BOOKS made up to a century ago may contain traces of arsenic or other chemicals and can cause poisoning just by touching them.
Arsenic-filled books have been under the radar of the Poison Book Project, which is working to take dangerous literature off the shelves with specific warning signs in mind.
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The Poisonous Book Project is a collaborative research project consisting of the Winterthur Museum, the Garden & Library, and the University of Delaware.
The project identifies dangerous books through “research focused on identifying potentially toxic pigments used in binding components.” website said.
“And how to more safely handle and store potentially toxic collections.”
Look for books that contain arsenic and other heavy metals like lead, chromium and mercury.
GREEN ARSENIC
In the late 1700s it was discovered that a vivid green dye could be produced by mixing copper and arsenic. The conversation reported.
The bright green arsenic dye was cheap to make and also very pleasant to look at.
This led book publishers at the time to use the poisoned ink to color book covers.
Arsenic was widely used centuries ago as people were completely unaware of its harm.
Red and yellow dyes in old books are also a concern of the Poison Book Project.
At the time, yellow dye was made with lead and chromium, both of which were toxic.
The red dye was created with mercury sulfide, which can lead to mercury poisoning.
However, books dyed green with arsenic are of most concern.
The Poison Book Project recently removed two books from the shelves of the French National Library, according to The Conversation.
Both books included the green cloth and raised suspicions of arsenic use when they were made.
WARNING SIGNS
Some warning signs could mean a book is guilty of poisonous remains.
This includes the age of the book and its color/material.
Books made from 1775 to the end of the 19th century can be a risk.
You should also be specifically aware of the green, red, and yellow books from this era.
If you come into contact with a poisonous book, you could experience irritation in your eyes, nose or throat, scientists warn, according to The Conversation.
You won’t be poisoned instantly, but it can cause some problems.
People who have regular contact with these books are those who should be most concerned.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
