Microplastics have been found in historic soil samples for the first time, according to a new study, potentially upending the way archaeological remains are preserved. <\/p>\n
Researchers found microplastics in soil deposits more than seven meters (23 feet) underground, which were deposited in the first or second century CE and excavated in the 1980s, a team led by researchers from the University of York in the United Kingdom said in a statement published Friday. <\/p>\n
In total, the study identified 16 different microplastic polymer types in contemporary and archived soil samples, the statement adds. <\/p>\n
Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic that are no larger than five millimeters (0.2 inches)\u2014about the size of a single sesame seed\u2014and form when larger plastics break down,\u00a0<\/strong>either by chemically degrading or physically wearing down into smaller pieces. <\/p>\n They were also commonly used in some beauty products until around 2020, say researchers, and conversations about their proliferation in the world around us have spiked in recent years. <\/p>\n There are concerns about the impact of microplastics on the environment and on human health, but this latest study also suggests they could force a change in the entire field of archaeology. <\/p>\n While preserving archaeological remains in situ has been the favored approach in recent years, the new findings could trigger a change in approach, as microplastic contamination could compromise the remains\u2019 scientific value. <\/p>\n \u201cThis feels like an important moment, confirming what we should have expected: that what were previously thought to be pristine archaeological deposits, ripe for investigation, are in fact contaminated with plastics, and that this includes deposits sampled and stored in the late 1980s,\u201d John Schofield, a professor and director of studies in the University of York\u2019s Department of Archaeology, said in the statement. <\/p>\n \u201cWe are familiar with plastics in the oceans and in rivers. But here we see our historic heritage incorporating toxic elements. To what extent this contamination compromises the evidential value of these deposits, and their national importance is what we\u2019ll try to find out next.\u201d <\/p>\n David Jennings, chief executive of York Archaeology, explained why microplastic contamination is such a concern. <\/p>\n \u201cOur best-preserved remains\u2014for example, the Viking finds at Coppergate (in the city of York)\u2014 were in a consistent anaerobic waterlogged environment for over 1000 years, which preserved organic materials incredibly well,\u201d he said in the statement. <\/p>\n \u201cThe presence of microplastics can and will change the chemistry of the soil, potentially introducing elements which will cause the organic remains to decay.\u00a0If that is the case, preserving archaeology in situ may no longer be appropriate.\u201d <\/p>\n The study was published in\u00a0Science of the Total Environment. <\/p>\n\n Microplastics have been found in historic soil samples for the first time, according to a new study, potentially upending the way archaeological remains are preserved. Researchers found microplastics in soil deposits more than seven meters (23 feet) underground, which were deposited in the first or second century CE and excavated in the 1980s, a team <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":17257,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-17256","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}