Lead in Archeological Human Bones Reflecting Historical Changes in Lead Production

Forty years ago, in a seminal paper published in Science, Settle and Patterson used archeological and historical data to estimate the rates of worldwide lead production since the discovery of cupellation, approximately 5000 years ago. Here, we record actual lead exposure of a human population by direct measurements of the concentrations of lead in petrous bones of individuals representing approximately 12 000 years of inhabitation in Italy. This documentation of lead pollution throughout human history indicates that, remarkably, much of the estimated dynamics in lead production is replicated in human exposure. Thus, lead pollution in humans has closely followed anthropogenic lead production. This observation raises concerns that the forecasted increase in the production of lead and other metals might affect human health in the near future.

Automated summary

The study focuses on lead pollution levels in human populations throughout history, showing how human exposure to lead closely mirrors the estimated dynamics in lead production. This observation raises concerns about the potential impact of increased lead and metal production on human health in the future.