Air quality reports cast doubt on Sioux Falls closure of Delbridge Museum

Arsenic - cited in August decision to shutter taxidermic animal exhibit - poses no airborne risk, work group learns

Arsenic in taxidermic displays at a natural history museum in Sioux Falls does not pose an airborne risk of exposure.

That’s according to members of a workgroup — tasked by Mayor Paul TenHaken to determine the fate of the Great Plains Zoo and Delbridge Museum’s 170-species exhibit of exotic, rare and aging pieces, who Wednesday received findings of air quality assessments recently conducted at the museum that’s been shuttered since last summer.

“Consultants were in town and that report will come in April,” Councilor Rich Merkouris told The Dakota Scout this week, referring to work done under a contract with A.M. Art Conservation, hired by the Brockhouse Collection at Delbridge Museum Work Group to analyze the collection, determine the cost of restoration and assess the historical significance of each piece.

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