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Biological Pests
What damage do moulds cause?
Damage caused by mould attack can be devastating. Moulds digest and break down the materials they feed on. In the process, paper, textiles and wood become weak and eventually crumble away, and pages of books become mashed together as digestive enzymes attack many layers of paper at once.
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| The lighter area in this photograph is an area of dry rot in a canoe.
Photograph courtesy of the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
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| This is from a book which suffered severe mould attack. This page was completely stuck to the ones below it. The paper has no strength left at all, and suffered damage as the pages were separated.
Photograph courtesy of Artlab Australia
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These digestive enzymes produce acids that attack materials which are not normally susceptible to mould growth, for example, stone and metals.
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Mould growth can produce bright stains.
Photograph courtesy of Artlab Australia
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They also produce coloured materials which stain wood, paper and textiles.
These stains can be extremely difficult to remove, because they are often insoluble. Even when they are soluble, the stained material is often too weak to treat. If these enzymes attack photographic gelatine, they destroy the photographs.
| CAUTION: |
| Don't try cleaning mould off a photograph—you may take the photograph with it. |
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This document suffered severe mould attack and the paper became very weak and crumbly.
Photograph courtesy of Artlab Australia
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Structural elements attacked by mould crumble away, leaving other parts of objects under considerable physical stress.
Mould can produce toxic chemicals which can cause allergies and illness.
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