Study: Microplastics threaten to erase human history

England – A new study has found that microplastics, which are invading almost every corner of the world, threaten to erase part of human history.

Researchers at the University of York in the United Kingdom discovered the first evidence of the presence of microplastics at two archaeological sites in York, where important discoveries were made from the Roman and Viking eras.

Foreign objects can compromise preserved remains, rendering them worthless to science.

The team analyzed soil samples taken from Wellington Row in 1989, the Queens Hotel in York in the same year and 1990, with a total of three samples from each.

The oldest deposits from Wellington Row date back to the late first or early second century, and extend into the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Those at the Queen’s Hotel date from the late first century to the twentieth century.

It was found that the Wellington Row samples contain about 20,588 microplastic pieces per kilogram, and the samples taken from the Queens Hotel site contain 5,910 plastic pieces per kilogram.

At the site associated with the Viking period, archaeologists discovered tons of animal bones, a quarter of a million pieces of pottery, and 20,000 other interesting pieces.

Excavations at the Roman site at the Queen’s Hotel have uncovered the remains of an ancient wall, suggesting the area could have been of great importance to the ancient empire.

57% of the microplastics detected were classified as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), used in non-stick coated cookware.

Professor John Schofield, from the Department of Archaeology at the University of York, said: “What were previously thought to be pristine archaeological deposits, ready for investigation, are in fact contaminated with plastic. We are aware of the plastic found in oceans and rivers. But here we see our historical heritage contaminated with toxic elements.”

The team speculated that the small particles reached archaeological sites when they were excavated in the 1980s.

“The possibility of radiocarbon dating or analysis of the remains may be compromised by the presence of microplastics, and again requires further investigation to determine whether these are real risks,” the study stated.

It is noteworthy that microplastics have gained great attention recently due to their spread and abundance in our daily lives.

Microplastics, which are less than 5 mm long, also make their way into our bodies through plastic packaging, some foods, tap water and even the air we breathe, and researchers have linked them to health problems, such as cancer and poor fertility.

Source: Daily Mail