An AHP-based indoor Air Pollution Risk Index Method for cultural heritage collections

Abstract The identification of risk factors and levels for cultural heritage collections in museums, archives, and libraries is an important part of their risk management plans. Air pollutants are some of the most important risk factors, and their synergic impacts on material deformations are well known; thus, they have become important criteria in collection risk management plans. Pollution levels and their potential sources should be identified, monitored, and assessed within such risk management plans. Although pollution identification and monitoring methods are well-known practices, the assessment methodologies are not yet sufficiently developed. In this study, a novel air pollution condition indexing assessment method based on an analytical hierarchy process (AHP), the so-called Air Quality Risk Condition Index (AQRCI), is suggested. It quantifies the relative potential synergic impacts (e.g., soiling and color change, salt crystallization, metal corrosion, biodegradation, swelling/shrinkage, loss of strength, cracking, and embrittlement) of measured pollution levels on collection materials in any selected location. The proposed method is based on quantitative (gaseous and particulate pollutant levels) and qualitative (pairwise comparison scores for associated risks) data. Dolmabahce Palace was selected as a study site, and the proposed AQRCI method was used to present the relative risk levels for five different categories in several indoor locations where the Dolmabahce Palace collections are being presented.