This thesis will be an attempt to gather information on pesticide use and residues in Dutch museum collections. No publications are known so far that have examined this, but much research has been...Show moreThis thesis will be an attempt to gather information on pesticide use and residues in Dutch museum collections. No publications are known so far that have examined this, but much research has been done in the United States. The thesis will try to find a cause for the difference in this amount of research. The conservation history of museums in the United States and the Netherlands will be compared, to find out how much conservation methods in both countries overlap, and which pesticides can be expected in Dutch museums. Interviews with Dutch museum personnel are presented as sources of information for pesticide use and troubles in Dutch ethnographic museums. Ways to detect pesticide residues are discussed, since this has proved to be the only way to determine if pesticide residues are present and to estimate the dangers these residues pose to human health. To eliminate changes of poisoning by pesticide residues, objects can be handled in different ways, these different ways of handling are discussed. The ways objects with pesticide residues are handled in the United States and the Netherlands are compared. The most certain way to prevent poisoning with pesticide residues is to clean the residue from the object. Several methods for mitigation and remediation of pesticide residues are briefly described and discussed. Ethical codes and questions are also presented, because ethical issues are a part of the problem too. The ethical codes used for museums and conservators in the United States and the Netherlands are compared, as well as the ethical issues found in both countries that are related to pesticide residues on museum objects. Furthermore, the ethical codes will be analyzed to see if they are sufficient enough to deal with the problems created by pesticide residues on museum objects. Lastly, the legislation that regulates repatriation in both the United States and the Netherlands is described and compared, and proven to be the reason for the difference in the amount of research and publications between the two countries.Show less
