Table 1.

Methodologies for eradication of degradative agents of stone works.

Method	Advantages	Disadvantages	References
PHYSICAL METHODS
UV, Gamma, X irradiation	Simple, high penetration of gamma and X, effective on insects, UV effective on microbes	Application in movable or small scale objects, poor penetration of UV	Warscheid and Braams, 2000; Salvadori, 2003
Mechanical removal of biological material by hand or tool	Traditional and widely used	Short lived results, only superficial mycelium removed, microbes redevelop, damage stone	Dakal and Cameotra, 2012
Low pressure water rinsing/ steam cleansing	Effective for removal of algae, mosses, lichens, no health hazards	Water retained in pores likely to favor microbial growth	Kumar and Kumar, 1999
CHEMICAL METHODS
Nongaseous biocides	Broad and narrow spectrum	Health hazards, unwanted side effects, inadequate timing of application	Kumar and Kumar, 1999; Salvadori, 2003; Cappitelli and Sorlini, 2005
Fumigation	Highly and rapidly effective in fungi and insects, organic materials	Very toxic gases (often carcinogenic)	Kumar and Kumar, 1999; Warscheid and Braams, 2000; Salvadori, 2003
Anoxic atmosphere	Fungi are susceptible to oxygen depletion	Long exposure period, expensive equipment	Gu, 2003; Salvadori, 2003