The Grande Rapids Public Museum (GRPM), in Michigan, had to close its doors on June 25, 2025 after the discovery of dangerous chemicals in one of its exhibitions. A pharmaceutical cabinet dating from 1890, from the Rudell Drug Store, contained several old drugs, some of which had a high risk of instability.
Two products have been identified in the local press: nitroglycerin, used historically to treat heart disease, becomes unstable and explosive over time; Picric acid, an antiseptic formerly used in dressings, can also explode while driving. A demining unit intervened to secure the premises and withdraw the drugs concerned.
The Rudell Drug Store pharmaceutical cabinet presented in the exhibition “The Streets of Old Grand Rapids”.
According to a museum press release, “During a safety study of the exhibition (…), the GRPM collections team identified several pharmaceutical products that can deteriorate over time and become unstable”. The cabinet concerned was part of the exhibition “The Streets of Old Grand Rapids”, a reconstruction of a street typical of the city in 1890. This installation brings together eleven stalls, including that of the Rudell pharmacy, closed in 1969, whose interior and drugs had been transferred to the museum.
It is the second incident that occurred in this exhibition in 2025. In January, a rupture of pipeline led to a flood from the opening of the museum, damaging part of the collections. Some objects were then temporarily withdrawn for catering. The exhibition was the subject of a re -evaluation of conservation after this event.
External resources support institutions confronted with collections containing dangerous substances. The body Museums & Galleries of New South Wales (Australia), specializing in assistance to small and medium -sized institutions, has thus published a technical sheet devoted to medical and pharmaceutical materials. It describes the protocols of elimination, of labeling, as well as the arbitrations between heritage preservation and chemical danger. The document deals in particular with obsolete (toxic or unstable) drugs, contaminated equipment, radioactive substances, solvents, acids, as well as preserved organic specimens.
