Bernardo Arriaza, Ph.D.
Universidad de Tarapacá
Departamento de Antropología
Centro de Investigación del Hombre en el Desierto
Arica-Chile
1st Paleopathology Association Meeting in South America, Brazil, July 27-29, 2005

•
• Oldest artificial mummification in the world
Oldest mummies are infants

• Very high contents of arsenic in the natural water system (1000 µ g/L) and high level in the food
• Camarones arsenic level in the water is 100 times higher than accepted
WHO recommendations

Area
Lluta
Arsenic level Times above the norm
200 µ g/L 20
Camarones 1000 µ g/L 100
Antofagasta 30-40 µ g/L 3-4
Valparaíso <1 µ g/L Normal

Village
Camarones
Taltape
Esquiña
Huancarane
Illapata
Esquiña
Huancarane
Illapata
Source of water Arsenic concentration
( µ g/L)
River 1000
River
River
1000
750
River 750
River
Water spring
Water spring
Water spring
1300
75
75
50
Taken from: Cornejo 2004

1000µg/L
750µg/L
1300µg/L
Taken from: Cornejo 2004

Taken from: Cornejo 2004


Arsenite is more potent than arsenate (Hood 1972)

But arsenate is converted to arsenite in the body by glutathione during biomethylation in the human body (Nemec et al. 1998)
Nemec MD, Holson JF, Farr CH, et al. (1998). Developmental toxicity assessment of arsenic acid in mice and rabbits. Reprod Toxicol. 12:647–658
Hood RD. (1972). Teratogenic effects of sodium arsenate in mice. Arch Environ Health. 24:62– 65


You betcha!
It is hypothesized here that arseniasis triggered artificial mummification
Why?


Hyperpigmentation of the skin and nails

Keratosis

Carcinoma of the liver and urinary bladder

Anemia

Taken from: http://www.ecplanet.com/pic/2003/04/1051353968/arsenico.jpg
Taken from: http://www.sos-arsenic-net/images/feet1.jpg

Taken from: http://dermis.multimedica.de/doia/image.asp?zugr=d&lang=s&cd=43&nr=40&diagnr=757335

Taken from: http://www.pathology.vcu.edu/research/paleo/case2.html

Presence of Mees lines, after 3 months of arsenic poisoning
Taken from: http://www.estrucplan.com.ar/Producciones/entrega.asp?IdEntrega=37







Premature births
Stillbirths
Low birth weight
Spontaneous abortions
High infant mortality
Systemic organ damage and low red blood cell production
After: Milton 2005, Hopenhayn 2003




Spontaneous abortion: a natural failure of pregnancy of less than 28 weeks of gestation.
Stillbirths: any delivery after 28 weeks of gestation that did not show any evidence of breathing or signs of life.
Neonatal death: the death of the newborn within 28 days after birth.
After Dutta DC. (1994)Textbook of Obstetrics Including Perinatology and
Contraception, 3rd ed. Kolkata, India:New Central Book Agency P Ltd; p. 618.

 Arseniasis in children often goes unnoticed
 Adult arsenic poisoning has received more attention due to the chronic nature of the lesions
 In Bangladesh, tube wells to reduce cholera and diarrhea now produce arseniasis

Field data



Ahmad et al. (2001) Reported that Bangladesh women of reproductive age that were drinking water with 100 µg/L of arsenic, had spontaneous abortion rates nearly three times greater than normal ( N= 192).
These exposed women had more than double the rates of stillbirths and preterm births compared to their unexposed counterparts.
Women exposed to arsenic for more than 15 years, had a rate about five times greater than unexposed individuals.
THEN

Assuming a linear correlation between level of poisoning and health consequences, extrapolating the Bangladesh spontaneous abortion rate, and the 1000µg/L of arsenic at Camarones, then
Chinchorro women likely had rates 30 times higher for spontaneous abortion, stillbirths and preterm births than a normal population.

