French national library quarantines books believed to be laced with arsenic

[AlexB23]

So many of us have probably gotten tired of news about wars, so let's discuss books. A French library found out that some books in the collection, specifically a few from the 1800s were laced with arsenic, a toxic metalloid (partial metal with nonmetal properties, arsenic Wiki Link). Who knew that reading can be sometimes be deadly (being facetious here). Article link: French national library quarantines books believed to be laced with arsenic


Short summary of the open-access article by The Guardian (<20% in length, for fair usage reasons):

The French National Library in Paris has removed four 19th-century books from its shelves due to concerns that their emerald green covers may contain arsenic. The library plans to send these books to an external laboratory for further analysis, following the discovery by US researchers that publishers in the Victorian era used arsenic to color book bindings. The Poison Book Project at the University of Delaware has identified over 200 potentially dangerous volumes containing arsenic-laced green pigments, and four such books were found in the National Library of France's collection. The World Health Organization advises against long-term exposure to arsenic through water and food, but there is no mention of contact with objects containing it. The Poison Book Project cautions that handling arsenic-laced green bindings could pose a health risk to library staff and researchers. (Author: Agence France-Presse, Publishing Date: April 25, 2024)

 

[public hermit]

If I die by book, I die well.

 

[AlexB23]

If I die by book, I die well.

Amen brother. And hey, it is only books from long ago that had this arsenic issue. I like books, mostly ones from prior to the mid-2010s.

 

[public hermit]

Amen brother. And hey, it is only books from long ago that had this arsenic issue. I like books, mostly ones from prior to the mid-2010s.

I'm currently reading Gertrude of Helfta's The Herald of Divine Love. I hope it kills me (w/love for God). Obviously, it's a newer print, but one can hope.

 

[AlexB23]

I'm currently reading Gertrude of Helfta's The Herald of Divine Love. I hope it kills me (w/love for God). Obviously, it's a newer print, but one can hope.

Yeah, newer prints are good. I am reading Greg Bear - Darwin's Radio, a 1999 sci-fi book, but in audio book format, so I can listen to it when having breakfast in the morning. Don't want to get food on the pages.

 

[Lazy and Tired]

This reminds me of a 1983 movie called The Name of the Rose. It takes place in the 14th century and starred Sean Connery. He played a priest sent to solve several mysterious deaths at an abbey. At the end of the movie, it is revealed the deaths were murder. The victims were killed by poisoned ink in a book.

 

[AlexB23]

This reminds me of a 1983 movie called The Name of the Rose. It takes place in the 14th century and starred Sean Connery. He played a priest sent to solve several mysterious deaths at an abbey. At the end of the movie, it is revealed the deaths were murder. The victims were killed by poisoned ink in a book.

Interesting stuff. I like classic movies, so I will add it to my list. The library near me has DVDs that I can place holds online for, and borrow for free.

 

[FireDragon76]

This reminds me of a 1983 movie called The Name of the Rose. It takes place in the 14th century and starred Sean Connery. He played a priest sent to solve several mysterious deaths at an abbey. At the end of the movie, it is revealed the deaths were murder. The victims were killed by poisoned ink in a book.

Close. An old monk who hated the notion that Aristotle wrote a treatise on laughter, put invisible poison on the edges of the pages.

The book is really about the conflict between the ancient world and science that took place in the middle ages. The protagonist, Brother William, being a Franciscan, favors scientific thought, whereas most of the monks just ascribe the murder to the Devil.

 

[Pommer]

Close. An old monk who hated the notion that Aristotle wrote a treatise on laughter, put invisible poison on the edges of the pages.

The book is really about the conflict between the ancient world and science that took place in the middle ages. The protagonist, Brother William, being a Franciscan, favors scientific thought, whereas most of the monks just ascribe the murder to the Devil.

I enjoyed the historical culinary tidbit in TNOTR: someone had to stir the ox-blood to keep it from coagulating and getting “the solids” out, before being used in cooking.

 

[DaisyDay]

More about arsenic than books, but the element apparently makes quite an attractive pigment green.

 

[AlexB23]

More about arsenic than books, but the element apparently makes quite an attractive pigment green.

Yes, arsenic gives a green color to things, hence why it was used somewhat in the Victorian era. At least we do not use it in pigments anymore. Nowadays, arsenic is sometimes used in semiconductors: Gallium Arsenide: Another Player in Semiconductor Technology - News

 

[Diamond72]

their emerald green covers may contain arsenic.

I am sure it is a very small amount. We find this in food where they may find a millionth part of something. So small as not to cause anyone any problems but people still get upset about it. Even they can measure in the trillionths.

• Particle Decay: New particles decay after only trillionths of a second1.
• Weight Measurement: Samples can be measured in trillionths of a gram1.
• Time Scales: Our knowledge allows us to push back in time to barely a trillionth of a second after the universe began1.
• Concentration: In water quality, a part per trillion (ppt) represents how much contaminant there is in a given volume of water. It’s an extremely low concentration2.

 

[AlexB23]

I am sure it is a very small amount. We find this in food where they may find a millionth part of something. So small as not to cause anyone any problems but people still get upset about it. Even they can measure in the trillionths.

• Particle Decay: New particles decay after only trillionths of a second1.
• Weight Measurement: Samples can be measured in trillionths of a gram1.
• Time Scales: Our knowledge allows us to push back in time to barely a trillionth of a second after the universe began1.
• Concentration: In water quality, a part per trillion (ppt) represents how much contaminant there is in a given volume of water. It’s an extremely low concentration2.

Umm, this is an old post. God bless, though. Thanks for the info.

 

[Diamond72]

And hey, it is only books from long ago that had this arsenic issue.

Usually the older books they require you to wear gloves because the oil from your skin can damage the book. I remember when we use to sell beanie babies we would cover them in plastic because they would become very dirty very fast if people handle them.

Now they make digital copies and people are not allowed to handle the original. I even heard that at first people used regular scotch tape on the dead sea scrolls. Perhaps before they understood how ancient they are. A lot more people get to study even the most fragile of the scrolls because they study a digital copy of them.

 

[AlexB23]

Usually the older books they require you to wear gloves because the oil from your skin can damage the book. I remember when we use to sell beanie babies we would cover them in plastic because they would become very dirty very fast if people handle them.

Now they make digital copies and people are not allowed to handle the original. I even heard that at first people used regular scotch tape on the dead sea scrolls. Perhaps before they understood how ancient they are. A lot more people get to study even the most fragile of the scrolls because they study a digital copy of them.
View attachment 349914

Interesting.

 

[Diamond72]

Umm, this is an old post. God bless, though. Thanks for the info.

Oh, ok. It came up because I was doing a search on books because I wrote a post about every book in the world.

 

[AlexB23]

Oh, ok. It came up because I was doing a search on books because I wrote a post about every book in the world.

Cool, that is alright. I do not like reviving old posts that much. But, God bless. It is getting late here.

 

[The Liturgist]

Close. An old monk who hated the notion that Aristotle wrote a treatise on laughter, put invisible poison on the edges of the pages.

The book is really about the conflict between the ancient world and science that took place in the middle ages. The protagonist, Brother William, being a Franciscan, favors scientific thought, whereas most of the monks just ascribe the murder to the Devil.

The whole film was just a slander against Benedictine monks, Dominican friars and even to some extent Franciscan friars (insofar as it misrepresented what they were about).