Tyvek

I have received a lot of questions form colleagues about the
anti-static coating applied to some styles of Tyvek and I would
really like to put this issue to bed once and for all. Does anyone
have an answer to any of my questions on the subject?

What is the compound used? I found an article from 1986 which
mentions the coating to be composed of potassium dibutal-phosphate
(Walker, 1986) but is this still the case?

Can the coating be washed off and if so how do you know it has been
removed?

Is this coating actually harmful? Has anyone performed tests or
knows of instances when it has caused damage to actual objects?

I would appreciate any information anyone has as I am really at a
loss on how to advise people. I would also be happy to carry out
some experiments on the subject but don't want to repeat work
already done.

Sharon Penton
Preventive Conservator
Conservation and Scientific Research
The British Museum
Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DG
+44 20 73238278


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 22:43
                Distributed: Saturday, January 31, 2009
                       Message Id: cdl-22-43-028
                                  ***