with

wholehearted cooperation and support by the (then) Croatian National Guard,

later to become Croatian Army, about 5,000 objects, mostly polychromic

sculptures, altar parts and other wooden objects, comprising about 3,000

complete altars, were evacuated to safer places1,2. -----------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Ž. Laszlo, Zaštita i obnova pokretnih spomenika kulture u ratu, Informatica Museologica br. 1/4 1992..

2. Ž. Laszlo, private communication to B. Katušin-Ražem

Radiation method in rescuing of cultural heritage objects during the war in Croatia

As there is no ideal plan for rescuing, especially under war

conditions, it is conceivable that a significant fraction of cultural heritage

objects was lost or damaged during the war.

About 40% of the Croatian architectural heritage

was damaged or destroyed.

The list of lost, destroyed or damaged objects

from 162 churches, monasteries

and other sacral buildings comprises

3098 paintings, sculptures and church

furniture pieces1

The losses of museums and galleries recorded

by the Museum Documentation Center (MDC)

comprise:

3178 destroyed and 2283 damaged objects2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. R. Saračević-Wurt , Kulturna baština - spašavanje. U: Zbornik referata sa Stručnog okruglog stola o sklanjanju

stanovništva i materijalnih dobara:15. prosinca 2005; Zagreb, Hrvatska. Državna Uprava za zaštitu i spašavanje,

Služba za civilnu zaštitu; 2005. 37-41.

2. Muzejski dokumentacijski centar http://www.mdc.hr/RatneStete/hr/ (1.5..2014.).

St. Dorothea, Logorište near Karlovac.

Radiation method in rescuing of cultural

heritage objects during the war in Croatia

Cooperation of Croatian conservation Institute (CrCI) and RBI:

Specially successful case of protection of art objects in Croatia

Inadequate safeguarding and keeping, repositioning, inadequate temporary

shelters and other adversities of war caused serious deterioration of CH objects

susceptible to biodegradation. To mitigate the problem of massive

biodeterioration it was decided to irradiate endangered CH objects by 60Co

gamma rays in the Radiation Chemistry and Dosimetry Laboratory of the RBI as

an interventive and/or preventive treatment1.

Supervised by the CrCI, more than one third of CH objects evacuated from

nothern Croatia, mostly polychromic sculptures, parts of altars and other wooden

pieces, comprising about 1500 complete altars, were transported to the RBI for

radiation desinsection or, if necessary, desinfection.

Irradiation treatment enabled their safe storage in designated depots jointly with

many other such objects prior to their conservation and restoration, without the

risk of cross-contamination. Significant number of objects were stored in the CrCI

depot in the Batthany castle, Ludbreg. -----------------------------------------

1. B. Katušin-Ražem, D. Ražem, M. Braun, Irradiation treatment for the protection and conservation of cultural

heritage artefacts in Croatia, Radiat. Phys. Chem., 78(2009)729-731

Cooperation RBI-CrCI:

Rescuing of CH objects in war

Radiation treated polychromic sculptures

After adaptation of the Batthany castle, CrCI Ludbreg,

accomplished by Croatian experts, assisted by Bavarian conservators and

supported by the Bavarian Government, a significant number of irradiated objects

were stored there.

The recovery from war damages, conservation and restoration activities started

immediately in the newly constructed restoration workshop and are on-going till

the present day1. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. V. Bobnjarić - Vučković: Pregled konzervatorsko - restauratorskih radova u Restauratorskom centru Ludbreg

1994 - 2009. Podravski zbornik 2009. Muzej grada Koprivnice, Koprivnica, 2009, pp. 49 - 56.

Selected example :

Rescuing of CH objects in war

The Church of Blessed Virgin Mary of the Snow

in Kamensko

Pauline monastery Kamensko near Karlovac was occupied in

1991 and destroyed by the Yugoslav Army during the war in Croatia

Interior of the church, immediately after the war in 1995.

Only one day before the occupation a few members of the Croatian Conservation

Institute removed 29 sculptures, but main constructions of the altars remained.

Selected example :

Rescuing of CH objects in war

The Holy Cross Altar from the Church of Blessed

Virgin Mary of the Snow in Kamensko

The remaining Holy Cross Altar (from 1685) was burnt during

intense devastation of the church. Four years later, the remaining unburnt parts of

the altar were found choked with microflora.

Project leader: Romana Jagić, Croatian Conservation Institute

Selected example :

Rescuing of CH objects in war

The Holy Cross Altar from the Church of

Blessed Virgin Mary of the Snow in Kamensko

The remains of the altar were collected, dried, wrapped in

foil, packed in boxes and desinfested by irradiation with 5

kGy at the RBI irradiation facility. Strongly infested remains

recovered from the crypt were irradiated to 20 kGy.

Irradiated parts have been under restauration in the CrCI

atelier in Ludbreg for several years.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

S. Cvetković, R. Jagić , Oltar sv. Križa iz crkve Blažene Djevice Marije Snježne u Kamenskom / The Holy Cross Altar

from the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Snow Church in Kamensko.(Poster No. 3). In: Zbornik prezentacija IRB/HRZ

Seminar: Radijacijske metode u zaštiti kulturne baštine: Zagreb, 4-6.listopada 2011.

http://www.h-r-z.hr/index.php/djelatnosti/struni-skupovi/318-radijacijske-metode-u-zatiti-kulturne-batine (1.05.2014.)

