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Ministry of Home Agriculture Economics and Food Branch Ontario KNIth unu Den-m Hurtile For further information contact your local county or (its no” Lorer Her-demon Mlnbw m'ct Home Economist of your nearest Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food office. Word from the Specialists Books and Pictures are Precious It is worth your effort to protect them! I if they are important enough to keep, it is equally im- portant to understand how best to protect them. While some paper such as newsprint is meant to last only a short while, others may remain intact for centuries. Here are a few inexpensive but important things to remember for safeguarding your books and pictures, especially rare ones. Even the best quality of paper will not stand up to abuse. Factors which affect paper are mainly environmental condi- tions, insects and man. Paper items should be kept in a dry environment, as humid conditions can cause mold to grow. This usually shows up as dull rusty spots. The problem of mold can be temporarily cured by exposing the paper to a fungicide in a closed container. However, if the same humid conditions are present after treatment, the mold may return. To mini- mize this, use a dehumidifier if necessary. Or better still, move your books to a less humid area. Lack of air circulation can also cause mustiness and mold. Where books are stored in boxes, pictures hung on walls or the house has been closed for some time. open everything to air periodically. To improve the air circula- tion around a picture place a piece of cork or wood along the lower back edge of the frame, to create a gap between the wall and picture. Light not only damages paper, but affects mgsand paintings too. If windows aren’t covered wit’ rcer cur- tains or blinds, avoid placing bookcases and pr. -_ on op. posite walls to avoid direct sunlight. Keep areas around books and papers cleu' not the backings on pictures for proper seal. Dirt and a llutants can cause paper to discolor, become brittle an wntudlv disintegrate. For these same reasons, pictures 5-‘ incl tie hung above working fireplaces where they r attract soot and other residues from the fire. Insects that feed on the various compono. rt :1 er like dark, warm and damp areas. With the 1311 .sleiining routine, and insecticides if necessary, the in-- rotten can be avoided. Always follow instructions Ca i} when using insecticides. Lastly, man can damage paper by improg smiling. Only the edges of paper should be touched ii clean hands. When viewing unframed pictures, like cal: or pastels, don’t drag anything across their surfact When placing a mat around a picture, use 1h grade cellulose, one of cotton fibers. It helps pry brown ll hat is the difference The question has been often asked, what are nitrates and nitrites? They are naturally occuring substances found in the soil and in plants. They can also be manufactured for use in our food. Since 1975, nitrates are rarely used. Nitrities â€" used as a preservative â€" are severely restricted. A maximum of up to 200 parts per million (ppm) are allowed in some cured meats, while only 150 ppm are allowed in bacon. To put that into perspective, consider 1 ppm is about 1/32 oz. in one ton of food; 200 ppm would be approxi- mately 3/4 cup in the same ton of food. Nitrates can react to form nitrites which under certain circumstances (such as high heat) can further react with naturally occuring amines in food to form nitrosamines. These nitrosamines have been known to cause cancerous growths in laboratory animals, but not necessarily in man. Because no one has all the answers, research is still going on in this matter. 6 stains on the paper. Wood products are ac ind can damage paper also. With these few precautions in mind, books pictures may be enjoyed for many years. In spite of all the controversy, scientists hm = t0 PTO" duce an appropriate substitute. It has been 65 M that some 700 compounds have been tried but no we hit“ as effective as nitrite in cured meats. Nitrite does three main things: It is used as a preservative, so retards spoilage. d mm“ can be kept â€" refrigerated A 3 weeks rather ' . 3 days- This helps keep the cost down too.r It also gives the flavor and “pink” color tradit‘ lily asso- ciated with cured meats. . Most importantly it helps prevent the growth 0‘ "WWW micro-organism known as clostridium botulinurr- ‘ rtiCh P‘D‘ duces a deadly toxin. The toxin, if eaten, attacks the nervous 8Y5“ 9‘0 Symp- toms of double vision, extreme tiredness, dim” “ in [81k ing, breathing, precede death. . So you Can see the possible risk of cancer on1 9315’“ [he very real danger of botulism.