Open Forum

Good Evening, Everyone.

I am the Chief, Museum Support Center, Fort Belvoir, VA.  My particular facility is a collections storage facility, but we are headquarters to forty some Army museums across the world.  We are looking at the possibility of using Halosil to disinfect from COVID-19.  Has anyone looked into this?  What are your thoughts?

Specifically, (1) is this something we can/should use in our museums or will it potentially harm artifacts/exhibits/art and (2) if this is a bad idea, what other means are there to achieve his intent without harming artifacts/exhibits/art?

The link to the product is 

Delivering a Broad Spectrum Disinfectant across Facilities

It's a proprietary product.

I sincerely appreciate any commentary you can provide.

Thank you.
Carrie

------------------------------
Carrie Gabaree
Curator
Museum Support Center - Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir VA
------------------------------

Carrie:

You really should consult with a conservator knowledgeable about the types of objects which your museums have in their collections.

Sent from my iPhone


Original Message------

Good Evening, Everyone.

I am the Chief, Museum Support Center, Fort Belvoir, VA.  My particular facility is a collections storage facility, but we are headquarters to forty some Army museums across the world.  We are looking at the possibility of using Halosil to disinfect from COVID-19.  Has anyone looked into this?  What are your thoughts?

Specifically, (1) is this something we can/should use in our museums or will it potentially harm artifacts/exhibits/art and (2) if this is a bad idea, what other means are there to achieve his intent without harming artifacts/exhibits/art?

The link to the product is 

Delivering a Broad Spectrum Disinfectant across Facilities

It's a proprietary product.

I sincerely appreciate any commentary you can provide.

Thank you.
Carrie

------------------------------
Carrie Gabaree
Curator
Museum Support Center - Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir VA
------------------------------

John, 

Thank you.  We actually have two full time conservators on staff who are also researching this and reaching out to AIC, etc.  I took the "reach out to AAM" role.  But again, thank you.

Carrie

------------------------------
Carrie Gabaree
Curator
Museum Support Center - Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir VA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-03-2020 06:52 AM
From: John Coraor
Subject: Disinfecting From COVID-19 - Halosil?

Carrie:

You really should consult with a conservator knowledgeable about the types of objects which your museums have in their collections.

Sent from my iPhone


Original Message------

Good Evening, Everyone.

I am the Chief, Museum Support Center, Fort Belvoir, VA.  My particular facility is a collections storage facility, but we are headquarters to forty some Army museums across the world.  We are looking at the possibility of using Halosil to disinfect from COVID-19.  Has anyone looked into this?  What are your thoughts?

Specifically, (1) is this something we can/should use in our museums or will it potentially harm artifacts/exhibits/art and (2) if this is a bad idea, what other means are there to achieve his intent without harming artifacts/exhibits/art?

The link to the product is 

Delivering a Broad Spectrum Disinfectant across Facilities

It's a proprietary product.

I sincerely appreciate any commentary you can provide.

Thank you.
Carrie

------------------------------
Carrie Gabaree
Curator
Museum Support Center - Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir VA
------------------------------

The link below would be a good place to begin planning for museum cleaning and disinfecting. That guide from the Minnesota Historical Society provides enough detail to help identify some general practices and some things to avoid. One of the latter is spraying or fogging rooms with disinfectant, "a potentially dangerous practice that has no proven disease control." Of course, there is more being learned and published as the course of the pandemic proceeds, so it makes sense to read new and updated recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute of Health. One very useful bit of information is the observed life of the virus on surfaces; I am not offering the figures for that, but once you determine it from an authoritative source, you can make decisions about objects and surfaces that may not need disinfecting. To reiterate the main point, fogging and wide-area spraying in museums is regarded as potentially dangerous. Under similar circumstances, I have observed the destruction of particularly sensitive museum materials.

In general, the MHS publication requires: "Damp cleaning methods must be used where possible for dusting surfaces [including floors]." By those means, there is less likelihood of stirring up dust or aerosols that may carry the virus. As for cleaning non-porous historic materials, some conservators recommend isopropyl alcohol for most surfaces, but not for shellacked or varnished wood. I feel this is a bit too vague, and the Minnesota Historical Society guide offers a few more specific instructions, as well as places to seek further details. Look to the experts, in both health and conservation fields.

