Arsencial Books in the 19th Century Database

"Emerald green" is the name used to describe the compound copper acetoarsenite, an extremely toxic inorganic pigment that was widely used in home textiles, wallpaper, and bookcloth during the 19th century. W.D. Jordan Rare Books and Special Collections at Queen's University conducted portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (pXRF) on all suspected green 19th century books in its collection, identifying 26 books that contained emerald green. This database contains the identified books that were submitted to the larger Poison Book Project. As a result of the research, handling recommendations and a safety plan designed to minimize the risks associated with the long-term care of identified arsenical books was developed.