The Vatican: Hi-Tech Air Conditioner Combats Sweaty Tourists at Sistine Chapel

The Vatican revealed last week that the Sistine Chapel's famous frescoes are being damaged due to the thousands of tourists which come to see them each year.

According to Tech Times, officials started to notice a year ago that the paintings were turning white because calcium carbonate and calcium bicarbonate was building up and needed to be removed.

Even though the removal was successful, if the build-up had been left untreated, there could have been some lasting damage to the paintings.

It is unclear where the white powder came from, but officials believe it has something to do with the six million visitors it has every year, creating high amounts of carbon dioxide and humidity.

To help prevent the same problem occurring again in the future, the Vatican has had air conditioning and filtration units installed.

The whole air ventilation system is state of the art, possessing three cameras to estimate how many people are in the chapel, adjusting temperatures and humidity accordingly.

The new system will be able to allow up to 2,000 visitors at a time to enter the chapel, without causing any damage.

The temperature will be kept within the ranges of 20-25 degrees Celsius and the humidity at 50-60%, with the ventilation system keeping carbon dioxide and dust levels to a minimum.