Risk assessment - A tool to compare alternative courses of action for the conservation of iron-gall ink containing objects

A framework for the quantitative estimation of the risks associated with possible courses of action for the conservation of iron-gall ink-containing paper objects has been developed. It includes the identification of all possible undesired effects resulting from each course of action, followed by the estimation of the probability that a given undesired effect will occur, as well as of the loss of value it would lead to. Four alternative courses of action were considered in this study: 1) no action, 2) preventive conservation, 3) combined calcium phytate/calcium bicarbonate treatment and 4) paper splitting. Because the magnitude of risk closely depends on the condition of a particular object, it is suggested that risk assessment for entire collections should be preceded by dividing the collection into sub-groups of objects having similar condition. By quantifying the risks involved in different possible scenarios, a comparison among conservation alternatives may become more objective, and decision-making is likely to be based on a better informed judgement.