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Readers warned to stay away from aesthetic books that could contain toxic dyes
Findings that are set to be presented at the American Chemical Society have shown that some antique books contain harmful chemicals that could cause lung damage, nerve damage, and cancer.
Thanks to human intervention, most of the world is now polluted with nasty chemicals and millions of microplastics that will remain on our little planet for generations. From contaminated bottled water to the carbon dioxide in our air, we are damaging our health beyond repair. Now it seems even our books are pumping out toxins.
The scientists used a brand-new testing method
Though some books, like 48 Laws of Power, have been dubbed dangerous because of the content, a new report highlights the real danger of books.
Researchers at Lipscomb University in Tennesee published a report this week that will soon be presented at the fall digital meeting of the American Chemical Society. The researchers found troubling amounts of harmful dyes in the study, which employed a never-before-used testing method.
These old books with toxic dyes may be in universities, public libraries and private collections, said Abigail Hoermann, an undergraduate studying chemistry at Lipscomb University. “Users can be put at risk if pigments from the cloth covers rub onto their hands or become airborne and are inhaled. So, we want to find a way to make it easy for everyone to be able to find what their exposure is to these books, and how to safely store them.
With assistance from Vanderbilt University, the scientific team analyzed 19th and early 20th-century books that were wrapped in fabric. Victorian scholars had a very different understanding of materials, many of which have since been confirmed as toxic.
For the first time ever, they employed X-ray diffraction, a technique usually used for testing old wallpaper and paintings.
They found some books contained carcinogenic chemicals
Following testing, the scientists found high levels of lead and chromium in some samples, especially those that employed green and yellow dyes. Such chemicals can cause everything from cancer, to nerve damage.
In one particular book, lead levels were more than twice the CDC limit as chromium ranked at six times higher.
I find it fascinating to know what previous generations thought was safe, and then we learn, oh, actually, that might not have been a great idea to use these brilliant dyes, said Joseph Weinstein-Webb, an assistant chemistry professor at Lipscomb.
The troubling news sparked the decision to wrap antique books in plastic at Lipscomb University, with researchers hoping that other institutions will follow their lead.
Ultimately, more research is needed to better understand the harmful toxins that could be contained in the world’s most beautiful books.
