![evidence stacks up for poisonous books containing toxic dyes](https://utterbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/evidence-stacks-up-for-poisonous-books-containing-toxic-dyes-640x427.jpg)
Some of the attractive hues of brightly colored, cloth-bound books from the Victorian era come from dyes that could pose a health risk to readers, collectors or librarians. The latest research on these ‘poison books’ used three techniques — including one that hasn’t previously been applied to books — to assess dangerous dyes in a university collection and found some volumes had levels that might be unsafe.