ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT: Obviously, conservation refers to approaches extending the lifetime of a work of art. Preventive conservation implies, amongst many other aspects, the characterization of the atmospheric environment around monuments or Cultural Heritage (CH) items, with the intention to improve the conditions and to contribute to the preservation. While earlier, much interest was on e.g. sulphur dioxide (mostly from thermal power plants) and its effect on building stones, the focus has now shifted to the indoor environment and to atmospheric particles in, e.g., museums. One reason is that in general the levels of sulphur dioxide have been reduced significantly during the last three decades in developed countries.