> Out-gassing from cabinet-grade plywood is much less than from particle
> board.  Ambient humidity is also a big factor, and if it is
> moderate-to-low, and temperature fluctuations are minimal, there is
> less of an issue.  I have had glossy shells (e.g.: Cyp.s) in
> solvent-based urethaned plywood cabinets for decades w/ no ill effects.
>  Some of the academic data on outgassing relates more to how volatile
> organic compounds affect people w/ allergies or chemical sensitivities.
>  I suspect moist, living mucosa and the immune system are orders of
> magnitude more sensitive to VOC's than dry calcium carbonate shells.
> Water based urethanes are less durable than solvent based with regard
> to water exposure.  If there is a chance that water will contact the
> surface (from drips, or condensation from cold glasses, etc.), it is a
> factor to consider.

My particleboard cabinets of overseas gastropods were stored in a dry area
but were exposed to direct sunlight. Specimens were affected by formic
acid vapor, some seriously. Fossils stored elsewhere in the house, in a
less-dry but shaded room, did not suffer at all. Most of these fossils
were carbonate. I will be using these cabinets in my new house, in a
shaded but uninsulated upstairs room which becomes quite warm on hot clear
days. I will put fossils in them and monitor their condition.

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