Deterioration of amber in museum collections is a well-known phenomenon. In an attempt to identify some of the destructive agents, small pieces of Dominican amber were exposed to high concentrations of substances that might be encountered in a museum storage or display environment, including common air pollutants, volatile biocides, and cleaning agents. Several of the substances caused almost immediate surface disintegration. Fresh surfaces were less affected than surfaces that had been exposed to air for a number of years. Further investigations are being carried out.