The re-examination of institutional policies and practices relating to the use of fumigation as a method of pest control for museum objects is discussed. Until recently, the attitude towards fumigants, even those marginally non-lethal, had been comparatively cavalier. Recent changes in the regulatory guidelines concerning the occupational exposure to ethylene oxide has resulted in a host of new and specific stipulations designed to reduce average exposure time for fumigation chamber operators. Research on the effects of fumigation on museum objects remains incomplete and poorly distributed. Currently, the Getty Conservation Institute with the assistance of the Canadian Conservation Institute and the Conservation Analytical Laboratory at the Smithsonian Institution is reviewing the effects of sulfuryl fluoride (Vikane) to see if any damage can be detected on museum materials after fumigation. Though new perceptions of risk assessment and of object preservation have already altered some institutions' policies and practices, fumigation is possible and will remain a useful method of treatment of insect infestation. -- CAL