Study on Conservation Aspects Using LED Technology for Museum Lighting

The use of LEDs in museums is becoming more and more frequent. Benefits are claimed in terms of lighting quality, conservation and maintenance. Nonetheless the impact of LED light on collections preservation is not yet completely explored. The goal of this study was to evaluate, through exposure tests, the colour degradation and fading produced by LED: several white LEDs, with different colour temperature, and a traditional halogen lamp, were used to light up light-responsive samples. The results stressed the importance of the spectral distribution with respect to effective wavelengths in causing colour degradation, and in general white LEDs resulted more suitable, in terms of fading prevention, than traditional halogen light sources.