Collections conservation practices and possibilities of contamination by hazardous pesticides : towards a non-pesticide approach of conserving organic collections at the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe

Abstract

The thesis focused on the investigation of pesticide contaminants on organic collections at the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe. Data collection methods used included XRF spectrometry, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Desktop Survey and interviews. Research findings indicated that the collections at the museum are contaminated with toxic pesticides from historical and current pest control measures used in the museum. The contaminants included heavy metal and organic pesticides.