Italy museum says da Vinci writings gather no mold

[October 22, 2008]  MILAN, Italy (AP) -- Curators of Leonardo da Vinci's Codex Atlanticus said Tuesday that fears the collection of drawings and writings had been infiltrated by mold are groundless.

The Biblioteca Ambrosiana commissioned a microbiological analysis of the document after some scholars warned last year that the Codex had sprouted mold. The library said Tuesday that the study found black stains that seemed to be mold were in fact caused by mercury salts that had been added to protect the Codex from just such a "biological and microbiological onslaught."

The stains were detected not on the Codex itself, but on outer paper added as support in 1970-73.

[Associated Press]

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