Though careful and extensive preservation efforts have been extended, researchers have found that there are at least 16 types of microplastics that infiltrate an archaeological site in the UK.

A photograph taken on February 26, 2023, shows nurdles and other micro-plastic waste collected during a beach clean organized on the Tregantle beach part of the Whitesand Bay, near Freathy, southwestern England. Some 11.5 trillion nurdles end up in the ocean every year, according to the UK's Fauna & Flora Association. Once in nature, these micro beads circulate in the sea and often wash up on beaches and other shores. Primarily transparent, about the size of a lentil, nurdles are normally used to make plastic objects. But like crude oil, they easily escape during transport and are persistent pollutants, absorbing other pollutants.
(Photo: BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)

Microplastics Infiltrating Archaeological Remains

The site dates from the second century and extends up to seven meters deep. The area is rich in Roman and Viking history.

David Jennings, an archaeologist from York Archaeology, explains that microplastic presence can and will alter soil chemistry. This could possibly introduce elements that may lead to the decaying of the organic remains. If this is the case, the in situ preservation of archaeology may no longer work or be appropriate.

This is a huge concern for archaeology, as discovery preservation in their original area has remained the worldwide standard for several generations.

The pilot study tested samples taken from the 1988 and 1989 digs in Wellington Row. The researchers then compared them with soil freshly retrieved from equivalent depths in nearby locations.

To the dismay of Jeanette Rotchell, an ecotoxicologist from the University of Holl, both sample groups were found to contain plastic fragments. The sizes of the microplastics ranged from 1 μm to 5 mm.

Findings were noted in the "The contamination of in situ archaeological remains: A pilot analysis of microplastics in sediment samples using μFTIR" study.

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Microplastic Threat in Archaeology

Petrochemical wastes infiltrated and contaminated the soil deeply, even as far back as the 1980s. This continues the trend of finding microplastics in each environment tested across the planet.

Jennings explains that they think that microplastics are quite a modern phenomenon, as they have only been heard of in the past two decades.

The new study shows that such particles have contaminated and infiltrated archaeological sites. Similar to oceans, this may have been taking place for an identical duration, as particles have been discovered in soil samples gathered and archived in 1988 in Wellington Row.

The most common types of microplastics were ethylene-vinyl acetate/ethylene vinyl alcohol, used for flexibility in packaging, and PPE copolymer, used for its durability in molding car bumpers and carpets.

The specialists think that rainfall, leaking water mains, and the nearby River Ouse could contribute to these deep-ground microplastic deposits. Nearby well testing also revealed the positive presence of similar chemical profiles.

The team ironically notes that microplastic techno fossils could offer archaeologists a fine dating resolution in the future. This is considering the plastic polymer types and ratio shifts that happen so notably as time passes.

John Schofield, an archaeologist from the University of York, explains that they are familiar with plastics in rivers and oceans. However, they can see that toxic elements are being incorporated into historical heritage.

Schofield explains that the extent to which the contamination covers the deposits' evidential value and their overall importance on a national scale is what they will try to discover next.

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