Both atmospheric oxidation and a process that proceeds independently of oxygen were found to contribute significantly to the deterioration of newsprint at several temperatures between 120[degree]C and 60[degree]C in sealed tubes maintained at 100% RH. The ratio, i, of the oxygen-independent process to the total rate of deterioration was determined at each temperature, and Arrhenius activation energies were determined for both the atmospheric oxidation and the oxygen-independent process as well as for the total rate of deterioration. A relationship between i and the absolute temperature was derived and was used to extrapolate the data to 20[degree]C. The results indicate that i is significantly dependent on temperature and that the relative importance of atmospheric oxidation to the overall rate of deterioration decreases as the testing temperature is lowered. Therefore, accelerated aging tests performed near 100[degree]C may lead to misleading conclusions regarding the chemical process responsible for the degradation of paper at room temperature.