| Author | Message | ||
     Glenn Tinkerer Username: Glenn Post Number: 1081 Registered: 07-2006 Rating: N/A |
I certainly would not use paper bags - unless they are certified as Archival Grade. Cheap paper for bag production can exhibit an acidic pH value. Archival nylon or mylar bags containing a properly activated silica gel moisture removal pack is the best way to go - certainly for storage of photographs and slides/negatives Unfortunately MDF is not the only wood product that uses phenol formaldehyde based adhesives and bonding agents and formaldehyde is likely to be detected in all modern housing, or habitations containing modern furniture. However detected levels are usually very low and much of what is on the internet is alarmist and misleading to say the least. The formation of formic acid from moisture in the air can obviously occur - it is a sound and known chemical reaction. However, for this to damage photographic equipment one would have to store the equipment where large amounts of condensation can occur and the high moisture content would be the major damaging factor, not the concentration of acids formed. I will also point out that coating with oil based paints is an industry standard for sealing phenol formaldehyde bonded wooden sheeting/fibre boards. Having been involved with photography and all types of chemicals for all of my working life, the migration of plasticisers from plastics and vinyls used post 1960 is the biggest destroyer of photographic equipment stored under the wrong conditions. |