Item of the month: Wool blanket

In connection with the replacement of our furniture exhibition, this blanket was taken to the conservation lab for inspection and documentation. There, attention is drawn to the fact that the blanket contains a hazardous substance!

Harmful substances in the home - no one wants that. But, in many cases, it can be there without us knowing it.

In the 1920s, wool products began to be impregnated to prevent moth infestation, using substances such as mitin, eulan or DDT. The use of toxic substances as impregnation peaked in the 1950s and 1960s, but mitin was banned as late as 1992. Impregnation was seen as a form of guarantee and that moth impregnation was equal to quality.

So, do you have an older rya mat or throw at home? Take a second look and see if you can find a label saying "mothproofed", "mothproofed" or "mothproofed for life". If so, contact your local recycling center as the material is now considered hazardous waste.