Author Topic: The term "ACID FREE" - Be aware!  (Read 6842 times)

Offline PrueM

  • RootsChat Honorary
  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • *******
  • Posts: 12,637
  • Please don't try to PM me :)
    • View Profile
The term "ACID FREE" - Be aware!
« on: Friday 30 December 11 22:17 GMT (UK) »
The term "ACID FREE" is not a reliable indicator of long-term stability. This is why:  the term is not a regulated one.  Anyone can say that anything is "acid free" and it is not checked by any regulating body. 

All the term "acid free" means in a reliable sense is that the product, when it left the manufacturer, was not of an acidic pH (i.e. below 7).  It does not mean that the product will not develop acidity as time goes by.  It is entirely possible that something called "acid free" will become acidic as it ages, due to what it is made from.

It's particularly frustrating when it is applied to plastics, where acidity is often not the concern.  The old standard PVC (polyvinyl chloride) releases chlorides and plasticisers which discolour and damage things like photos in their vicinity.  Acetates do release acid as they age, but again it's the plasticisers that are released as it ages that are the problem.

"Photo safe" is not a regulated term either, but it can be a better indicator of archival quality.

However, if the item has passed the Photographic Activity Test (PAT) then it has been tested by an accredited facility and is certified safe to use as packaging or housing for photographic (and other) materials.

I hear the acid free thing all the time in my job as a paper and photograph conservator, and it irks me that it can be used by disreputable firms to mislead customers into thinking they are buying an appropriate product.

Offline giraffe

  • RootsChat Senior
  • ****
  • Posts: 414
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.natio
    • View Profile
Re: The term "ACID FREE" - Be aware!
« Reply #1 on: Friday 30 December 11 22:56 GMT (UK) »
Thanks for the advice Pru, do legal restrictions apply to the term 'Archival Quality' too?
giraffe
PRICE Edward (c.1860)  Harry PRICE (1891) Frank PRICE (c.1897), Arthur PRICE (1884). Compton, Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire.
GARFIELD, Edgbaston and Wolverhampton
JOHNSON, Wolverhampton and Bilston
ATKINS, Wolverhamptonand Bilston

Offline PrueM

  • RootsChat Honorary
  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • *******
  • Posts: 12,637
  • Please don't try to PM me :)
    • View Profile
Re: The term "ACID FREE" - Be aware!
« Reply #2 on: Saturday 31 December 11 06:25 GMT (UK) »
Hi giraffe :)

Good question.  As far as I'm aware, "Archival Quality" is also an unregulated term, but is more reliable than "Acid Free".

I found the following information which may help:
Quote
Archival paper is an especially permanent, durable acid-free paper. Archival paper is meant to be used for publications of high legal, historical, or significant value. In the USA, such paper must also be approved in accordance with the ANSI standards. The international standard for "permanent" paper is ISO 9706 and for "archival" paper, the standard is ISO 11108.

Often, cotton rag paper is used for archival purposes, as it is not made from wood-based pulp. Thus, archival paper is sometimes broken down into two categories:

    Conservation-grade — acid-free, buffered paper made from wood-based pulp.
    Archival-grade (also Museum-grade) — cotton rag paper made from cotton pulp.

So as well as looking for materials which have passed the Photographic Activity Test (PAT), the ISO standards 9706 and 11108 can also be used to determine the permanence or archival quality of a material.

The National Archives of Australia runs an Archival Quality Testing Program which gives a permanence rating to various paper and board products.  A register of these products is available from a link at the bottom of this page:
http://www.naa.gov.au/records-management/agency/preserve/physical-preservation/archival-quality-paper-products.aspx

Hope that helps :)

Cheers
Prue

Offline giraffe

  • RootsChat Senior
  • ****
  • Posts: 414
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.natio
    • View Profile
Re: The term "ACID FREE" - Be aware!
« Reply #3 on: Saturday 31 December 11 22:56 GMT (UK) »
Thanks for that information Prue. I had a set of 'archival quality' boxes as a present about 2 years ago, and have been storing my 'special' documents in them, so you have set my mind at rest, thank you.
giraffe
PRICE Edward (c.1860)  Harry PRICE (1891) Frank PRICE (c.1897), Arthur PRICE (1884). Compton, Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire.
GARFIELD, Edgbaston and Wolverhampton
JOHNSON, Wolverhampton and Bilston
ATKINS, Wolverhamptonand Bilston