Adverse pregnancy outcomes as a consequence of drinking contaminated water with arsenic levels greater than 100 µ g/L in
Bangladesh (Samta Village) for 1,000 live birth
Group
Nonexposed
Exposed
Rate
Spontaneous abortions
23.7
68.8
2.9
Stillbirth
23.7
53.1
2.2
Preterm birth
27.1
68.8
2.5
Years of exposure Spontaneous abortions Stillbirth Preterm birth
Less than 15 years 43.5
43.5
47.8
More than 15 years
Rate
133.3
3.1
77.5
1.8
122.2
2.6
Years of exposure Spontaneous abortions Stillbirth Preterm birth
Nonexposed 23.7
23.7
27.1
More than 15 years
Rate
133.3
5.6
77.5
3.2
122.2
4.5


“There are few reports about the effect of arseniasis in drinking water on human pregnancy outcomes”
Akhtar Ahmad 2001

Camarones site reported by Schiappacasse and Niemeyer (1984)

Twenty-three inhumations were discovered and exhumed

Six inhumations were under 4 years of age and five had artificial mummification

(Schiappacase and Niemeyer, 1984:85-105)
Burial Nº
13
21
22
8
9
Age
1 year
2 years
2 months
4 years
Newborn
Wig
-
Yes
-
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
-
Clay mask
Longitudinal sticks
Yes
-
Yes
Yes
Yes
14 C in YBP
7000+135

(Arriaza, Aufderheide and Muñoz 1993:115-118)
Burial Nº Age Sex
Clay mask
No 1 39-40 years Female
2
3
4
9 months Unknown Yes
Newborn Unknown Yes
Newborn Unknown Yes
Others
Natural mummification
Artificial mummification
Artificial mummification
Artificial mummification
14 C in YBP
-
-
6780+110
6930+140


Camarones 14 has high infant mortality.
Schiappacase and Niemeyer (1984) suggested infanticide (p. 171 and 179)
A better explanation is arseniasis
They estimated birth and mortality rates 45.1 (per one thousand)

High arsenic content in the environment
(in water and riverine resources)
High rates of:
•Stillbirths
•Premature birth
•Abortion
•Infant mortality
Personal and social grief:
Intentional preservation of infants began at Cam
14
Artificial mummification assuaged community grief:
People like what they see
All ages undergo mummification
Mummification spread to surrounding areas and became more elaborated and popular

(Arsenic and dry environment)
(After life)
(neonatal dead)
(parental grief)

Visit: www.momiaschinchorro.com

☼ S. Akhtar Ahmad, M.H. Salim Ullah Sayed, Shampa Barua, Manzurul Haque Khan, M.H. Faruquee, Abdul Jalil, S.
Abdul Hadi, and Humayun Kabir Talukder. Arsenic in Drinking Water and Pregnancy Outcomes (2001).
Environmental Health Perspectives Vol 109 (6): 629=631
☼ Abul Hasnat Milton, Wayne Smith, Bayzidur Rahman, Ziaul Hasan, Umme Kulsum, Keith Dear, M. Rakibuddin, and
Azahar Ali (2005) Chronic Arsenic Exposure and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in Bangladesh. Epidemiology
Volume 16(1):82=86)
☼ Claudia Hopenhayn, Catterina Ferreccio, Steven R. Browning, Bin Huang, Cecilia Peralta, Herman Gibb, and Irva
Hertz-Picciotto (2003) Arsenic Exposure from Drinking Water and Birth Weight. Epidemiology 14: 593–602
☼ Dutta DC. (1994) Textbook of Obstetrics Including Perinatology and Contraception, 3rd ed. Kolkata, India:New
Central Book Agency P Ltd; 1994;618
☼ Nemec MD, Holson JF, Farr CH, et al. Developmental toxicity assessment of arsenic acid in mice and rabbits.
Reprod Toxicol. 1998;12:647–658 Hood RD. Teratogenic effects of sodium arsenate in mice. Arch Environ Health.
1972;24:62– 65
☼ Schiappacasse and Niemeyer (1984). Descripción y Análisis interpretativo de un sitio arcaico temprano en la quebrada de Camarones. Publicada Ocasional Nro. 41.
☼ Lorena Cornejo 2004. http://www.cnea.gov.ar/xxi/ambiental/agua-pura/presentacionesencuentro/presentación%20proyecto%20oea%20lorena%20en%20buenos%20aires2.pdf
☼ http://www.ecplanet.com/pic/2003/04/1051353968/arsenico.jpg
☼ http://www.sos-arsenic-net/images/feet1.jpg
☼ http://dermis.multimedica.de/doia/image.asp?zugr=d&lang=s&cd=43&nr=40&diagnr=757335
☼ http://www.estrucplan.com.ar/Producciones/entrega.asp?IdEntrega=37