About ICP Materials

The International Co-operative Programme on Effects on Materials, including Historic and Cultural Monuments (ICP Materials) started in 1985. It was initiated in order to provide a scientific basis for new protocols and regulations developed within the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution. The aims are to: 

• Perform a quantitative evaluation of the effects of multi-pollutants such as S and N compounds, O3 and particles as well as climate parameters on the atmospheric corrosion and soiling of important materials, including materials used in objects of cultural heritage;
• Describe and evaluate long-term corrosion and soiling trends attributable to atmospheric pollution in order to elucidate the environmental effects of pollutant reductions achieved under the Convention and in order to identify extraordinary environmental changes that result in unpredicted materials damage;
• Use the results for mapping areas with increased risk of corrosion and soiling, and for calculation of cost of damage caused by deterioration of materials.

Objectives
In order to achieve the aims several long-term objectives have been formulated. The primary objective is to collect information on corrosion, soiling and environmental data in order to evaluate dose/response functions and trend effects. Therefore it is necessary to

• Maintain and develop an international network of atmospheric corrosion test sites; 
• Evaluate corrosion attack and soiling on materials exposed in the network of test sites; 
• Collect data on environmental parameters close to the test sites.

The developed dose/response functions has several uses including calculation of acceptable corrosion rates and pollution levels, mapping areas of increase risk of corrosion and calculation of corrosion costs attributable to atmospheric pollution. In order to facilitate the use ICP Materials should

• Develop the acceptable levels approach for materials in order to assess threshold levels of pollutants;
• Develop and establish clear procedures for mapping areas with elevated risk of corrosion in order to facilitate comparisons of maps produced by different institutes or organisations and for different countries;
• Develop and establish clear procedures for performing inventories of stock of materials at risk in order to facilitate comparisons of corrosion costs calculated by different institutes or organisations and for different countries.