Some Books Are Poisonous: How Touching Them Can Cause Cancer

Throughout history, books like “The Bible” and “The Satanic Verses” have been banned in various regions due to concerns about their content influencing society negatively. Interestingly, some books pose a literal hazard due to the toxic chemicals used in their production.

Researchers at Lipscomb University in the US discovered that brightly colored, cloth-bound books from the Victorian era onwards might contain harmful chemicals. The study highlights that these dyes could pose health risks to readers, collectors, or librarians due to chronic exposure to toxic substances like lead or chromium, which can cause serious health issues, including cancer, lung damage, or fertility problems.

The dangerous pigments on these book covers could transfer to hands or become airborne and inhaled. The findings of this study will be shared at the upcoming American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting.

Abigail Hoermann, a chemistry student involved in the study, and Joseph Weinstein-Webb, an assistant chemistry professor who conducted the research with his students, both remarked on the historical oversight in the use of such vibrant but hazardous dyes.

The research team examined fabric-covered books from the 19th and early 20th centuries housed in the university’s Beaman Library. They used advanced spectroscopic techniques such as XRF (X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy), ICP-OES (Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy), and XRD (X-ray diffraction) to detect and analyze the presence of toxic metals. These tests revealed the presence of lead and chromium in some books, including lead (II) chromate, a pigment also used by Vincent van Gogh in his sunflower paintings.

The concentration of these metals in some books exceeded the safety limits set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with lead more than double and chromium nearly six times over these limits. As a precaution, books found to contain these substances have been sealed in plastic bags or removed from public access.

The inspiration for this research was sparked by a discovery at the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library in Delaware, where copper acetoarsenite, an arsenic compound, was found in some 19th-century books.

This same green pigment was commonly used in Victorian-era wallpapers, garments, and book covers. This led to the initiation of the ‘Poison Book Project,’ a crowdsourced research effort that uses various imaging and chemical analysis techniques to identify toxic pigments in books worldwide. Researchers at Lipscomb University are looking forward to contributing their findings to this ongoing project.