Heavy metal bioaccumulation by the important food plant, Olea europaea L., in an ancient metalliferous polluted area of Cyprus

Aspects of the bioaccumulation of heavy metals are reviewed and possible evidence of homeostasis is highlighted. Examination and analysis of olive (Olea europaea L.) trees growing in close proximity to a copper dominated spoil tip dating from at least 2000 years BP, on the island of Cyprus, revealed both bioaccumulation and partitioning of copper, lead and zinc in various parts of the tree. A factor to quantify the degree of accumulation is illustrated and a possible seed protective mechanism suggested.

Heavy metal dispersion, persistance, and bioccumulation around an ancient copper mine situated in Anglesey, UK

The vicinity of an ancient abandoned copper mine located on the Isle of Anglesey was assessed for the dispersion of copper, zinc, lead, and cadmium into the surrounding environment. Extraction of soil, lichens, cattle feces, and Calluna vulgaris L. (ling) tissue, using aqua regia, was carried out and together with water samples, these were analyzed using flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. Atmospheric dispersion and dilution was plotted from the workings to the coast and the resultant dilution ascertained. Evidence of bioaccumulation by plants and animals is presented and partitioning within plants highlighted. The results suggest that atmospheric dispersion has ceased but residual metal concentrations in the soil remain persistent and could present health hazards to animals and humans in the past and in the future.

The heavy metal content of skeletons from an ancient metalliferous polluted area in southern Jordan with particular reference to bioaccumulation and human health

This paper considers pollution/toxicological science in an archaeological context. Copper mining was an important activity in southern Jordan, especially during the Bronze Age, Nabatean, Roman, and Byzantine periods, and the environmental legacy of such intensive mining and smelting activities exists today in the form of massive, ancient spoil and smelting tips. The environment was heavily polluted by copper, lead, and other cations during these early periods and the effects of such pollutants continue into modern times. Samples of goat, sheep, and Bronze Age and Byzantine skeletons have been analyzed and high metal loads, from uptake by diverse processes, are reported. Emphasis is placed on the importance of sampling procedure and sample location, bioaccumulation, and the partitioning of such elements. Implications of such pollutants in terms of environmental and human health in ancient and modern times are discussed. Teeth are found to provide excellent vehicles for the monitoring of pollution in both ancient and recent times. Bronze Age skeletons exhibited chemical fingerprints different from those of the Byzantine period.

Radon and 'King Solomon's Miners': Faynan Orefield, Jordanian Desert

Concentrations of 222Rn were measured in ancient copper mines which exploited the Faynan Orefield in the South-Western Jordanian Desert. The concentrations of radon gas detected indicate that the ancient metal workers would have been exposed to a significant health risk and indicate that any future attempt to exploit the copper ores must deal with the hazard identified. Seasonal variations in radon concentrations are noted and these are linked to the ventilation of the mines. These modern data are used to explore the differential exposure to radon and the health of ancient mining communities.

Potential effects on human health of an ammonia rich atmospheric environment in an archaeologically important cave in southeast Asia

This important cave is described together with an analysis of the potential health effects for humans inhabiting an ecosystem, albeit on a temporary basis, possessing an ammonia rich atmospheric environment. The work emphasises potential environmental hazards together with an evaluation of the range of clinical effects. The environmental pollution in this cave is generally unlikely to have marked adverse effects on temporary visitors who lack pre-existing respiratory impairments. It is suggested that ancient humans would, to avoid an unpleasant polluted environment, have confined most of their activities to the outer regions of the cave. Comparisons are made with other ammonia contaminated environments.

Modern Bedouin exposures to copper contamination: an imperial legacy?

The exposure of a modern Bedouin population living in the deserts and mountains of southwestern Jordan, to metal contamination was assessed via the analysis of sediments, plants, livestock, and foodstuffs. Exposure to copper is demonstrated to be a potential hazard. The Bedouin are shown to be vulnerable to contamination via several pathways, the most serious of which are familiar in the industrialized environments of the developed world.

Lead toxicity, locomotion and feeding in the freshwater snail, Lymnaea stagnalis (L.)