Selected example :

Rescuing of CH objects in war

The Holy Cross Altar from the Church of

Blessed Virgin Mary of the Snow in Kamensko

Found elements of all ornaments enabled complete

reconstruction. After drying, stabilization,

conservation and restoration the altar was re-erected.

The altar was returned into the repaired church in 2008 .

Selected example :

The church of the Assumption of Blessed Virgin

Mary in Gora near Petrinja (12th or 13th c.)

Selected example :

Rescuing of CH objects in war

Polychromic sculptures, St. Mary, Gora, Petrinja

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M. Pavličić, D. Vokić, Skulpture iz kripte Blažene Djevice Marije u Gori:

Dezinfekcija i konzerviranje, Vijesti muzealaca i konzervatora, 1-2, 2000, 21- 31.

Polychromic sculptures from the church inventory were buried in

the crypt of the church destroyed at the begining of the war. After 6 years, in 1997.

seven of them were found in very bad state, soaked and covered with dirt and mud.

Bishop Kneeling Angel

Selected example :

Rescuing of CH objects in war Polychromic sculptures, St. Mary, Gora, Petrinja

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

M. Braun, N. Krstulović, L. Lalić: Pregled trenutnog stanja drvenih polikromiranih sulptura iz Gore / Overview of the

current state of wooden polychromed sculptures from Gora (poster No. 2), In: Zbornik prezentacija IRB/HRZ Seminar:

Radijacijske metode u zaštiti kulturne baštine: Zagreb, 4-6.listopada 2011.

http://www.h-r-z.hr/index.php/djelatnosti/struni-skupovi/318-radijacijske-metode-u-zatiti-kulturne-batine) (1.05.2014.)

Sculptures were processed by cleaning, drying, irrradiation with 20

kGy for decontamination, and with 5 kGy after recontamination apeared.

After conservation & stabilisation the sculptures were stored at the depot Ludbreg

Selected example :

Rescuing of CH objects in war

St. Dorothea Church, Logorište,17th c.

The altar was evacuated shortly before the church was damaged

in 1991. In the process of rescuing it was irradiated at the RBI with 2 kGy for

desinsection and stored in the CrCI depot in Ludbreg

Conservation and restoration were completed in 1995.

St. Dorothea was the first church restored after the war.

Project leader: Romana Jagić, Croatian Conservation Institute

before after

For more than 25 years Croatia has been following leading

trends in conservation and has been able to contribute to successful application

of radiation treatment for the prevention of CH biodegradation in Europe.

The international community recognized the use of irradiation desinsection and

disinfection for the preservation CH objects against massive biodeterioration

during the war in Croatia (1991 - 1995) as an especially successful application.

(http://www.iiconservation.org/publications/nic/nic.php)

News in Conservation, August 2007

As a result of more decades of worlwide experience and on the basis of

collected knowledge it is safe to say:

- Desinsection by irradiation has proved a suitable method in situations

demanding a large number of objects to be treated in a short period of time,

such as arise during renovation of buildings or repositioning of entire numerous

and voluminous collections attacked by insects.

- In addition to that, disinfestation by irradiation has proved to be the

method of choice in cases of massive jeopardy by fungi and moulds arising in

consequence of elevated humidity caused by inclement weather.

Conclusions

1. D. Ražem, Radijacijska tehnologija. Tehnička enciklopedija, sv. 11, Jugoslavenski

leksikografski zavod, Zagreb (1988) 386-398.

2. D. Ražem, Twenty years of radiation processing in Croatia. Radiat. Phys. Chem., 71

(2004) 597-602.

3. B. Katušin-Ražem, D. Ražem, M. Braun, Protection and conservation of cultural

artefacts by irradiation. Croatian experience. The 8th European Conference on

Research for the Protection, Conservation and Enhancement of Cultural Heritage,

Ljubljana, Slovenia, (2008).

Kolar, J. and Štrlić, M. (Eds.), National and University Library, Ljubljana, 2008.

4. B. Katušin-Ražem, D. Ražem, M. Braun, Irradiation treatment for the protection and

conservation of cultural artefacts in Croatia // Conference Handbook, 15th

International Meeting on Radiation Processing (IMRP), London, 2008.

Reviss and Isotron, London (2008) 145-146.

5. B. Katušin-Ražem, D. Ražem, M. Braun, Irradiation treatment for the protection and

conservation of cultural heritage artefacts in Croatia, Radiat. Phys. Chem., 78 (2009)

729-731.

6. B. Katušin-Ražem, R. Jagić, M. Braun, Radijacijska metoda u spašavanju predmeta

kulturne baštine u slučajevima ugroženosti širih razmjera // Zbornik radova Devetog

simpozija Hrvatskog društva za zaštitu od zračenja / Knežević, Ž.; Majer, M.; Krajcar

Bronić, I. (ur.), Zagreb: HDZZ, (2013) 77-83.

References:

Thank you!