Decontaminating archives with background contamination or mould growth.
When only slight contamination is present, we recommend an on-site decontamination of your archival holdings.
In the event that isolated cases of visible mould growth are found on archival records and documents, our specialists take random samples from the affected objects or from areas where mould is likely to flourish. If the lab results reveal background contamination or only slight mould growth with the presence of mycelia* – and if CFU** levels aren’t elevated – we recommend decontaminating archival materials on site.
Before decontaminating your archival materials on site, docusave specialists set up a negative-pressure zone with an airlock to prevent the spread of mould spores during the decontamination procedure. This protects the people carrying out the measures and ensures that uncontaminated holdings remain healthy.
*Mycelia: any type of lichen-like cells in a fungus or bacterium that have toxic and allergenic properties. By-products are created via metabolic processes in the paper substrate. These processes are triggered by enzymes that degrade the substrate. In combination with mycelia, the by-products form visible mould growth that can have various colours and shapes.
**CFU: colony-forming units, a measurement used to estimate the number of migroorganisms present.
Before decontaminating your archival materials on site, docusave specialists set up a negative-pressure zone with an airlock to prevent the spread of mould spores during the decontamination procedure. This protects the people carrying out the measures and ensures that uncontaminated holdings remain healthy.
*Mycelia: any type of lichen-like cells in a fungus or bacterium that have toxic and allergenic properties. By-products are created via metabolic processes in the paper substrate. These processes are triggered by enzymes that degrade the substrate. In combination with mycelia, the by-products form visible mould growth that can have various colours and shapes.
**CFU: colony-forming units, a measurement used to estimate the number of migroorganisms present.
Elevated CFU levels.
CFU levels that exceed the upper limit confirm the presence of mould with spores and mycelia. In such cases, additional measures are necessary, and the work will be carried out in a specially designed negative-pressure chamber at docusave's address in Uetendorf. This treatment guarantees that the objects are decontaminated for the long term.