Heavy metals and preservation of cadaver and grave goods

Mark MacKenzie <mmackenzie [at] wdm__ca> writes

>My question at the moment is:  have approximate minimum levels of
>such heavy metals as copper, arsenic, lead, and or mercury  been
>determined below which they will not reliably preserve organic
>materials such as wool, linen, and leather in a shallow burial
>context?

You should talk to Pete Palmer <ppalmer<-a t->sfsu< . >edu> at the
Biochemistry and Chemistry Dept of San Francisco State University.
Pete has done a tremendous amount of work analyzing different
samples from a variety of contexts for heavy metals.

Niccolo Caldararo
Director and Chief Conservator
Conservation Art Service


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 19:9
                  Distributed: Friday, August 12, 2005
                        Message Id: cdl-19-9-004
                                  ***