Micro-climatic investigation and particulate detection in indoor environments: the case of the historical museum of Bersaglieri in Rome

Abstract

Museums, historical buildings mainly located in urban centers, may be seriously affected by pollution and other critical urban atmospheric conditions. In addition to museums, there are many other different cultural heritage indoor environments each having different characteristics, mainly depending on the type of preserved materials that are sensitive to pollution and urban conditions. In this contribution we report an investigation of the indoor air quality and some considerations about the conservation of historical artifacts located inside the Historical Museum of Bersaglieri in Rome. Specifically, we show the feasibility in the exhibition rooms of a microclimatic characterization to evaluate the air quality, a critical issue for many of the artifacts exposed in confined spaces. The work we carried out is the monitoring of the behavior of temperature and relative humidity and the presence of airborne pollutants inside the museum halls. Taking into account the regulations in force that control and protect the Italian museums, these measurements have been carried out by using a customized and flexible system based on low-cost multi-parameter sensors allowing the monitoring of several environmental parameters. In spite of the limitation of this preliminary test study, on the basis of the results and according to the different preserved materials, a set of indications, criteria and tools have been provided to the museum managers to implement an effective conservative strategy.