NCPTT

Soiling of limestone caused by air pollution has been studied at the Cathedral of Learning on the University of Pittsburgh campus. The Cathedral was constructed in the 1930s during a period of heavy pollution in Pittsburgh, PA.

The role of air pollutants in the soiling of a limestone building was investigated by measuring pollutant airborne concentrations and deposition at different heights at the Cathedral of Learning in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Air pollution has been responsible for increasing the rate of deterioration of many historically and culturally valuable monuments.

A calcium oxalate rock coating is ubiquitous on limestone surfaces inside dry rock shelters and under rock overhangs within the canyons of the southwestern Edwards Plateau in southwestern Texas.

Molly McGath, NCPTT summer intern, is studying interactions between air pollution and limestone treated with commonly used chemical stone strengtheners.

NCPTT will host four interns in its materials research program this summer: Molly McGath, Catherine Arseneaux, Candida D’Avanzo, and Paige Isaacs.