Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract
History has bestowed upon us vast treasures, with the Victorian Era offering a wealth of gifts, such as vibrant art and even secrets preserved in books of this period. However, concealed within the pigments that bring these works to life lie heavy metals. Not only do they pose significant health risks, but they can also be found within these pieces centuries later. Intrigued by the Winterthur project, Beaman librarians, Jan Cohu and Kayla Rutledge, discovered that our library housed some of these Victorian Era books. From there, the Beaman staff sent an inquiry to the chemistry department and Dr. Weinstein-Webb wishing to investigate the safety of these books. Dr. Webb and his team proceeded to perform Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) trials on these samples, which led to the proof of a four-to- one ratio of Lead (Pb) to Chromium (Cr). In light of this finding, our aim transformed into locating a non-destructive, affordable approach to characterize the heavy metals within books for the public’s use in hopes of improving safety. The transition involved the arrival of the Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF), which is an affordable/transportable instrument to heavy metals. Utilizing this instrument on the book samples, pXRF demonstrated the novel correlation between ICP-OES and pXRF data in book pigments. This work offers a cost-effective, non-destructive method aimed toward detecting heavy metals within the Victorian-era books (or other potentially contaminated materials) ultimately assisting in the greater community’s public health and safety.
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Joseph Weinstein-Webb (jaweinsteinwebb@lipscomb.edu)
Recommended Citation
Faragalla, Mario; Barwari, Gulsin; Brinkoeter, Makenzie; Lozano-Fuentes, Eimy; and Riera, Isabelle, "Unveiling Hidden Hazards: A Complementary Approach to Affordable Non-Destructive Heavy Metal Detection" (2025). Student Scholar Symposium. 106.
https://digitalcollections.lipscomb.edu/student_scholars_symposium/2025/Full_schedule/106
Included in
Analytical Chemistry Commons, Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment Commons
Unveiling Hidden Hazards: A Complementary Approach to Affordable Non-Destructive Heavy Metal Detection
History has bestowed upon us vast treasures, with the Victorian Era offering a wealth of gifts, such as vibrant art and even secrets preserved in books of this period. However, concealed within the pigments that bring these works to life lie heavy metals. Not only do they pose significant health risks, but they can also be found within these pieces centuries later. Intrigued by the Winterthur project, Beaman librarians, Jan Cohu and Kayla Rutledge, discovered that our library housed some of these Victorian Era books. From there, the Beaman staff sent an inquiry to the chemistry department and Dr. Weinstein-Webb wishing to investigate the safety of these books. Dr. Webb and his team proceeded to perform Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) trials on these samples, which led to the proof of a four-to- one ratio of Lead (Pb) to Chromium (Cr). In light of this finding, our aim transformed into locating a non-destructive, affordable approach to characterize the heavy metals within books for the public’s use in hopes of improving safety. The transition involved the arrival of the Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF), which is an affordable/transportable instrument to heavy metals. Utilizing this instrument on the book samples, pXRF demonstrated the novel correlation between ICP-OES and pXRF data in book pigments. This work offers a cost-effective, non-destructive method aimed toward detecting heavy metals within the Victorian-era books (or other potentially contaminated materials) ultimately assisting in the greater community’s public health and safety.