Cultural heritage—which includes artworks, historical documents, and all valuable cultural materials—is constantly threatened by decay agents that can accelerate its deterioration. Often, these agents act in combination, exponentially increasing the risks for collections housed in institutions such as galleries, libraries, archives, and museums.
But how can we protect our heritage and reduce these risks?
The first step is understanding the agents of deterioration and knowing how to communicate risks effectively. Without clear communication, a risk might not be perceived correctly, and preventive actions could prove insufficient.
In this article, we will explore:
- The main decay agents identified by ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property).
- Techniques for communicating risks clearly and understandably to all staff and stakeholders involved.
- How collective awareness can reduce risks to cultural heritage.
The 10 Agents of Deterioration and Loss
What threatens Cultural Heritage?
In its “Guide to Risk Management,” ICCROM identified 10 major agents that contribute to the deterioration and loss of cultural heritage.
1. Physical Forces
Physical forces can stem from natural events, such as earthquakes, winds, and erosion, or from human activities, such as improper handling, inadequate transport, construction work, or traffic.
Consequences: breakages, tears, cracks, abrasions, and, in the most severe cases, the total destruction of objects.
2. Criminals: Theft, Vandalism, and Targeted Attacks
Cultural heritage is often a victim of theft, acts of vandalism, or attacks of a political or ideological nature. If not managed, these risks can lead to the permanent loss of priceless works.
Consequences: from defacement to the complete disappearance of assets.
3. Fire
Historic buildings are particularly vulnerable to fires, which can be caused by faulty electrical systems, construction work, lightning, or wildfires.
Consequences: total or partial destruction, heat-induced warping, and soot accumulation on surfaces.
4. Water
Water is one of the leading causes of deterioration and can come from multiple sources: floods, heavy rains, plumbing leaks, or inadequate cleaning procedures. Even Fire Brigade interventions to extinguish a fire can cause water damage to collections.
Consequences: discoloration, corrosion, warping, dissolution, and mold growth.
5. Pests: Insects, Rodents, and Other Biological Agents
Objects made of organic materials (such as wood, paper, and textiles) are attractive to insects, rodents, and birds, especially in the absence of proper cleaning and maintenance measures.
Consequences: perforations, stains, material weakening, and loss of parts of the object.
6. Pollutants
In large cities or near industrial hubs, pollutants can penetrate storage and display environments, accelerating the deterioration of collections. Visitors also introduce harmful particles into indoor environments.
Consequences: discoloration, corrosion, and weakening of materials.
7. Light and UV Rays
Incorrect lighting management, especially without UV filters, can cause significant damage to exhibited works.
Consequences: color fading, yellowing, and disintegration of organic materials.
8. Temperature
Extreme temperature variations, caused by climate or malfunctioning HVAC systems, can accelerate the aging of materials.
Consequences: deformation, dehydration, and increased fragility of materials.
9. Relative Humidity
Excessive or too low humidity levels can compromise the integrity of objects, promoting mold growth or causing cracks and warping.
Consequences: proliferation of fungi and mold, structural breakage, and weakening.
10. Dissociation
Dissociation occurs when the connection between an object and its documentation is lost. This risk can result from incorrect cataloging, digital obsolescence, or the retirement of key personnel.
Consequences: loss of objects or their historical and symbolic value.
Increased Incidence of Deterioration Agents
The threat of deterioration agents is exacerbated by a global phenomenon: climate change. Extreme weather conditions multiply the risks to cultural heritage, exposing buildings, artworks, and archaeological sites to multiple threats.
Common hazards include rising summer temperatures, excessively warm or cold winters, and variations in precipitation that trigger floods, droughts, storms, and high winds. Furthermore, phenomena such as ocean acidification, coastal erosion, repeated freeze-thaw cycles, wildfires, and biological infestation compromise the stability of materials like stone and brick, causing cracks and structural damage. These impacts can destabilize buildings, damage archaeological sites, and threaten collections.
The challenge of climate change makes the need for preventive conservation measures and risk awareness even more urgent. The statistics reported in the 2022 “White Paper commissioned by ICOMOS” are alarming: 24% of the sites threatened by the climate crisis are located in Europe. Out of 89 at-risk sites worldwide, 21 are in the European continent and require urgent safeguarding.
Communicating Risk: A Fundamental Strategy
Risk communication is a cornerstone of cultural heritage prevention and protection. It is not enough to know the dangers; all personnel—from restorers to curators—and even the public must be aware of the risks and their impact.
Effective communication:
- Increases awareness: more informed people means less risk to heritage.
- Facilitates preventive actions: if staff know the risks, they can act to reduce them before they materialize.
- Improves emergency management: in critical situations, good communication helps in making quick and effective decisions.
ICCROM suggests using “risk summary statements.” These are synthetic, clear, and concise phrases to describe a risk, which must contain 3 elements:
- The decay agent: water leaks, direct light…
- The expected effect: color fading, mold formation…
- The affected part of the asset: works exhibited in the main hall, documents stored in the warehouse…
Examples of communication:
- “Sunlight entering through the exhibition hall windows could cause fading of the displayed costumes.”
- “Excessive visitor traffic on the unprotected mosaic floor of the archaeological site could cause abrasion, detachment, and loss of tiles.”
- “The malfunction of the digital archiving system, which holds the only copy of the museum inventory, could lead to an irreversible loss of information.”
These statements allow for a better understanding of potential consequences and enable timely action to prevent them.
Cultural heritage represents our history, identity, and collective memory. Protecting it requires a joint commitment based on two fundamental pillars: risk awareness and effective communication.
The key to success lies in building a “risk culture,” where everyone who works in or visits museums, archives, libraries, and galleries becomes an active participant in heritage protection. The more people are informed, the lower the risks for both people and collections.
