Exploring Childhood Health Through Lead Trace Element and Isotope Analyses: A Case Study of Historic Populations in Newfoundland, Canada

Summary

Lead was ubiquitous throughout the cultural environments of the Atlantic World during the 18th and 19th centuries and can be toxic to humans, particularly children. There is a long history of examining human lead exposure using trace element and isotope data in archaeological remains, but most studies have sampled bone tissue, which is prone to diagenetic alteration. More recently, researchers are sampling tooth enamel, which is more likely to retain a biogenic record of lead exposure. Since teeth form during childhood and lead exposure reflects individuals’ interactions with their physical and cultural environments, this tissue presents an intriguing means to examine childhood health. However, archaeological research often overlooks children as meaningful cultural actors. The consideration of childhood social theory can help to illuminate methodological and theoretical opportunities to produce better lead trace element and isotope data that can be more clearly incorporated into understanding the Child’s World. By examining the lead trace element and isotope values of tooth enamel produced using ICP-MS and MC-ICP-MS from individuals of historic Newfoundland populations, this paper will outline these considerations through a case study of childhood lead exposure in 18th and early 19th century Newfoundland.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22315