Seafood full of poison in the Stone Age, because of climate change
Large amounts of toxic heavy metals such as cadmium and lead made cod and Greenland seals into harmful food in Northern Norway during the Younger Stone Age. Constantly rising sea temperatures and sea-level rise due to climate change can cause seafood to become equally unhealthy in the future.
Randi Merete Solhaug
COMMUNICATION ADVISOR
UiT The Arctic University of Norway
PUBLISHED Saturday 11. april 2020 - 23:51
This is what archaeology researchers are warning about in a recent study published in the journal Quaternary International.
"The discovery of so much toxic heavy metals in the seafood was very surprising, and we found very high values", says professor of archaeology at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Hans Peter Blankholm.
22 times higher than todays maximum limit
Together with other Norwegian and Swedish researchers, he has analysed findings that show that cod in the younger Stone Age had an up to 22 times higher content of cadmium than today's recommended maximum limit. It also had three to four times higher amounts of lead than is considered reasonable today.
The Harp seal, of which the Stone Age people also ate a lot, contained 15 times more cadmium than today's maximum limit and three to four times the lead limit.
More:
https://partner.sciencenorway.no/archaeology-stone-age-uit-arctic-university/seafood-full-of-poison-in-the-stone-age-because-of-climate-change/1670055