Research on fungicides for aerial disinfection by thermal fogging in libraries and archives

When a fungal contamination occurs in archives or libraries, the disinfection of the contaminated documents must be generally supplemented by an aerial disinfection of the storerooms, once emptied of their contents. In France, for some years, thermal fogging with an alkyl dimethylbenzylammonium chloride solution has been employed successfully for the cleansing of the atmosphere contaminated by fungi. This fungicide is effective in inhibiting the spores suspended in the air but only has a weak action on those deposited on surfaces. The results of this study show that a solution of thiabendazole ((thiazolyl-4)-2 benzimidazole) applied at 10% by thermal fogging, at a rate of 5 mL/m3, makes it possible to obtain the effective sanitation of the atmosphere while acting on the spores deposited on surfaces. In addition to its effectiveness, this product has the double advantage of not depositing a fatty film on surfaces and not leaving an unpleasant odor in the treated buildings. At this concentration, thiabendazole does not damage paper and does not cause any visible degradation on painted surfaces and metal shelves.