Dear Todd. I agree with everything that has been said so far. Avoid Vikane and other chemical pesticides if at all possible, for the reasons listed by Yuri. More viable options are thermal treatment or the various anoxic methods as suggested on the Museum Pest Network https://museumpests.net/solutions/. These methods are safer, more viable and more sustainable.
Good luck with your challenge. Gretchen From: pestlist@googlegroups.com <pestlist@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Stephan Biebl Sent: Thursday, May 23, 2019 10:49 AM To: pestlist@googlegroups.com Subject: Re: [pestlist] Vikane Dear Todd, in the EU the product VIKANE is registered as biocide against Wood Boring Insects and still used in churches and cultural heritage. We know about the early problems with sulfurylflouride in 1990 (studies from the Metropolitan Museum of Art), but the purity of the gas should not more be the same. I never seen damages in my time. If you want avoid the risk of damages, better use Anoxic gases. I agree with Yuri at this. Best Stephan Mobil vom iPhone gesendet Stephan Biebl Ingenieurbüro für Holzschutz Germany Am 23.05.2019 um 16:29 schrieb Yuri-PFC <y...@periodfurnitureconservation.com<mailto:y...@periodfurnitureconservation.com>>: Dear Todd, I treated wooden furniture (that had been waxed only) with Vikane in the early 1990’s with little visual effect to its color. I also treated gilded objects that had a pigmented patina. Post treatment, these gilded objects became ever so slightly darker. My current preference is argon gas anoxic fumigation. Sulfuryl flouride, marketed under the name of Vikane, is a regulated toxic fumigant gas, and is effective in killing insects. Only state licensed operators are permitted to utilize this gas for treatment. However, It has been abandoned in the museum environment due to its toxicity to humans and its potential for changing the colors of pigments due to impurities in the gas, hydrogen chloride and sulfur dioxide. See Selwitz, C. and S. Maekawa 1998. Inert Gases in the Control of Museum Insect Pests. Los Angeles: The Getty Conservation Institute. Although the gas will dissipate in a day or so, the gas itself will linger in the atmosphere and contributes to global warming. Regarding re-infestation, in general, organic objects can become re-infested if the environmental conditions are favorable. Anoxic fumigation with argon, nitrogen or carbon dioxide are widely practiced in the museum environment and would be a suitable suggestion for your frame object. Please see my website below for further information. Best, Yuri Yuri Yanchyshyn Professional Associate, American Institute for Conservation 2018 Fulbright Specialist - 2019 Fulbright Scholar Yuri Yanchyshyn Principal and Senior Conservator Kensington Preservation LLC 888 Newark Avenue Box 11 Studio 535 Mana Contemporary Jersey City, NJ 07306 telephone 212 255 7426 email y...@kensingtonpreservation.com<mailto:y...@kensingtonpreservation.com> website http://kensingtonpreservation.com On May 23, 2019, at 9:20 AM, Todd Holmberg <tholmb...@artsmia.org<mailto:tholmb...@artsmia.org>> wrote: Hello Everyone, I wanted to run some questions by the group about Vikane and see if anyone has had experience. A wooden frame for a painting is potentially going to be treated with Vikane because of suspected termites. 1) Do you believe Vikane is safe and effective? 2) Can objects treated with Vikane become re-infested down the road, or does the chemical stay in the object? 3) What is the procedure for handling objects that have been treated with Vikane? Do they need to off-gas, if yes, for how long and where/how should that take place? Do these pieces need to be marked/designated as "Treated with Vikane" for future handling precautions? If anyone has any thoughts about these questions, or Vikane opinions in general, they would be appreciated. Thanks! Todd -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Museumpests" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to pestlist+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com<mailto:pestlist+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com>. To post to this group, send email to pestlist@googlegroups.com<mailto:pestlist@googlegroups.com>. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/pestlist. 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