Well, for a while at least.
In an elite Early Iron Age burial from central Kazakhstan, the remains of an early Scythian nomad came to light. The bones were scattered and some had disappeared over the millennia, but when archaeologists put the pieces back together, they noticed something few researchers have seen before: a metal arrowhead wedged into the spine.
Scientists used computed radiography and computed tomography to peer inside the vertebra to get a better look at the arrowhead. The CT scan showed it was triangular in cross-section and broken, probably on impact with the bone after it was fired. Based on how the object was positioned in the bone, the researchers think the arrow flew at him from the right and from above, at an angle. Further analysis using X-ray fluorescence revealed the arrowhead was made of copper alloy with a high tin content. Fortunately for this elite nomad, the arrowhead did not have a high lead content in the alloy, as leaving a lead object in the body can cause poisoning.
Copper isn't good for you if it's embedded in your spine either...
ReplyDeleteMany thousands of people have survived a GSW and carried lead bullets, fragments and shot with them the rest of their life.....sometime 50 or more years. You get lead toxicity by inhaling or ingesting lead vapor, dust etc and metabolizing it. Lead in the tissues is sequestered by scar tissue and remains inert metabolically.
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