Best,
Bruce


https://www.google.com/search?q=MNHS+Enhanced+Cleaning+Guidance&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS807US807&oq=MNHS+Enhanced+Cleaning+Guidance&aqs=chrome..69i57j33.21548j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8


------------------------------
Bruce MacLeish
Curator Emeritus, Newport Restoration Foundation
Cooperstown NY
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-02-2020 09:12 PM
From: Carrie Gabaree
Subject: Disinfecting From COVID-19 - Halosil?

Good Evening, Everyone.

I am the Chief, Museum Support Center, Fort Belvoir, VA.  My particular facility is a collections storage facility, but we are headquarters to forty some Army museums across the world.  We are looking at the possibility of using Halosil to disinfect from COVID-19.  Has anyone looked into this?  What are your thoughts?

Specifically, (1) is this something we can/should use in our museums or will it potentially harm artifacts/exhibits/art and (2) if this is a bad idea, what other means are there to achieve his intent without harming artifacts/exhibits/art?

The link to the product is 

Delivering a Broad Spectrum Disinfectant across Facilities

It's a proprietary product.

I sincerely appreciate any commentary you can provide.

Thank you.
Carrie

------------------------------
Carrie Gabaree
Curator
Museum Support Center - Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir VA
------------------------------

Thanks very much, Bruce!

------------------------------
Carrie Gabaree
Curator
Museum Support Center - Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir VA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-03-2020 09:40 AM
From: Bruce MacLeish
Subject: Disinfecting From COVID-19 - Halosil?

The link below would be a good place to begin planning for museum cleaning and disinfecting. That guide from the Minnesota Historical Society provides enough detail to help identify some general practices and some things to avoid. One of the latter is spraying or fogging rooms with disinfectant, "a potentially dangerous practice that has no proven disease control." Of course, there is more being learned and published as the course of the pandemic proceeds, so it makes sense to read new and updated recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute of Health. One very useful bit of information is the observed life of the virus on surfaces; I am not offering the figures for that, but once you determine it from an authoritative source, you can make decisions about objects and surfaces that may not need disinfecting. To reiterate the main point, fogging and wide-area spraying in museums is regarded as potentially dangerous. Under similar circumstances, I have observed the destruction of particularly sensitive museum materials.

In general, the MHS publication requires: "Damp cleaning methods must be used where possible for dusting surfaces [including floors]." By those means, there is less likelihood of stirring up dust or aerosols that may carry the virus. As for cleaning non-porous historic materials, some conservators recommend isopropyl alcohol for most surfaces, but not for shellacked or varnished wood. I feel this is a bit too vague, and the Minnesota Historical Society guide offers a few more specific instructions, as well as places to seek further details. Look to the experts, in both health and conservation fields.

Best,
Bruce


https://www.google.com/search?q=MNHS+Enhanced+Cleaning+Guidance&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS807US807&oq=MNHS+Enhanced+Cleaning+Guidance&aqs=chrome..69i57j33.21548j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8


------------------------------
Bruce MacLeish
Curator Emeritus, Newport Restoration Foundation
Cooperstown NY

Original Message:
Sent: 04-02-2020 09:12 PM
From: Carrie Gabaree
Subject: Disinfecting From COVID-19 - Halosil?

Good Evening, Everyone.

I am the Chief, Museum Support Center, Fort Belvoir, VA.  My particular facility is a collections storage facility, but we are headquarters to forty some Army museums across the world.  We are looking at the possibility of using Halosil to disinfect from COVID-19.  Has anyone looked into this?  What are your thoughts?

Specifically, (1) is this something we can/should use in our museums or will it potentially harm artifacts/exhibits/art and (2) if this is a bad idea, what other means are there to achieve his intent without harming artifacts/exhibits/art?

The link to the product is 

Delivering a Broad Spectrum Disinfectant across Facilities

It's a proprietary product.

I sincerely appreciate any commentary you can provide.

Thank you.
Carrie

------------------------------
Carrie Gabaree
Curator
Museum Support Center - Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir VA
------------------------------

Dear Carrie,

Thank you for asking! First of all, I would like to refer everyone to a wonderful webinar hosted yesterday by Connecting to Collections Care, called "Collections Care in the Age of COVID-19". Many issues like this were touched on in the webinar. This link will take you to their website, and you can then follow the link to their facebook page where they hosted/archived the webinar.

From a conservation perspective, it is best to avoid chemical treatments if at all possible, especially proprietary solutions where you don't necessarily know all the ingredients. This Halosil treatment seems to work by releasing hydrogen peroxide and therefore free radicals, which might be safe for lab settings but not for collections. There is definitely a potential for the chemicals to interact with sensitive materials in negative ways.

