Protection of cultural heritage
In the research field of negative effects of microbial activity, problems resulting from decomposition and biodeterioration (microbial corrosion) of cultural heritage of a nation, including historical documents, play a vital role. This applies both to buildings and the resources stored in them: books, graphics, textiles, leather goods, sculptures, statues, etc. Inadequately protected, unrenovated, and exposed to environmental conditions objects deteriorate irretrievably. Historical artefacts are also inhabited by microorganisms, which become active especially where materials contain carbon compounds, mainly cellulose and proteins (wood, paper, linen, cotton fabrics, leather, parchment). These compounds are decomposed into simple substances, which are used in microbial life processes. Also, historic relics of mineral origin such as stone and metal can be degraded by microorganisms and their metabolites. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify the microorganisms that degrade artefacts and relics. Identification of the types of bacteria and fungi that inhabit historical materials, including their growth conditions, allows to design appropriate conservation measures.
The research was interdisciplinary and included microbiological, molecular, chemical, material, and conservation analyses. It consisted in developing methods of conservation of important world cultural heritage, such as buildings or remains, e.g. suitcases from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim, historical textiles dating back to the pre-Columbian period from La Plata in Argentina, wax seals from the 14th century, as well as archives from the National Archives in Prague and Bratislava and many Polish relics from the National Museum, the National Archives, the Central Textile Museum, the Museum of the Tradition of Independence, and other museums.
Possibilities of applying project results
More than 10 years of research have allowed the development of methodological foundations for the assessment of biodeterioration of objects of historical significance, as well as the development of methods and preparations for their safe disinfection. The research results provided an impulse to the development a Master Plan for Preservation and to the introduction of a new method of disinfecting historical objects at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum in Oświęcim with hydrogen peroxide vaporization.
Social and economic benefits from the implementation of project results
Thanks to the research project, there has been a significant strengthening of cooperation between scientific and research institutions in the area of historic and cultural heritage protection. Large-scale international cooperation with research institutions in the USA (Oklahoma State University and Montanta State University), the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Argentina, Austria, Italy, and Poland as a part of research projects financed by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation and the Visegrad Fund has facilitated the internationalization of research. The research is of economic and social significance, both domestically and internationally, since losses resulting from biodeterioration of technical materials are currently estimated at 2% of the gross domestic product (GDP), which based on CSO data for Poland amounts to about PLN 40 billion. These estimates do not take into account the decrease in value of cultural heritage legacy and, importantly, the impact on the health of people who come into contact with biologically contaminated material at their work stations, such as conservators or museum workers.