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.

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.