What substance might save the UK's York Minster cathedral from rotting away due to air pollution?

Answer: olive oil

York Minster was built in York, U.K., between 1220 and 1472, and even after decades of restoration that have cost millions of pounds, the Minster is still rotting away due to air polution, Gizmag reports.

York Minster in York, U.K. Photo courtesy of AndyBarrett/Wikipedia

But according to Dr. Karen Wilson and Prof. Adam Lee of the Cardiff School of Chemistry at Cardiff University, along with researchers at the University of Iowa, the key to saving the church may lie in olive oil.

York Minster is made of mostly of magnesian limestone, which is very susceptible to acids. To protect the limestone, many coatings have been tested, but none quite worked. And recent researched has focused on organic substances. Linseed oil has been tried, but causes discoloration, so now the team of researchers are looking at a treatment that includes olive oil as a cheap, simple solution, according to Gizmag. The treatment consists of olive oil and a Teflon-like material that repels water but is permeable to air.

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