Microplastics are found metres deep in the soil – a major concern for archaeologists

Microplastics are small plastic particles ranging from 1 μm to 5 mm and are now everywhere. In our food, in our care products. They end up in the environment, among other things, because larger plastic pieces slowly break down, but also through the emission of textile fibers and the use of plastic in cosmetics. This is not only bad for our own health and that of the planet: a lot of knowlge about past cultures can also be lost, new research now shows.

The tiny plastic particles can alter the chemistry of soil and therefore affect organic matter, potentially endangering archaeological remains. This is the conclusion of researchers from the Universities of York and Hull after examining soil samples taken in 1988 from archaeological sites at the Queens Hotel and Wellington Row in York. The study found 16 different types of microplastic polymer in both contemporary and archive samples.

Soil chemistry

The presence of microplastics in soil is worrying, say archaeologists. The best-preserv archaeological sites, such as the Viking finds at Coppergate , have been in stable environments for centuries, which have preserv organic latest phone number database material. If microplastics are present in this environment, they could be causing the organic material to decay, says David Jennings, CEO of York Archaeology. “The presence of microplastics can and will change the chemistry of the soil, potentially introducing elements that cause the organic remains to rot. Microplastics could therefore compromise the scientific value of archaeological sites.”

Microplastics in the 1980s

The presence of microplastics so deep underground is not entirely surprising, says Professor John Schofield from the Fotoattēli manekeniem: īss ceļvis University of York’s Department of Archaeology. “It confirms what we should have expect: that archaeological sites that were previously consider pristine and ripe for exploration are in fact contaminat with plastic.” However, it is striking that the particles have been found in ar numbers samples taken as far back as the 1980s. “We think of microplastics as a very modern phenomenon because we only really start hearing about them in the last 20 years,” says Jennings. “It wasn’t until Professor Richard.