NAGPRA was legislated to provide for the protection of American Indian graves and other purposes.  Under this law, each federal agency and each museum which has possession or control over holdings or collections of Native American remains and associated funerary objects was to compile an inventory of such items and, to the extent possible based on information possessed by such museum or federal agency, identify the geographical an cultural affiliation of such items.  These statutes were intended to remedy the cultural harm perpetuated by the removal of these items from Native communities. Thus, Native practitioners would enjoy the use of the sacred objects.  These objects, however, have in many cases been retained in museum collections for decades.  While within these collections, many of the objects were treated with pesticides, metals and other chemicals to ensure preservation.  In 1996, regulations imposed a duty to notify the tribe of contamination known to the museum and likely to be hazardous to humans.