One big takeaway from the webinar is that quarantine will last longer than the virus on surfaces! It is far better to isolate objects for ~72 hours if you think they may have been exposed to the virus and thereafter minimize handling, than to apply any kind of chemical treatment.

The conservation community will likely continue to discuss the ramifications of this pandemic, and conduct research on how disinfectants potentially interact with objects. For now the best advice I can give is 1) wash hands and wear gloves if you have to handle objects, 2) disinfect work surfaces not objects, and 3) if using hand sanitizers, allow them to dry before handling collections/books/etc.

I hope this helps!

Aliza


------------------------------
Aliza Taft
Conservation Fellow
Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History
New Haven CT
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-02-2020 09:12 PM
From: Carrie Gabaree
Subject: Disinfecting From COVID-19 - Halosil?

Good Evening, Everyone.

I am the Chief, Museum Support Center, Fort Belvoir, VA.  My particular facility is a collections storage facility, but we are headquarters to forty some Army museums across the world.  We are looking at the possibility of using Halosil to disinfect from COVID-19.  Has anyone looked into this?  What are your thoughts?

Specifically, (1) is this something we can/should use in our museums or will it potentially harm artifacts/exhibits/art and (2) if this is a bad idea, what other means are there to achieve his intent without harming artifacts/exhibits/art?

The link to the product is 

Delivering a Broad Spectrum Disinfectant across Facilities

It's a proprietary product.

I sincerely appreciate any commentary you can provide.

Thank you.
Carrie

------------------------------
Carrie Gabaree
Curator
Museum Support Center - Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir VA
------------------------------

Thank you so much, Aliza!  I will share this with my team.

We appreciate your insight and time.

Carrie

------------------------------
Carrie Gabaree
Curator
Museum Support Center - Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir VA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-03-2020 10:32 AM
From: Aliza Taft
Subject: Disinfecting From COVID-19 - Halosil?

Dear Carrie,

Thank you for asking! First of all, I would like to refer everyone to a wonderful webinar hosted yesterday by Connecting to Collections Care, called "Collections Care in the Age of COVID-19". Many issues like this were touched on in the webinar. This link will take you to their website, and you can then follow the link to their facebook page where they hosted/archived the webinar.

From a conservation perspective, it is best to avoid chemical treatments if at all possible, especially proprietary solutions where you don't necessarily know all the ingredients. This Halosil treatment seems to work by releasing hydrogen peroxide and therefore free radicals, which might be safe for lab settings but not for collections. There is definitely a potential for the chemicals to interact with sensitive materials in negative ways.

One big takeaway from the webinar is that quarantine will last longer than the virus on surfaces! It is far better to isolate objects for ~72 hours if you think they may have been exposed to the virus and thereafter minimize handling, than to apply any kind of chemical treatment.

The conservation community will likely continue to discuss the ramifications of this pandemic, and conduct research on how disinfectants potentially interact with objects. For now the best advice I can give is 1) wash hands and wear gloves if you have to handle objects, 2) disinfect work surfaces not objects, and 3) if using hand sanitizers, allow them to dry before handling collections/books/etc.

I hope this helps!

Aliza


------------------------------
Aliza Taft
Conservation Fellow
Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History
New Haven CT

Original Message:
Sent: 04-02-2020 09:12 PM
From: Carrie Gabaree
Subject: Disinfecting From COVID-19 - Halosil?

Good Evening, Everyone.

I am the Chief, Museum Support Center, Fort Belvoir, VA.  My particular facility is a collections storage facility, but we are headquarters to forty some Army museums across the world.  We are looking at the possibility of using Halosil to disinfect from COVID-19.  Has anyone looked into this?  What are your thoughts?

Specifically, (1) is this something we can/should use in our museums or will it potentially harm artifacts/exhibits/art and (2) if this is a bad idea, what other means are there to achieve his intent without harming artifacts/exhibits/art?

The link to the product is 

Delivering a Broad Spectrum Disinfectant across Facilities

It's a proprietary product.

I sincerely appreciate any commentary you can provide.

Thank you.
Carrie

------------------------------
Carrie Gabaree
Curator
Museum Support Center - Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir VA
------------------------------

Original Message------

Good Evening, Everyone.

I am the Chief, Museum Support Center, Fort Belvoir, VA.  My particular facility is a collections storage facility, but we are headquarters to forty some Army museums across the world.  We are looking at the possibility of using Halosil to disinfect from COVID-19.  Has anyone looked into this?  What are your thoughts?

