Damage caused by destructive insects to cellulose previously subjected to gamma-ray irradiation and artificial ageing

The aim of the present paper is to develop a new system that is able to kill insects and microscopic fungi responsible for the destruction of books and documents, using gamma radiation. The authors particularly wanted to verify if the increase of depolimerization of cellulose, that is accelerated by gamma radiation and is related to the absorbed dose, could make treated material more susceptible to attack by chewing insects. For the trials a cockroach (Periplaneta americana) was selected as the insect and Whatman paper selected as a source of pure cellulose. The phenomenon is particularly evident with doses higher than 10 kGy but this dosage is much higher than that necessary for a practical application in libraries and archives. Artificial ageing does not cause cellulose to become more susceptible to insects attack.