Multimodal detection of toxic metals in Victorian era book cloths as part of the Beaman library collection | Poster Board #195

In the nineteenth century, textile manufacturing during the Victorian Era involved usage of heavy metals and carcinogenic amines in the production of book-cloth case bindings, posing potential risks to both environment and biological health. These fabrics encompass a range of vivid hues; the highly toxic pigment emerald green (copper acetoarsenite), non-arsenical chrome yellow (lead (II) chromate PbCrO₄), or a mixture of Prussian blue (hydrated iron hexacyanoferrate complex Fe₄[Fe(CN)₆]₃ . x H₂O). Utilizing inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF), preliminary research has revealed more than 100 rare circulating books containing these toxic dyes. The purpose of this study is to detect and quantify levels of arsenic, copper, chromium, lead, and manganese in local books utilizing ICP-OES and any applicable optical modality. In the end, we hope to contribute to the larger Winterthur Project. Through this, elevated levels of harmful metals, specifically lead (II) chromate, were confirmed within the Beaman Library collection via ICP-OES.