Handling Books That May Contain Heavy Metals

Some materials in the UCLA Library system’s 19th-century print collection may have book covers that contain heavy metals. Heavy metals were previously used to embellish book covers with colorful, decorative pigments, however this practice was discontinued before the end of the 19th-century. A group of universities performed an independent study of their book collections featuring cloth and leather bindings, and found small amounts of arsenic in emerald-green books, mercury in red books, chromium in yellow books and lead in a variety of book cover colors. These heavy metals were found on a case-by-case basis for certain publications, and many 19th-century publications will not actually contain heavy metal content. If you need to use a 19th-century book (publication date: 1800-1899) which contains its original cloth or leather cover, first ask a librarian to help you find a digitized copy. If the text has not been digitized and you want to use the hardcopy book, additional safety precautions are recommended out of an abundance of caution for library users.

Heavy metals from textiles and leather are not airborne and do not readily transmit through the skin. The potential risk primarily comes from ingestion of small pieces of pigment that may flake off the cover during handling. If you choose to use these suspected volumes, it is best practice to observe the following precautions:

• Before Handling:
  • If desired, you can wear nitrile gloves, available at circulation desks and in Library Special Collections.
  • Place the book on a hard, flat surface (such as a table). Avoid upholstered furniture.
• During Handling:
  • Do not eat, smoke, or touch your face; this applies with or without wearing gloves. Limit contact with other surfaces (such as personal items).
  • Note: Wearing gloves can make it more difficult to grip book pages properly. To prevent pages from tearing, turn the book pages more slowly, carefully, and deliberately.
• After Handling:
  • If desired, place the book in a clear, re-sealable storage bag (such as a Ziploc bag) when not in use. Keep the book away from children and pets.
  • Use a damp, disposable cloth to wipe down the area where the book was placed. Also, wipe down any other surfaces that were touched with gloved hands (such as personal items).
  • Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water immediately after handling the book, and if you opted to wear gloves, dispose of them immediately.
  • Do not place the book in the book drop. Instead, return the item to the circulation staff, using a clear re-sealable storage bag if desired.

If you have additional questions, please contact Library Preservation & Conservation at preservation@library.ucla.edu(opens in a new tab).