Portable device detects poisonous pigment in books
By 
Rebecca Trager2025-06-17T13:30:00
St Andrews librarians and physicists partner to create sensor that can detect the spectrum of toxic green colourant
Librarians and physicists at the University of St Andrews in the UK have developed a portable device that can quickly and cheaply detect the presence of toxic pigments in Victorian-era book bindings.
The researchers developed the detector to identify a bright green pigment known as ‘Emerald Green’ that may contain arsenic. Frequent handling of contaminated books can lead to health issues like eye, nose and throat irritation, and potentially more serious medical effects.