Forensic & Archaeological Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University of Bradford, West Yorkshire BD7 1DP, United Kingdom.
Forensic Sci Int. 2012 Apr 10;217(1-3):50-9. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2011.09.025. Epub 2011 Oct 24.
Recent casework in Belgium involving the search for human remains buried with lime, demonstrated the need for more detailed understanding of the effect of different types of lime on cadaver decomposition and its micro-environment. Six pigs (Sus scrofa) were used as body analogues in field experiments. They were buried without lime, with hydrated lime (Ca(OH)(2)) and with quicklime (CaO) in shallow graves in sandy loam soil in Belgium and recovered after 6 months of burial. Observations from these field recoveries informed additional laboratory experiments that were undertaken at the University of Bradford, UK. The combined results of these studies demonstrate that despite conflicting evidence in the literature, hydrated lime and quicklime both delay the decay of the carcass during the first 6 months. This study has implications for the investigation of clandestine burials and for a better understanding of archaeological plaster burials. Knowledge of the effects of lime on decomposition processes also has bearing on practices involving burial of animal carcasses and potentially the management of mass graves and mass disasters by humanitarian organisations and DVI teams.
近期在比利时开展的一项涉及寻找埋有石灰的人类遗骸的工作案例，突显了更详细地了解不同类型的石灰对尸体分解及其微环境的影响的必要性。在野外实验中，使用了 6 头猪（Sus scrofa）作为尸体模拟物。它们被埋在没有石灰、熟石灰（Ca(OH)(2)）和生石灰（CaO）的浅坟墓中，埋在比利时的砂壤土中，在埋葬 6 个月后被挖出。这些野外恢复的观察结果为在英国布拉德福德大学进行的额外实验室实验提供了信息。这些研究的综合结果表明，尽管文献中有相互矛盾的证据，但熟石灰和生石灰都能在最初的 6 个月内延缓尸体的腐烂。这项研究对秘密埋葬的调查以及更好地理解考古石膏埋葬具有重要意义。石灰对分解过程的影响的相关知识，也对涉及埋葬动物尸体的实践，以及人道主义组织和 DVI 团队对乱葬岗和大规模灾难的管理有影响。
