Hi, Katie,
In a commercial environment with the inherent liability issues, I would
use an outside-venting exhaust fan in the area I was doing tape
baking--or perhaps a fume hood. I know that's energy inefficient in
Wisconsin winters, so perhaps using outside makeup air or a
heat-recovery ventilation system would be a good choice.
I am more concerned about mold and the related toxins than I am about
the tape outgassing, though I can definitely detect the latter when I'm
doing baking. I generally bake in a separate generally unoccupied room,
but don't pay particular attention to the exhaust issues.
I bake moldy tapes in my garage in a separate dehydrator. I figure any
mold that escapes there will probably find long-lost relatives <sigh>. I
also wear a NIOSH-rated respirator when dealing with mold.
One archive I've been corresponding with used a dust mask and I
suggested if they were concerned enough either for health or perception
reasons, they should switch to a respirator rather than just a dust mask.
I am not a toxicologist nor doctor nor chemist, so take this as comments
of a casual user.
Please remember that not all tapes need baking and baking acetate tapes
as well as certain other tapes may do more damage than good.
Cheers,
Richard
On 2012-02-20 1:48 PM, Katie Mullen wrote:
> Hello:
>
> We're looking into the particulars of how we would go about setting up a
> tape baking program in-house. One thing I have not seen addressed in the
> informal discussions about baking or in the literature is whether people
> are concerned about exposure to anything potentially harmful (or that would
> be regulated under OSHA exposure limits) from off gassing during baking,
> and following that, whether anyone uses controls (such as a fume hood) to
> mitigate any potential exposures.
>
> A chemist who is studying the degredation of video magnetic media recently
> said in response to my query that among other likely products, "Degradation
> products of magnetic tape include carbon dioxide, acetaldehyde, vinyl
> benzoate, carbon monoxide, methane, and benzaldehyde. Many of these
> compounds are considerably harmful if inhaled, so I would definitely make
> an effort to move the baking to a well-ventilated area, or have it
> separately ventilated." Beyond the general question posed above about
> concern vs. controls, if anyone has actually measured exposure during
> baking to the listed components, I would appreciate knowing more about your
> results.
>
> Stories from your experiences baking, or particulars about how and where
> you do your baking would be much appreciated!
>
> Thank You,
>
> Katie Mullen
>
> Preservation Coordinator,
> Library-Archives
> Wisconsin Historical Society
> 816 State Street
> Madison, WI 53706-1482
> PH: 608-264-6489
> [log in to unmask]
>
> Collecting, Preserving and Sharing Stories Since 1846
>
>
--
Richard L. Hess email: [log in to unmask]
Aurora, Ontario, Canada (905) 713 6733 1-877-TAPE-FIX
http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm
Quality tape transfers -- even from hard-to-play tapes.
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