In an age when pesticides and other toxins may be found on objects, art works, herbaria specimens, animal mounts, wall papers, and books, this collection is a welcome practical guide to identifying, testing for, and dealing with contamination on a range of items archived in museum collections.
This book provides updated information for thoughtful testing, analysis, and safe handling of artifacts. Special features include revised worksheets for performing basic tests, updated charts of scientific and historical information on known pesticides, data resources, and illustrations. A new section on pesticide mitigation and removal techniques is also offered. The guide is essential for people involved with the management of collections.

Nancy Odegaard PhD, FAIC, FIIC is Conservator Emerita at the Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona in Tucson. She holds a PhD in Resource, Environment, & Heritage Science from the University of Canberra; an M.A. in Museum Studies and Anthropology from George Washington University; an Advanced Certificate in Ethnographic and Archaeological Conservation from the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution; and a B.A. in Art History with a minor in Natural Sciences from the University of Redlands.


Alyce Sadongei (tribal affiliation: Kiowa/Tohono O'odham) has a career history of working with tribes on cultural topics. She is a graduate of Lewis & Clark University. Her area of expertise is tribal museums and cultural centers. She worked at the Smithsonian Institution's Office of Museum Programs where she developed a series of training workshops targeting tribes interested in starting or managing a museum. Later, she worked at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), Smithsonian Institution, where she laid the foundation for NMAI's training and internship program that targeted tribal individuals interested in museum work as a profession. After her time at the Smithsonian Institution, she worked at the Arizona State Museum (ASM), University of Arizona as the Assistant Curator for Native American Relations. She also worked as the program manager for the American Indian Language Development Institute at the University of Arizona. She is currently the executive director of Mission Garden in Tucson, Arizona. Located on ancestral lands of the Tohono O'odham Nation, Mission Garden reclaims agriculture traditions for the larger community. Her expertise in engaging and consulting with tribes has been used extensively for a variety of cultural organizations, commissions and boards.


Kate Compton-Gore is the NAGPRA and Repatriation Coordinator in the Department of Anthropology at Northern Arizona University and NAGPRA Specialist in the Department of Collections and Research at the Museum of Northern Arizona. She is a doctoral candidate (August 2024) in the Interdisciplinary Health Program at Northern Arizona University where she is focusing on NAGPRA policy, environmental health, and contaminated cultural items in museums. She holds an M.A. in Anthropology from Northern Arizona University, and a B.A. in Anthropology and Museum Studies from the University of Minnesota. She has completed professional training in collections care and management and is beginning an Advanced Certificate in Health Law. She is a Fellow with the National NAGPRA Program, under the National Park Service, and a member of the Steering Committee for the NAGPRA Community of Practice. Her expertise includes working with museums to document pesticide use on human remains and Native American cultural items, and in collections management and care.