Traces of microplastics found in the burials of ancient Romans and Vikings: erasing human history

Experts warn microplastics could erase parts of human history, with the chemicals even found in Roman and Viking graves. Scientists decided to find out whether microplastics can be found at archaeological sites. The team analyzed six soil samples, finding more than 25,000 microplastic particles.

Microplastics are permeating almost every corner of the globe, but now tiny particles threaten to wipe out part of human history, writes the Daily Mail.

Researchers from the UK’s University of York have found the first evidence of microplastics at two archaeological sites in York, which have yielded significant finds from the Roman and Viking periods.

Microplastic particles less than five millimeters long enter our bodies through plastic packaging, some foods, tap water and even the air we breathe, and have been linked to cancer and fertility problems.

But foreign objects unearthed from the ground in the UK could potentially compromise the preserved remains, rendering them useless to science, the Daily Mail notes.

The team found more than 25,000 microplastic particles in the samples, which were likely the direct result of human activities such as industry, agriculture, transportation and daily life.

Microplastics have recently received a lot of attention due to their prevalence and abundance in our daily lives. They have also been found in almost every corner of the world – from the deepest place on the planet, the Mariana Trench, to the top of Mount Everest.

Professor John Schofield, from the Department of Archeology at the University of York, said in a statement: “This seems to be an important point in confirming what we should have expected: that what was previously thought to be pristine archaeological deposits suitable for research are in fact contaminated with plastic, and that this includes sediments sampled and preserved in the late 1980s. We are familiar with plastic in oceans and rivers. But here we see that our historical heritage contains toxic elements. To what extent does this contamination compromise the evidentiary value of these sediments and their national significance, we will try to find out further.”

The team analyzed soil samples taken from Wellington Row in 1989 and from the Queen’s Hotel in York the same year and in 1990 – a total of three samples from each. The earliest deposits from Wellington Row were discovered in the late first or early second century and date from the 19th and 20th centuries.

And those that were discovered at the Queen’s Hotel date from the end of the first to the beginning of the 20th century.

The highest concentration was in Wellington at 20,588 microplastics per kilogram, while samples from the Queen’s Hotel site contained 5,910 microplastics per kilogram.

At the site, dating back to the Viking period, archaeologists discovered about a ton of animal bones, a quarter of a million pottery and 20,000 other interesting objects.

Excavations at the Roman site of the Queen’s Hotel have revealed remains of an ancient wall, suggesting the area may have been important to the ancient empire.

The team used a technique called Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTRI), which can identify unknown plastics in materials. The device found tens of thousands of microplastics in six small soil samples – and 16 of them could not be classified.

Plastics that may be included are ethylene vinyl and polyalkene, which are used in food packaging. Polyethylene, which is used in water bottles, polypropylene, used in cans, and hydrocarbon resin, which is added to rubbers, printing inks and adhesives, are other plastics also found. However, 57 percent of the microplastics found were classified as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) – or what is commonly known as Teflon, which is used in non-stick cookware.

The team theorized that the tiny particles were brought into the archaeological sites when they were excavated in the 1980s. “Plastic storage buckets, coring tubes (polymethacrylate), and a week-long air sample taken from the archival storage facility revealed different predominant polymer types compared to those found in the archival sediments,” the researchers wrote.

The team said the work was a pilot study to investigate whether microplastics had penetrated valuable objects, and noted that “if replicated across the UK, many cultural heritage sites are potentially at risk due to increased wear and tear and loss of information.” potential.”

Because plastics break down slowly, the particles can affect the chemical and physical composition of the soil. “The potential of radiocarbon dating or residue/trace element analysis may be compromised by the presence of [микропластика] and again requires further study to determine whether these are real risks,” the published study said.