Anoxia
Definition
Anoxia is a treatment used in conservation to kill insects by way of oxygen deprivation.
Related Terms
Synonyms in English
anoxic
Translation
| French | anoxie; hypoxie |
| Spanish | anoxia; hypoxia |
| German | hypoxie |
| Dutch | hypoxie |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 低氧除蟲 |
Discussion
In order to create an oxygen free environment, a vapor barrier film may be used. Then the sealed environment is purged with a non-oxygen gas, such as argon or nitrogen, and oxygen scavenger tablets are added to maintain the low oxygen concentrations (CAMEO). If oxygen levels are kept at or below 0.1%, all life stages of ten common museum insects can be killed in ten days (Daniel, et al., 1990).
Additional Information
Gilberg, M. "Inert Atmosphere Disinfestation of Museum Objects using Ageless Oxygen Scavenger", ICOM preprints, 9th Annual Meeting, Dresden (1990), p. 812-816.
Valentin, N. and Preusser, F. "Insect Control by Inert Gases in Museums, Archives and Libraries" Restaurator (1990) vol. 11., p. 22-23.
References
CAMEO: Conservation and Art Material Encyclopedia Online. “Anoxia.” Accessed from http://cameo.mfa.org/wiki/Anoxia on March 29, 2015.
Daniel, V., Hanlon, G., and Mekawa, S. "Eradication of Insect Pests in Museums Using Nitrogen" in WAAC Newsletter (Sept. 1993), Vol. 15 (3), p. 15-19.
