Daly Conservation

While an intern at the NMAI I participated in Oddy testing of materials for exhibit cases.

Jean Tetreault and Pam Hatchfield both have written books listing which materials are sensitive to which pollutants.

Here is a brief summary:

Copper and alloys: acetate, acetic acid, amines, ammonia, formaldehyde, formic acid, peroxides, sulfur compounds.

Silver: Formaldehyde, sulfur compounds

Lead: acetic anhydride, fatty acids, formic acid, peroxides, acetic acid, formaldehyde

In the Oddy test, the copper reacts to the widest variety of volatiles, but the lead is the most sensitive indicator. Evaluating the corrosion on the coupons is subjective, but can be useful for ranking materials in question.