Ancient pollution

Another ak pollutant that can have very serious effects is hydrogen sulfide, which is largely responsible for the tarnishing of silver, but also has played a destmctive role in the discoloration of the natural patinas on ancient bronzes through the formation of copper sulfide. Moreover, a special vulnerabihty is created when two metals are in contact. The electromotive force can result in an accelerated corrosion, eg, in bronzes having kon mounting pins. 

Ancient Silver Smelters Polluted the Hemisphere", The Record, Sept. 23, 1994, p. A-23 and P. Brimblecombe, "Attitudes and Responses Towards Air Pollution in Medieval England," H/rPo// Contr. Assoc. (Oct. 1976). 

Ancient iron structures sometimes show no sign of corrosion or at most, very little. The clean atmosphere of past centuries may be responsible in that it allowed a very thin adherent layer of oxide to develop on the surface [22], This layer very often protects against even today s increasingly aggressive industrial pollutants Very often the conditions of the initial corrosion are the ones that determine the lifespan of metals [23], A well-known example is the sacred pillar of Kutub in Delhi, which was hand forged from large iron blooms in 410 a.d. In the pure dry air, the pillar remains free of rust traces but shows pitting corrosion of the iron... 

Source for urine as cleaner ancient and traditional soapmaking free soda samples pollution in Leblanc towns and electrolytic process. 

Klokkernes, T. (1991), The influence of air pollution on ancient monuments, buildings and museum objects, in Hicks, S., U. Miller, S. Nilsson, and I. Vuorela (eds.),... 

Richards, M.P., Fuller, B.T. and Hedges, R.E.M. (2001). Sulphur isotopic variation in ancient bone collagen from Europe implications for human palaeodiet, residence mobility, and modem pollutant studies. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 191 185-190. 

Ancient dyers also had to maintain the dye in the reduced form. In fermentations of the woad plant a species of thermophilic Clostridium apparently supplied the reducing agent. Padden et al. suggested that such bacterial reduction might be used today to avoid pollution by the by-products of dithionite reductions Use of engineered bacteria to form high yields of indole and indoxyl as a source... 

Deterioration of ancient stonework appears to have accelerated very markedly in many places in the present century Winkler [109], whose treatise on the durability of stone is the major source for the material in this section, shows photographs of early eighteenth century sandstone statues in places close to the Rhine—Ruhr industrial region. After two hundred years, at the beginning of the present century, these statues had clearly delineated features of faces, hands, etc. Sixty years later, they appeared rough outlines, faceless and handless. If this deterioration indeed owes nothing to the military activities of two world wars, it is a remarkable illustration of the effects of industrial pollution of the atmosphere. 

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