National Library News January/February 2000 Vol. 32, nos. 1-2

The National Library of Canada and Wei T’o Associates Win the 1999 Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award

On September 28, 1999, the National Library of Canada and Wei T’o Associates received the 1999 Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

The National Library and Wei T’o Associates were one of 11 individuals and organizations to receive this honour. The Stratospheric Ozone Protection Awards are intended to "recognize exceptional leadership, personal dedication and technical achievements in eliminating ozone-depleting substances (ODSs)". ¹ Ozone-depleting substances which contribute to destroying this thin layer of the stratosphere include chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), halons, carbon tetrachloride, methyl bromide and methyl chloroform. The Library’s mass deacidification program was recognized both for its testing and use of a non ozone-damaging solution developed by Wei T’o Associates to treat acidic materials and for significantly improving the rate of solvent recovery.

From left to right: Réal Couture, Manager of the Deacidification Section, National Library of Canada; Drusilla Hufford from the Environmental Protection Agency; Richard Smith, President of Wei T’o Associates Ltd.; Paul McCormick, Director General, Information Resource Management, National Library of Canada.

Mass deadicification has been part of a treatment program for the National Library’s collections since 1981. Until 1997, this program was part of the National Archives of Canada but, since its inception, has treated mostly materials from National Library collections. In 1997, formal responsibility for the program was transferred to the National Library. Some 950 000 items from the Library’s collections have been treated to date.

Prior to the advent of permanent paper and its widespread use in the 1990s, the paper used for publishing contained an acid which causes a slow deterioration, resulting in yellowing of paper, followed by brittleness. By introducing an alkaline buffer to acidic papers, the deterioration is arrested and the life of each publication is greatly extended. Mass deacidification contributes to the public good of ensuring the continued availability of a significant portion of Canada’s published heritage – a heritage that has been at risk of deterioration and, if left untreated, remains at risk.

Almost since the introduction of the mass treatment process for the Library’s collection materials, there have been changing and more demanding requirements to protect the ozone layer. By ratifying the Montreal Protocol, over 150 countries agreed to phase out the production of ozone-depleting substances. In 1992, the Protocol was revised to accelerate the elimination of CFCs, a formulation of which had previously been used for mass deacidification. HCFCs, which had been used in two different formulas for mass treatment, were targetted for elimination by 2010. As the citation given by the EPA indicates, various solutions were used to "improve quality and to reduce solvent emissions" ² into the atmosphere. Through the development and use of the latest formulation, a stable HFC-134a solution, the Library and Wei T’o Associates have been able to balance the sometimes conflicting requirements of protecting the ozone layer and extending the life of our published heritage.

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