Specifically, (1) is this something we can/should use in our museums or will it potentially harm artifacts/exhibits/art and (2) if this is a bad idea, what other means are there to achieve his intent without harming artifacts/exhibits/art?

The link to the product is 

Delivering a Broad Spectrum Disinfectant across Facilities

It's a proprietary product.

I sincerely appreciate any commentary you can provide.

Thank you.
Carrie

------------------------------
Carrie Gabaree
Curator
Museum Support Center - Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir VA
------------------------------

Thanks very much!  This is very helpful.

Carrie

------------------------------
Carrie Gabaree
Curator
Museum Support Center - Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir VA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-03-2020 02:57 PM
From: Rachael Arenstein
Subject: Disinfecting From COVID-19 - Halosil?

Dear Carrie,

AIC and members of the Connecting to Collections Care Online Community held a Facebook live session yesterday that covered issues of disinfecting collection spaces. I believe you can access a recording on the C2CCare Facebook page or by clicking the link at the bottom of the event page on the C2CCare website

https://www.connectingtocollections.org/collections-care-covid-19/

There have also been some useful threads on the C2CCare discussion forum, which is free to join and can be accessed by following the instructions on the Discussions page tab

https://www.connectingtocollections.org/discussions/

The other useful presentation was one by Mary Striegel, Conservation Scientist at NCPTT. You can read the transcript and see the presentation at

https://www.ncptt.nps.gov/blog/covid-19-basics-disinfecting-cultural-resources/

In following the threads of my colleagues, most conservators are trying to encourage "quarantining" for collections and exhibit spaces with the understanding that many of the disinfecting products could have adverse effects on collections. And the focus for disinfection perhaps should be high touch surfaces like light switches, door handles, etc. that could receive more targeted disinfection than possible with fogging.

Best,

Rachael

 

 

Rachael Perkins Arenstein

AIC Professional Associate & e-Editor

rarenstein@culturalheritage.org

917-796-1764

 

Original Message------

Good Evening, Everyone.

I am the Chief, Museum Support Center, Fort Belvoir, VA.  My particular facility is a collections storage facility, but we are headquarters to forty some Army museums across the world.  We are looking at the possibility of using Halosil to disinfect from COVID-19.  Has anyone looked into this?  What are your thoughts?

Specifically, (1) is this something we can/should use in our museums or will it potentially harm artifacts/exhibits/art and (2) if this is a bad idea, what other means are there to achieve his intent without harming artifacts/exhibits/art?

The link to the product is 

Delivering a Broad Spectrum Disinfectant across Facilities

It's a proprietary product.

I sincerely appreciate any commentary you can provide.

Thank you.
Carrie

------------------------------
Carrie Gabaree
Curator
Museum Support Center - Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir VA
------------------------------

Hi Carrie, 

There is a free course at the Museum Study website that covers museums/objects and CoVid 19. It seems like the recommendation right now is to stick with simple cleaners with minimal ingredients. 

Museum Study

Also this video is a good resource 

Covid-19 Basics: Disinfecting Cultural Resources


Thank you,

------------------------------
Michael Terzano
Preparator
Hammer Museum
Los Angeles CA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-02-2020 09:12 PM
From: Carrie Gabaree
Subject: Disinfecting From COVID-19 - Halosil?

Good Evening, Everyone.

I am the Chief, Museum Support Center, Fort Belvoir, VA.  My particular facility is a collections storage facility, but we are headquarters to forty some Army museums across the world.  We are looking at the possibility of using Halosil to disinfect from COVID-19.  Has anyone looked into this?  What are your thoughts?

Specifically, (1) is this something we can/should use in our museums or will it potentially harm artifacts/exhibits/art and (2) if this is a bad idea, what other means are there to achieve his intent without harming artifacts/exhibits/art?

The link to the product is 

Delivering a Broad Spectrum Disinfectant across Facilities

It's a proprietary product.

I sincerely appreciate any commentary you can provide.

Thank you.
Carrie

------------------------------
Carrie Gabaree
Curator
Museum Support Center - Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir VA
------------------------------

Michael, 

That does seem to overwhelmingly be the popular reply.  Thank you very much!

Carrie

------------------------------
Carrie Gabaree
Curator
Museum Support Center - Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir VA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-03-2020 04:03 PM
From: Michael Terzano
Subject: Disinfecting From COVID-19 - Halosil?

Hi Carrie,

There is a free course at the Museum Study website that covers museums/objects and CoVid 19. It seems like the recommendation right now is to stick with simple cleaners with minimal ingredients.

