Deadly secrets in university library collection

Poison-laced library books sound like part of a murder mystery plot, or perhaps an elaborate plan to get out of doing college work, but they are just another day’s work for some scientists in Denmark. Researchers from the University of Southern Denmark have recently uncovered that some of the 16th and 17th century books in their library collection held a deadly secret, writes Tom Hale for IFL Science.

Using a high-energy X-ray imaging technique, they discovered that the covers of some volumes were made using a green pigment laced with arsenic. The analysis of three books from the period showed that the covers were made out of recycled medieval manuscript fragments, as is quite common among certain books from this time. The researchers wanted to see if it was possible to read and identify the original Latin texts. However, the text was obscured by a thick layer of green paint, so they headed to the lab and used a technique known as X-ray fluorescence analysis to peer through and see what was underneath. Much to their surprise, the analysis inadvertently revealed that the green paint was, in fact, arsenic.

Writing for The Conversation, the researchers explain: “This chemical element is among the most toxic substances in the world and exposure may lead to various symptoms of poisoning, the development of cancer and even death.” Despite its toxic properties, arsenic was widely used in paints and dyes throughout the 19th century. Fairly understandably, the librarians have since moved the poison books into a specialised ventilated cabinet and hope to digitise the full volume to minimise physical contact in the future.
Full report on the IFL Science site