The effects of lead (5 or 10 ppm) on the survival of the freshwater snail Lymnaea stagnalis (L.) collected from lead contaminated or uncontaminated environments were evaluated under controlled laboratory conditions. The animals from the contaminated environment had significantly greater survivability than those from the unpolluted environment to subsequent acute (up to 24 days) exposure to lead. Acute (72 h) exposure to lead inhibited several behavioural activities including locomotion, feeding, tentacle extension and emergence from the shell. Lead bioaccumulated in the snail tissues, especially the buccal mass and stomach. The freshwater snail provides a valuable system for studying the bioaccumulation and development of tolerance to environmental lead.

Copper and lead bioaccumulation by Acacia retinoides and Eucalyptus torquata in sites contaminated as a consequence of extensive ancient mining activities in Cyprus

Aspects of the industrial archaeology of the northwestern part of the island of Cyprus are outlined. Wastes resultant from copper mining activities of approximately two millennia ago continue to exert an important influence on organisms. Detailed chemical analysis of two tree species growing on archaeologically important metalliferous spoil tips has indicated their ability to bioaccumulate heavy metals and sulfur primarily from the substratum; the bioaccumulation and biomagnification of lead and sulfur are particularly marked in both Acacia and Eucalyptus. The concentrations of elements in different parts of the two tree species are discussed and partitioning is noted together with the fact that while the pod of Acacia and the fruit capsule of Eucalyptus may have an enhanced metal loading, the values in the seeds are much reduced; the importance of this is discussed. The seeds of Acacia differ chemically from those of Eucalyptus. The importance of these plants as biomonitors of environmental quality is noted.

Some consequences of ancient mining activities on the health of ancient and modern human populations

Heavy metal pollutants generated by mining activities in the Jordanian desert c. 2000 years ago will have had detrimental effects on the health of slaves, guards and expert overseers. The pollutants continue to persist and cycle in the modern environment and affect plants, animals and inevitably the humans who are dependent on both. These findings have implications in terms of the public health of human populations living on or in the vicinity of ancient industrial sites around the Mediterranean and in the Middle East. Some effects of heavy metals on human health are examined; issues of bioaccumulation and partitioning are addressed.

King Solomon's miners--starvation and bioaccumulation? An environmental archaeological investigation in Southern Jordan

Copper mining and smelting were important activities in various predesert wadis during the Iron Age, Nabatean, Roman, and Byzantine periods in southern Jordan and major spoil tips together with slag heaps remain as a legacy of such enterprises. Barley has grown in the area for a prolonged period and currently wild barley plants are affected by toxic cations, which reduce their yields. It is considered that such plants provide an adequate model to assess how similar plants would have performed, in terms of productivity, in the past. The population of miners/slaves, guards, etc., would have been subject to bioaccumulation of heavy metals, which conceivably would have led to detrimental effects on their health. Inhalation and ingestion of particulate pollutants cannot be discounted. It is argued that the population may have been further weakened as a consequence of food shortage, due to reduced plant productivity, as cereals are important foods for both humans and the animals upon which they are dependent. A sizeable mining community could only have been maintained by large-scale importation of food or a massive intensification of agricultural activity.

Comparison of foliar and stem bioaccumulation of heavy metals by Corsican pines in the Mount Olympus area of Cyprus

Early anthropogenic metalliferous activity on the island of Cyprus is outlined. Samples of Corsican pines, obtained from both a largely uncontaminated (control) and a metalliferous part of the Mount Olympus area of Cyprus, were analyzed by means of X-ray microanalysis. A total of 21 ions were recorded from the samples; in the contaminated site manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, silver, and tin were bioaccumulated by the needles, while copper, zinc, and gold were bioaccumulated by the stems. Some elements, e.g., copper, were more positively bioaccumulated than others. Some implications of the findings are discussed.

An examination of the mobilisation of elements from the skin and bone of the bog body Lindow II and a comparison with Lindow III

The elemental content of samples of tissues derived from a 2,000-year old bog body, Lindow II, are described and the interchange of elements between the body and the surrounding or encompassing anaerobic peat medium is examined. A comparison is made of the chemical 'fingerprint' of Lindow II as compared with another bog body referred to as Lindow III. The application of body paint is noted. The bone has retained much of its structure and the Haversian Canal system is recognisable. The presence of a fungus mycelium on the skin samples is noted.