Archival storage

[Tony Duell]

> 
> > An interesting proposition.  Does plastic still out-gas even if it's
> > vacuum-packed?
> 
> Probably faster. I would think a helium environment would be better, but I
> am no chemist.

I would tend to agree. The lower the external pressure (e.g. by vacuum 
packing), the more likely things are to outgas.

The problem with helium is that the atom is so small that it will difuse 
though just about anything. This is a problem with some HeNe laser tubes 
which lose their helium over time. Perhaps one of the heavier intert 
gases would be suitable for packing plastics, but I am not sure it would 
do that much good.

-tony