Bobbi,
  Byne's Disease does not spread in the sense of a bacterial disease.
Just because one shell is affected, another shell cannot catch the
disease.  For this reason, I prefer calling it Bynsian Decay or Bynsian
deteriorization.  I suspect what may be happening is one shell develops it
first, then a less susceptible one and thus it appears to be spreading.
  Bynsian Deterioization is a problem of the correct combinations or acid,
temperature and relative humidity.  An atmosphere of roughly 60-70 degrees
and a relative humidity of 50-60% should be sufficient to prevent Byne's.
Note that a relative humidity that is too low can also cause problems.  I
recently had some Unionids of the Pyganodon genus crack on me when I
dropped the RH too low with a dehumidifier.  They are a thin shelled
genus, dry them too much and suffer the consequence.  Some gastropods do
the same thing but I forget which genera.  Beside controlling the temp and
RH, minimizing the amount of acid is also important.  For shells acid
free, lignin free paper, with a pH of 7-8, a calcium carbonate reserve of
2-3% and low in sulfur and iron is ideal.  The stuff is not much more
expensive than regular paper and can be obtained from several companies
that supply archival supplies.
  some woods, such as oak, are high in acid; others such as spruce,
mahogany, walnut, birch, basswood, poplar and balsa are safer.
Try to avoid particle board, try to avoid plywod.  if you must use
plywood try to use one designed for outdoor use.  It tends to
outgas fewer harmfull gases.  Paints also tend to give off harmful
organic solvents, try to stick to latex and water based coatings
as being the safest alternatives.
Plastics that tend to be considered archival are polyethylene,
polypropylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate, and teflon.  It is prefered to
get them without dyes, as what these chemicals may do is uncertain...stick
with the purest stuff with the minimum of plasticizers, UV inhibitors,
dyes and surface coatings.
  These observations are taken from my talk at the AMS 1999 meeting,
hopefully they will be published in an upcoming AMU publication.  The
information does not originate with me but represents the work of hundreds
of scientists, curators and collection managers and is only a digest of
their hard work and experiences.  They are also only guidelines.

  take care.
Charlie
******************************************************************************
Charlie Sturm, Jr
Research Associate - Section of Invertebrate Zoology
                     Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA
Assistant Professor - Family Medicine

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On Tue, 17 Aug 1999, Bobbi Cordy wrote:

> It is a chemical reaction between the shell and acid.    It shows up in
> a white powder form and eventually deterioriates your shells.  It also
> spreads from one shell to another in time.
>
> [log in to unmask] wrote:
>
> > What is Bynes Disease and What do I look for to if it's present?
> >
> > Kevin Kutolowski
> > Hiram, OH
>
> --
> Jim and Bobbi Cordy
> of Merritt Island, Florida.
>
> Jim Specializes in Self-Collected
> Caribbean & Florida Shells
>
> Bobbi in Shell Creations
>