A Preliminary Research Study for Distribution Characteristics and Sources of Indoor Air Pollutants in the Valuable Archive of the National Library of Korea.

Hye-Won Lee,Kwi-Bok Lee,Cheol-Min Lee,So-Yeon Park,Hui-Been Lim,Jeong-In Jeon

doi:10.3390/ijerph18041715

Abstract

Important records can be damaged directly and indirectly. Their restoration, if possible, is difficult as it is very time-consuming and costly. Although measures have been taken to permanently preserve records, most studies focus on preventing short-term damage from physical or biological factors and not on preventive measures against chemical damage from long-term polluted air exposure. This study investigated the types, concentrations, and distribution characteristics of hazardous chemicals present in the valuable archive of the National Library of Korea (NLK) and identified the sources of these pollutants. Mean SO2, NOX, CO, CO2, and total volatile organic compound (TVOC) concentrations were 1.49 ± 0.44 ppb, 30.52 ± 19.70 ppb, 0.75 ± 0.21 ppm, 368.91 ± 32.23 ppm, and 320.03 ± 44.20 µg/m3, respectively, meeting the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) of Korea standards. Toluene (66.43 ± 10.69 µg/m3) and acetaldehyde (157.23 ± 6.43 µg/m3) were present at the highest concentrations, respectively. Two principal components were extracted via a principal component analysis; the primary component (66%) was closely related to outdoor pollution sources and the secondary component (33%) to indoor sources. Results contribute to establishing air quality standards and management measures for preservation of this archive.

Highlights

From the perspective of archival science, records include books, documents, maps, photographs, or other forms of documentation that are created or obtained in relation to the original business activities in accordance with legal obligations, regardless of their physical form and characteristics
Environment, specified in the Public Records Management Act by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety of Korea; Air Quality Standards in Public Facilities set by the Indoor
This work was conducted as a pilot study to prepare measures to define the causes of damage to records and cultural properties and to prepare management measures by identifying the types, concentrations, and distribution characteristics of hazardous chemical pollutants that can be found in records preservation environments to provide a reference for establishing standards for air quality and management measures for the preservation environment

Summary

Introduction

From the perspective of archival science, records (which can be produced by individuals, corporations, or government agencies during their daily business) include books, documents, maps, photographs, or other forms of documentation that are created or obtained in relation to the original business activities in accordance with legal obligations, regardless of their physical form and characteristics. Records are preserved by an agency or its legitimate successor as evidence of its functions, policies, decisions, and procedures, or due to the informational value of the data they contain [1] These records are a means for information transmission, and have very important historical and cultural values, so it is necessary to establish and apply appropriate preservation measures for each record [2]. Damage to such records can be categorized into direct and indirect effects. Direct effects include disasters, such as earthquakes, while damage from indirect effects is caused by long-term exposure to environmental factors, such as the record storage conditions [3,4].

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Conclusion