Ancient Mongol metallurgy an extreme polluter
Friday, March 6, 2015 - 14:10
in Earth & Climate
The ancient Mongols have a reputation for having been fierce warriors. A new study shows them to have been unmatched polluters. Researchers found that lead pollution in Lake Erhai peaked at 119 micrograms per gram of sediment in 1300 AD before then declining to around 30 micrograms per gram in 1420 AD. Peak pollution levels are three to four times higher than those generated by modern metallurgical methods, authors say.