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Feb. 25 Microbiology Serves Restoration: The National Institute of Cultural Monuments was founded 20 years ago in Bulgaria. One of the main tasks of the institute is the preservation of the rich Bulgarian cultural inheritance -valuable works of pictorial and monumental arts, left by known and unknown masters. During the last years the specialists use biology in the conservation work more and more since the light, the ozone and the substances polluting the air take part in the chemical processes destroying the ancient objects. After careful research work the specialists found out that there were other destroying factors, invisible to the naked eye, which, helped by constant humidity, cause serious damages, sometimes irreparable. Those are microorganisms -bacteria, microscopic fungi, duck-weed and lichens. In the year-long experimental work of the institute different home-made and imported chemical substances were used. The work with them, however, should be very careful because not all fungicide substance are harmless for the wall-paintings. Their composition should correspond to the components used in the conservation work. Taking into consideration the rich experience of their Soviet colleagues, the specialists from the institute used some salts, synthesized in the institute. Photo shows Aneta Georgieva-Slavova is microbiologist-restorer. She was among the founders in 1967 of microbiology laboratory at the institute. The lab tests the damages caused by biological factors and research work is being done to find out the most effective means against the microorganisms, destroying the cultural monuments

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Aneta Bacteria Biological Biology Bulgarian Careful Cause Caused Chemical Colleagues Composition Conservation Consideration Constant Correspond Damages Destroying Done Effective Experience Experimental Factors Founders Fungi Harmless Helped Home-made However Humidity Imported Inheritance Invisible Lichens Masters Means Microbiology Microorganisms Microscopic Monumental Ozone Pictorial Polluting Preservation Processes Salts Serves Sometimes Specialists Substance Substances Synthesized Tasks Tests Year-long

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