School of Geography, Geology and Environment, Keele University, Keele, ST5 5BG, Staffs, UK.
The Keele Institute for Innovation and Teaching Excellence, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 Aug;29(36):55278-55292. doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-19676-z. Epub 2022 Mar 22.
Human remains have been interred in burial grounds since historic times. Although the re-use of graveyards differs from one country, region or time period to another, over time, graveyard soil may become contaminated or enriched with heavy metal elements. This paper presents heavy metal element soil analysis from two UK church graveyard study sites with contrasting necrosols, but similar burial densities and known burial ages dating back to the sixteenth century and some possibly older than 1,000 years. Portable X-ray fluorescence element laboratory-based analyses were undertaken on surface and near-surface soil pellets. Results show elevated levels of Fe, Pb, Mn, Cr, Cu, Zn and Ca in both necrosols when compared with background values. Element concentration anomalies remained consistently higher than background samples down to 2 m, but reduced with distance away from church buildings. Element concentration anomalies are higher in the clay-rich necrosol than in sandy necrosol. Study result implications suggest that long-used necrosols are likely to be more contaminated with heavy metal elements than similar soil outside graveyards with implications for burial grounds management, adjacent populations and where burial grounds have been deconsecrated and turned to residential dwellings.
自古以来，人类遗骸就被安葬在墓地中。尽管墓地的再利用因国家、地区或时间的不同而有所差异，但随着时间的推移，墓地土壤可能会受到重金属元素的污染或富集。本文介绍了来自两个英国教堂墓地研究点的重金属元素土壤分析，这些墓地具有不同的腐殖土，但具有相似的埋葬密度和已知的可追溯到 16 世纪的埋葬年龄，有些可能比 1000 年还要古老。对表层和近表层土壤球进行了基于便携式 X 射线荧光元素的实验室分析。结果表明，与背景值相比，两种腐殖土中的 Fe、Pb、Mn、Cr、Cu、Zn 和 Ca 含量都较高。在距离教堂建筑 2 米以内，元素浓度异常值始终高于背景样本，但随着距离的增加而降低。在富粘土的腐殖土中，元素浓度异常值高于沙质腐殖土。研究结果表明，长期使用的腐殖土可能比墓地外类似的土壤受到更多重金属元素的污染，这对墓地管理、邻近人群以及墓地被废除并转为住宅用地的情况产生影响。
