Next generation ice core technology reveals true minimum natural levels of lead (Pb) in the atmosphere: insights from the Black Death
Current policies to reduce lead pollution in the air are based on the assumption that pre-industrial levels of lead in the air were negligible, safe or non-existent. This trans-disciplinary article shows that this is not the case, using ‘next-generation’ laser technology in climate science, in combi...
Published in: | GeoHealth |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | unknown |
Published: |
American Geophysical Union
2017
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GH000064 https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/file/874559/1/More%20et%20al%202017%20Geohealth%20accepted%20text%20and%20figures.pdf https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/874559 |
id |
ftunnottinghamrr:oai:nottingham-repository.worktribe.com:874559 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftunnottinghamrr:oai:nottingham-repository.worktribe.com:874559 2023-05-15T16:38:56+02:00 Next generation ice core technology reveals true minimum natural levels of lead (Pb) in the atmosphere: insights from the Black Death More, Alexander F. Spaulding, Nicole E. Bohleber, Pascal Handley, Michael J. Hoffmann, Helene Korotkikh, Elena V. Kurbatov, Andrei V. Loveluck, Christopher P. Sneed, Sharon B. McCormick, Michael Mayewski, Paul A. 2017-06-28 https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GH000064 https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/file/874559/1/More%20et%20al%202017%20Geohealth%20accepted%20text%20and%20figures.pdf https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/874559 unknown American Geophysical Union https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/874559 GeoHealth Volume 1 Issue 4 Pagination 211-219 doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GH000064 https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/file/874559/1/More%20et%20al%202017%20Geohealth%20accepted%20text%20and%20figures.pdf doi:10.1002/2017GH000064 openAccess ice core pandemic lead Black Death Colle Gnifetti Europe Journal Article acceptedVersion publishedVersion 2017 ftunnottinghamrr https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GH000064 2022-10-13T22:09:57Z Current policies to reduce lead pollution in the air are based on the assumption that pre-industrial levels of lead in the air were negligible, safe or non-existent. This trans-disciplinary article shows that this is not the case, using ‘next-generation’ laser technology in climate science, in combination with detailed historical and archaeological records in as many as 7 languages, from all over Europe.We show that lead levels in the air have been elevated for the past 2000 years, except for a single 4-year period. This 4-year period corresponds with the largest known pandemic ever to ravage western Europe (the Black Death), resulting in a 40-50% reduction in population. This unprecedented historic population collapse was accompanied by dramatic economic collapse that halted lead mining and smelting, and related emissions in the air.This trans-disciplinary study is a collaboration led by Harvard University and the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine, and researchers from the University of Heidelberg (Germany) and the University of Nottingham (UK). It uses next-generation technology and expertise in history, climate science, archaeology and toxicology, brought to bear in a highly detailed contribution to planetary health, with crucial implications for public health and environmental policy, and the history of human exposure to lead. Article in Journal/Newspaper ice core University of Nottingham: Repository@Nottingham GeoHealth 1 4 211 219 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Nottingham: Repository@Nottingham |
op_collection_id |
ftunnottinghamrr |
language |
unknown |
topic |
ice core pandemic lead Black Death Colle Gnifetti Europe |
spellingShingle |
ice core pandemic lead Black Death Colle Gnifetti Europe More, Alexander F. Spaulding, Nicole E. Bohleber, Pascal Handley, Michael J. Hoffmann, Helene Korotkikh, Elena V. Kurbatov, Andrei V. Loveluck, Christopher P. Sneed, Sharon B. McCormick, Michael Mayewski, Paul A. Next generation ice core technology reveals true minimum natural levels of lead (Pb) in the atmosphere: insights from the Black Death |
topic_facet |
ice core pandemic lead Black Death Colle Gnifetti Europe |
description |
Current policies to reduce lead pollution in the air are based on the assumption that pre-industrial levels of lead in the air were negligible, safe or non-existent. This trans-disciplinary article shows that this is not the case, using ‘next-generation’ laser technology in climate science, in combination with detailed historical and archaeological records in as many as 7 languages, from all over Europe.We show that lead levels in the air have been elevated for the past 2000 years, except for a single 4-year period. This 4-year period corresponds with the largest known pandemic ever to ravage western Europe (the Black Death), resulting in a 40-50% reduction in population. This unprecedented historic population collapse was accompanied by dramatic economic collapse that halted lead mining and smelting, and related emissions in the air.This trans-disciplinary study is a collaboration led by Harvard University and the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine, and researchers from the University of Heidelberg (Germany) and the University of Nottingham (UK). It uses next-generation technology and expertise in history, climate science, archaeology and toxicology, brought to bear in a highly detailed contribution to planetary health, with crucial implications for public health and environmental policy, and the history of human exposure to lead. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
More, Alexander F. Spaulding, Nicole E. Bohleber, Pascal Handley, Michael J. Hoffmann, Helene Korotkikh, Elena V. Kurbatov, Andrei V. Loveluck, Christopher P. Sneed, Sharon B. McCormick, Michael Mayewski, Paul A. |
author_facet |
More, Alexander F. Spaulding, Nicole E. Bohleber, Pascal Handley, Michael J. Hoffmann, Helene Korotkikh, Elena V. Kurbatov, Andrei V. Loveluck, Christopher P. Sneed, Sharon B. McCormick, Michael Mayewski, Paul A. |
author_sort |
More, Alexander F. |
title |
Next generation ice core technology reveals true minimum natural levels of lead (Pb) in the atmosphere: insights from the Black Death |
title_short |
Next generation ice core technology reveals true minimum natural levels of lead (Pb) in the atmosphere: insights from the Black Death |
title_full |
Next generation ice core technology reveals true minimum natural levels of lead (Pb) in the atmosphere: insights from the Black Death |
title_fullStr |
Next generation ice core technology reveals true minimum natural levels of lead (Pb) in the atmosphere: insights from the Black Death |
title_full_unstemmed |
Next generation ice core technology reveals true minimum natural levels of lead (Pb) in the atmosphere: insights from the Black Death |
title_sort |
next generation ice core technology reveals true minimum natural levels of lead (pb) in the atmosphere: insights from the black death |
publisher |
American Geophysical Union |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GH000064 https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/file/874559/1/More%20et%20al%202017%20Geohealth%20accepted%20text%20and%20figures.pdf https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/874559 |
genre |
ice core |
genre_facet |
ice core |
op_relation |
https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/874559 GeoHealth Volume 1 Issue 4 Pagination 211-219 doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GH000064 https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/file/874559/1/More%20et%20al%202017%20Geohealth%20accepted%20text%20and%20figures.pdf doi:10.1002/2017GH000064 |
op_rights |
openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GH000064 |
container_title |
GeoHealth |
container_volume |
1 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
211 |
op_container_end_page |
219 |
_version_ |
1766029298432475136 |