J.CAC VOLUME 49 (2025)
Managing Residual Pesticides During Ingenium’s Agricultural Collections Move
In 2018, while starting a collections move, Ingenium simultaneously launched a comprehensive Collection Risk Management Program (CRMP) that places health and safety at the forefront of collections and conservation work. Ingenium’s collections contain several artifacts that were originally used in agricultural settings with concentrated pesticides such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), aldrin, dieldrin and arsenic compounds. We began by conducting a survey to understand how widespread the pesticide problem could be, resulting in a list of potentially hazardous agricultural artifacts ranging in size and condition. Targeted sampling by Ingenium conservators and analysis by the Canadian Conservation Institute confirmed that pesticides were present on some artifacts. To further our understanding of the problem, a private environmental analysis laboratory conducted sampling and testing of the collection storage facility itself to determine areas of concern and work requirements. Legislative and industry research allowed us to develop internal protocols and procedures to deal with the pesticide hazards within the timeline of our collections move. Mitigation techniques focused on hazard containment in preparation for the move and for safety in long-term storage. This paper elaborates on the research and testing, decision-making, and practical results of pesticide hazard mitigation on agricultural artifacts during a large-scale collections move.
Download: JCAC49 Riddle & Lafrance-Hwang