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Part 1 In a digitization workflow, the assessment of the physical condition of each book is a critical step to determine whether its fragile pages can withstand the rigors of scanning without damage. However, for one book in the NLM collection, these considerations also had to be flipped. Aside from a random paper cut, what if the book itself could potentially harm the person scanning each page? Contained inside the binding of the rare but increasingly popular *Shadows from the Walls of Death: Facts and Inferences Prefacing a Book of Specimens of Arsenical Wall Papers *are 84 samples of wallpaper sheets colored with arsenical pigments. In appreciation of North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, this three-part series will provide a behind-the-scenes look at actions that were taken by NLM staff to safely scan this curious book (now available online) and the hazardous pigments contained inside. http://bit.ly/2GF3HUY http://bit.ly/2GF3HUY Part 2 Inside, approaching 9:00 a.m., I began to insert myself into a hooded DuPont *Tyvek® *hazmat suit, along with a dust mask and nitrile gloves, courtesy of Lieutenant Brian Czarnecki, MS, CSP, CIH, a U.S. Public Health Service Industrial Hygienist assigned to the NIH Division of Occupational Health & Safety, Office of Research Services. Brian was there to conduct safety analysis and sampling in order to assess and document the risk posed by handling and scanning the NLM copy of the rare book *Shadows from the Walls of Death: Facts and Inferences Prefacing a Book of Specimens of Arsenical Wall Papers *(now available online)*. * http://bit.ly/2LlHpLN http://bit.ly/2LlHpLN+ Part 3 And what is in store for the vibrant but virulent wallpaper sample book in the NLM collection? The book currently has a modern, non-original, cover which will be carefully removed. Then, the book will be separated into individual pages and each page will be enclosed in its own inert polyester sleeve. The book will then be reassembled in a post-binding format. The sleeves will not only protect the acidic, and therefore fragile, pages from mechanical damage but also protect future researchers from arsenic exposure by preventing direct contact with the wallpaper samples. As for occupational health concerns regarding arsenic exposure during the conservation treatment process, we’ll be wearing appropriate personal protective equipment as we do anytime hazardous substances are involved. http://bit.ly/2IFMD7z http://bit.ly/2IFMD7z+ -- Peterk Dallas, Tx [log in to unmask] Save our in-boxes! http://emailcharter.org “If only there were a massive entity that I were forced to fund to tell me how I should live my life, since I’m so obviously incapable of deciding for myself.” M. Hashimoto Contact the list owner for assistance at [log in to unmask] For information about joining, leaving and suspending mail (eg during a holiday) see the list website at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=archives-nra