Dangerous Places by David A. Poirier, Kenneth L. Feder - 9780897898010

Dangerous PlacesHealth, Safety, and Archaeology\nAuthor(s): David A. Poirier, Kenneth L. Feder\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, United States\nImprint: Praeger Publishers Inc\nISBN-13: 9780897898010, 978-0897898010\nSynopsis\nArchaeological sites often seem to be idyllic, even romantic, places where scientists recover and analyze fascinating data that can inform us of past times and the past lives of our recent historical and ancient prehistoric human forebears. Too often, however, unrecognized dangers lie within: bacterial and viral infections hidden in the soil, concealed in the animals that roam through our sites, or even lying in wait in organic remains we excavate; toxic substances produced by the historical technologies we study and that continue to poison the sites where people once worked; the bodies of people who died of historical scourges that once afflicted humanity and whose excavated mortal remains may still harbor the pathogens that killed them.