Museum Study

Also this video is a good resource

Covid-19 Basics: Disinfecting Cultural Resources


Thank you,

------------------------------
Michael Terzano
Preparator
Hammer Museum
Los Angeles CA

Original Message:
Sent: 04-02-2020 09:12 PM
From: Carrie Gabaree
Subject: Disinfecting From COVID-19 - Halosil?

Good Evening, Everyone.

I am the Chief, Museum Support Center, Fort Belvoir, VA.  My particular facility is a collections storage facility, but we are headquarters to forty some Army museums across the world.  We are looking at the possibility of using Halosil to disinfect from COVID-19.  Has anyone looked into this?  What are your thoughts?

Specifically, (1) is this something we can/should use in our museums or will it potentially harm artifacts/exhibits/art and (2) if this is a bad idea, what other means are there to achieve his intent without harming artifacts/exhibits/art?

The link to the product is 

Delivering a Broad Spectrum Disinfectant across Facilities

It's a proprietary product.

I sincerely appreciate any commentary you can provide.

Thank you.
Carrie

------------------------------
Carrie Gabaree
Curator
Museum Support Center - Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir VA
------------------------------

For questions like this, and other similar questions regarding disinfection and conservation in connection with COVID-19, I strongly suggest looking at the Connecting to Collections care website, Connecting to Collections Care Online Community. It is sponsored by the American Institute for Conservation and the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation

This past Thursday, April 2nd, they hosted a webinar on Collections Care in the Age of COVID-19. They also have an excellent forum in which you can ask any collections care question that will then be answered by qualified conservators.

Registration is easy and free, and you can elect to get the forum posts as a daily email (I do).

Hope this is helpful.

------------------------------
Martha Katz-Hyman
Assistant Curator (Restricted)
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
Williamsburg VA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-02-2020 09:12 PM
From: Carrie Gabaree
Subject: Disinfecting From COVID-19 - Halosil?

Good Evening, Everyone.

I am the Chief, Museum Support Center, Fort Belvoir, VA.  My particular facility is a collections storage facility, but we are headquarters to forty some Army museums across the world.  We are looking at the possibility of using Halosil to disinfect from COVID-19.  Has anyone looked into this?  What are your thoughts?

Specifically, (1) is this something we can/should use in our museums or will it potentially harm artifacts/exhibits/art and (2) if this is a bad idea, what other means are there to achieve his intent without harming artifacts/exhibits/art?

The link to the product is 

Delivering a Broad Spectrum Disinfectant across Facilities

It's a proprietary product.

I sincerely appreciate any commentary you can provide.

Thank you.
Carrie

------------------------------
Carrie Gabaree
Curator
Museum Support Center - Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir VA
------------------------------

Thanks so much, Martha!  I've passed this along to our team.

Carrie

------------------------------
Carrie Gabaree
Curator
Museum Support Center - Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir VA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-05-2020 04:37 PM
From: Martha Katz-Hyman
Subject: Disinfecting From COVID-19 - Halosil?

For questions like this, and other similar questions regarding disinfection and conservation in connection with COVID-19, I strongly suggest looking at the Connecting to Collections care website, Connecting to Collections Care Online Community. It is sponsored by the American Institute for Conservation and the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation

This past Thursday, April 2nd, they hosted a webinar on Collections Care in the Age of COVID-19. They also have an excellent forum in which you can ask any collections care question that will then be answered by qualified conservators.

Registration is easy and free, and you can elect to get the forum posts as a daily email (I do).

Hope this is helpful.

------------------------------
Martha Katz-Hyman
Assistant Curator (Restricted)
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
Williamsburg VA

Original Message:
Sent: 04-02-2020 09:12 PM
From: Carrie Gabaree
Subject: Disinfecting From COVID-19 - Halosil?

Good Evening, Everyone.

I am the Chief, Museum Support Center, Fort Belvoir, VA.  My particular facility is a collections storage facility, but we are headquarters to forty some Army museums across the world.  We are looking at the possibility of using Halosil to disinfect from COVID-19.  Has anyone looked into this?  What are your thoughts?

Specifically, (1) is this something we can/should use in our museums or will it potentially harm artifacts/exhibits/art and (2) if this is a bad idea, what other means are there to achieve his intent without harming artifacts/exhibits/art?

The link to the product is 

Delivering a Broad Spectrum Disinfectant across Facilities

It's a proprietary product.

I sincerely appreciate any commentary you can provide.

Thank you.
Carrie

------------------------------
Carrie Gabaree
Curator
Museum Support Center - Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir VA
------------------------------