Post-mortem intake of lead in 11th century human bones and teeth studied by milli- and microbeam PIXE and RBS

Pb concentrations in human bone and tooth samples from a 11th century minin g community were analysed to study the influence of long-term burial in pol luted soils. PIXE and RES analysis with 20-300 mu m proton beams and 300 mu m He-4(+) beams at the University of Freiburg Van de Graaff laboratory and less than 5 mu m at the University of Melbourne Microanalytical Research C entre was performed and strongly increased Pb levels at outer and inner bon e and tooth surfaces were found, reaching more than 1000 ppm in some of the bone samples, and decreasing to equilibrium levels in the order of 5-10 pp m in some non-porous inner sections of the analysed bones and teeth. (C) 19 99 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.