Hanwell Instruments has launched a new weapon in the fight to wipe out insect damage at museums and galleries.
The ZerO2 Alert Device created by Hanwell and Colin Smith Conservation, works to eradicate pests such as woodworm, carpet beetle larvae and the clothes moth without using potentially damaging chemicals.
Artefacts are placed inside a suitable purpose built container - Flexicubes, Flexiart or Flexitube, depending on the size - which holds oxygen scavenger sachets to reduce the level of oxygen inside the container, thus killing any insects present.
The ZerO2 is placed in an internal window inside the container and indicates with a green LED when the oxygen level is below 0.1 percent. A red LED indicates when the oxygen level is above 0.5 per cent.
Once treatment is complete, the artefact can be stored in the bag, protecting it from further environmental factors including light and UV damage.
Hanwell has also designed a radio logger version of ZerO2 Alert, which enables users to receive transmitted data directly to a PC, with an additional feature to measure temperature and humidity for storage purposes.
