CAN BOOKS BE TOXIC? AN XRF STUDY OF ARSENIC CONTENT IN BOOK COVERS FROM MEYER LIBRARY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Some recent studies have found that some books have arsenic in their covers and Missouri State Universities, Meyer Library, Special Collections department was curious if some of their own books may also contain arsenic. We are testing to see if there is any arsenic in the fabric that was used to cover the book. We are specifically looking at books that were covered in fabric that is a green or otherwise known as a “Paris Green” color. The arsenic was used to get the bright green color and was also commonly used in carpeting, wallpaper, book covers and more throughout the 1800’s and early 1900’s. A handheld XRF was used to test small spots on the covers and this allowed us to see what elements are present. After testing most of the books we were given, we determined that there is not any arsenic in the covers of the books in Meyer Library.