That Funky Fungus...

I get lots of people who ask about those little white and black spots on their dolls and miniatures. I've asked Nick Hill, a chemist who has researched and come up with products for cleaning and restoring dolls about this problem. This is a copy of what he sent for my Strawberryland Gazette Newsletter back in May 1997:


"Question: 'Why are my PVC miniatures sticky or have black/white spots?' & 'Are they contagious?'
Answer:
Before we get to the answer I'd like to introduce Nicholas J. Hill, a chemist who writes for Doll Reader Magazine and has developed special products to care for dolls and action figures (Formula 9-1-1, Remove-Zit, etc.) I've asked Nick to answer this perplexing problem and what to do about it..
Nick writes..
PVC or polyvinyl chloride is made flexible by the addition of a liquid called a plasticizer. while there are more than 800 different plasticizers in 45 chemical families most of them look like white corn syrup. Over time in some less than optimun formulations some of the plasticizer migrates or moves to the surface of the plastic. The sticky material on the surface of the plastic is migrated plasticizer It can be removed with Formula 9-1-1, but you should know that the migration will continue and at some time in the future the doll surface will have to be cleaned again.
Plasticizer in PVC is good food for micorooorganisms like bacteria and fungi. Fungi derive their color from chlorophyll and from ingredients into the vinyl. The black dots are the roots of fungal organisms. In order for the microbes to grow there must be food (plasticizer) and moisture (humidity). Whenever the humidity level rises about 70% the organisms will grow. When the humdity drops below 70% they will stop growing and wait for happier times!
The white dots are baby fungus. Before they mature to the point of developing chlorophyll (color) the organisms are white. A new colony is called a mycelial mat. Since the organisms are ubiquitious is appears that the spots are contagious. In fact if the conditions are right and a nutrient source is available, growth would take place no matter how many dolls are in a given location. Given that, I would not say that the microbial attack is the result of a contagious phemomenon.
The good news about the black dots is that they can always be removed with REMOVE-ZIT. The bad news is that if the dots appear in a painted area the paint will be removed.
You can prevent the growth of fungi by keeping the enviroment in the area of the dolls below 70% and by keeping the dolls clean, that is remove migrated plasticizer. "

I also emailed Nick Hill recently about this and this is another explanation he gave me:
It is important to let the doll collecting community know that there is no such thing as VDS (vinyl deterioration syndrome). We might also state that there is also no RSC (rotten shower curtain syndrome) and no SFRD (spoiled food in the refrigerator syndrome). Fungal spots on a doll or a shower curtain or on food occur only because the humidity went above seventy percent and because the substrate (doll, shower curtain, food) contained elements that would support microbial life e.g., carbon, nitrogen and oxygen. Microbial growth is a surface phenomenon. That is, fungi and bacteria grow on a surface...a susceptible surface. Again it means only that the humidity was high and there was food (nutrient substrate) so there was growth. A doll that is supporting fungal growth can be cleaned and restored. If the doll is again subjected to high humidity new growth will begin again. If a doll that has fungal spots is taken into a room with other dolls the other dolls will not automatically begin to grow fungi. If the humidity goes above seventy percent and a doll is susceptible (i.e., contains elements like carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, etc.) fungi will grow whether a fungus laden doll is present or not. With that in mind there is no contagion. There are millions of fungal spores in the air we breathe. We know of 80,000 species and they are all floating around looking for a susceptible surface to sustain their life. If the humidity goes above seventy percent there will be a hit whether it is a doll or a vinyl shower curtain. On the other hand if a doll is clean and dry (humidity below seventy percent) there will not be a fungal problem. The subject of microbial attack (and every other vinyl doll problem) is thoroughly covered in my new book "The Definitive Book on the Care and Preservation of Vinyl Dolls and Action Figures". We will have the book available by the end of October. Best regards, Nick hill

For anymore info or a question about Nick Hills products visit his website at:
Twin Pines of Maine, Inc.

I personally have tried some of Nick's products & was pleased. I've not used the REMOVE-ZIT, just because I'm too lazy to clean and the spots in question were on the painted face area of a doll. And therefore I have just had to throw those dolls away. But I've not encountered a case of contagious dolls in all the things that I buy. (like a bag of minis kept in an attic for 10 years and only a few are spotted). So Happy Cleaning to all!

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