Medieval teeth show lead mining spread in England by the 7th century

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  Dental enamel from medieval burials shows that lead mining and smelting had resumed in the Derbyshire Peak District by the 7th century.

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  Researchers examined teeth from people buried at three cemeteries dated between 650 and 1500 CE.

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  Children in the region had lead levels by the 7th century comparable to, or higher than, those of children in industrial cities in the 18th and 19th centuries.

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  Lead exposure spread to nearby areas by the mid-8th century and reached its highest levels in the late 12th and early 13th centuries.

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  The study found that working-class families and women may have faced particular risks from lead exposure.

Who

Archaeologists, including University of Nottingham’s Christopher Loveluck, studied teeth from people buried in the Peak District.

What

The research found evidence that lead mining and smelting had resumed by the 7th century, exposing local people to lead.

When

Mining and smelting had resumed by the mid-7th century; the teeth came from people buried between 650 and 1500 CE.

Where

The Derbyshire Peak District in central England, with evidence of exposure in surrounding areas such as Castleton.

Why

Researchers used tooth enamel to trace past lead exposure because later re-smelting destroyed evidence of the metal’s earlier origins and uses.

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