Parts of medieval Derbyshire may have had worse lead pollution than during the Industrial Revolution, with women potentially suffering the most, according to archaeologists.
Analysis of lead deposits in teeth from burials in the Peak District indicates rising contamination as mining restarted in the mid-7th Century. Levels reached a peak in the 13th Century, surpassing those from the Victorian era.
Female skeletons showed higher lead levels and an earlier age of death, which researchers suggest may be linked to re-exposure during pregnancy. Professor Christopher Loveluck of the University of Nottingham noted that wealthier adult men often had low contamination, while less wealthy individuals, including girls, showed higher levels, possibly due to involvement in crushing ore.
Dr Anna Bloxam, co-director of the Castleton excavations, stated that modern studies show no safe level of lead exposure. She added that while men in the study often lived to middle or old age, women primarily died much earlier, in young adulthood.