Back in the Middle Ages, Church members had the terrible habit of putting poison on the pages of books considered dangerous under the ecclesiastical view. The conduct was revealed in Umberto Eco's novel, "The Name of the Rose", from 1980.
And isn't it that, in this century, Danish researchers found three manuscripts from the 16th and 17th centuries covered in arsenic? The material is one of the most toxic substances that exist and, depending on the amount, poisoning can cause death.
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The discovery happened by chance at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU). Jakob Holck and Kaare Lund Rasmussen were studying the pages of a biography of religious characters and two works of history, but they had difficulty due to a green covering.
Performing a laboratory test, the two verified that such coverage was arsenic. Luckily, the handling of the texts, probably belonging to the Catholic Church, was careful, so as not to intoxicate the researchers.
They believe that no one has come into contact with the bindings containing texts on Roman and canon law in recent years. After all, none of the three works were electronically cataloged and all were well stored.
The discovery by Holck and Rasmussen was reported by them in an article published in the academic journal “The Conversation”. In it, the two detailed that the pigment used on the covers is probably "Verde-Paris".
It is an emerald crystalline powder that is easily manufactured and widely used in past centuries. To give you an idea, Europe produced the element on a large scale to be sold as it had for paintings.
Therefore, it is possible that pieces exhibited in museums or books from ancient collections contain arsenic pigments, among other elements. In the case of the Danish works, the researchers believe that the reason for the pigmentation is not part of any plot.
The arsenic found was only contained in the covers of the books, therefore, the authors only intended to protect them from worms and insects. And they were right! The degree of toxicity of the element is so high that its effect does not end over the years.
After so many surprises, the three works were cataloged in the SDU library and, according to reports, readers are not at risk of poisoning. According to Holck, “they are kept in a ventilated cabinet and can only be touched with special gloves”.
Ventilation is necessary due to the risk that arsenic also presents when inhaled. Depending on the conditions, the element turns into a toxic gas that explains deaths recorded in the Victorian Era.
Among them, children in rooms covered with green wallpaper in the 19th century. What about currently researched works that may still contain arsenic? The mystery continues and researchers say there are no known statistics in this regard.
