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Think twice before touching colorful cloth-bound books that are health hazard
It’s an instinct to reach for the most colorful cloth-bound books whenever you see one, but handling them is identified as a potential health risk.
As if there aren’t enough pesticides and harmful chemicals in the food we eat, a recent study found that books from ages ago, such as the Victorian era, could be a health hazard too.
Study finds dangerous chemicals in a colorful bind
The researchers at Lipscomb University decided to examine the chemicals used in the brilliantly colored 19th- and early-20th-century fabric-covered books from the schools library to understand the dangers of the paints used in them.
The latest research uses three different techniques to analyze the potential health risks of the colorful dyes used in old books that aren’t safe to handle.
If you’re wondering what’s the purpose of the study, it aims 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.
Abigail Hoermann, an undergraduate studying chemistry at Lipscomb University said: “These old books with toxic dyes may be in universities, public libraries, and private collections.”
The researchers said the pigments from the cover can be a potential health risk when they run onto someone’s hand or are inhaled when they spread in the air.
High concentrations of chromium and lead found in book covers
The research findings are alarming as the lead concentration derived from the sample collected from the book cover was way more than the recommended limit by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
To measure the amount of toxins in the cloth covers, the students involved in the study collected samples roughly the size of a small paperclip�and dissolved them in nitric acid.
The analysis found that lead and chromium were both present at “high levels in some samples.”. While some samples from the “most contaminated cover, the lead concentration was more than twice the CDC limit, and the chromium concentration was almost six times the limit,” states the press release by the American Chemical Society.
It further warns that exposure to lead or chromium, especially when inhaled, could “lead to health effects such as cancer, lung damage or fertility issues.”
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, shared the researcher.
The findings of the research led to the sealing of colorful 19th-century books that have not yet been tested in plastic zip-close bags for handling and storage. Books confirmed to contain the dangerous dye are sealed in bags and removed from public circulation.
