TIL about the Poison Book Project
It doesn't surprise me though. Emerald green, also known as Schweinfurter, Paris, or Vienna green, is highly toxic due to its chemical makeup:
Cu(C₂H₃O₂)₂·3Cu(AsO₂)₂ - copper (II) acetate triarsenite
Invented in 1814, they even used this pigment to dye candy wrappers in those days.
The Paris institution identified the offending copies after US researchers discovered publishers in the #VictorianEra had used the chemical (arsenic) to colour #BookBindings.
The arsenic-containing green pigments were called Paris green, emerald green or Scheele’s green after a German-born chemist. #PoisonBookProject #Libraries
French #NationalLibrary quarantines books believed to be laced with #arsenic | #France
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/25/french-national-library-quarantines-books-believed-to-be-laced-with-arsenic
@dzshuniper
FWIW here is the other poison book project page: http://wiki.winterthur.org/wiki/Poison_Book_Project
Interesting stuff, I knew about the problems in wallpaper but I had never considered books!
#PoisonBookProject
#BiblioToxicology
