Quantitative determinations and imaging in different structures of buried human bones from the XVIII-XIXth centuries by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence – Postmortem evaluation D. Guimarães a,b,n , A.A. Dias c , M. Carvalho c , M.L. Carvalho c , J.P. Santos c , F.R. Henriques d , F. Curate e,f , S. Pessanha c a Laboratory of Inorganic and Nuclear Chemistry, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, P.O. Box 509, Albany, NY 12201-0509, USA b Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, the University at Albany, P.O. Box 509, Albany, NY 12201-0509, USA c LIBPhys-UNL, Laboratório de Instrumentação, Engenharia Biomédica e Física da Radiação and Departamento de Física da Faculdade de Ciências e Tec- nologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal d Museums Division and Local History, City Hall Almada, Portugal e Research Centre for Anthropology and Health, University of Coimbra, Portugal f Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and Evolution of Human Behavior, University of Algarve, Portugal article info Article history: Received 22 February 2016 Received in revised form 13 April 2016 Accepted 13 April 2016 Keywords: Human bone Elemental concentration, Micro-X Ray fluorescence Triaxial EDXRF abstract In this work, a non-commercial triaxial geometry energy dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) setup and a benchtop m-XRF system were used to identify postmortem contamination in buried bones. For two of the individuals, unusually high concentrations of Cu and Pb, but also Zn (in one individual) were observed. The pigments of the burial shroud coverings have been identified as the source of con- tamination. Accurate and precise quantitative results were obtained by nondestructive process using fundamental parameters method taking into account the matrix absorption effects. A total of 30 bones from 13 individuals, buried between the mid-XVIIIth to early XIXth centuries, were analyzed to study the elemental composition and elemental distribution. The bones were collected from a church in Almada (Portugal), called Ermida do Espírito Santo, located near the Tagus River and at the sea neighbourhood. The triaxial geometry setup was used to quantify Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn, Br, Sr and Pb of powder pressed bone pellets (n ¼9 for each bone). Cluster analysis was performed considering the elemental concentrations for the different bones. There was a clear association between some bones regarding Fe, Cu, Zn, Br and Pb content but not a categorization between cortical and trabecular bones. The elemental distribution of Cu, Zn and Pb were assessed by the benchtop μ-analysis, the M4 Tornado, based on a polycapillary system which provides multi-elemental 2D maps. The results showed that contamination was mostly on the surface of the bone confirming that it was related to the burial shroud covering the individuals. & 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Trace elements are chemical elements that accumulate in a particular sample or environment in concentrations inferior to 100 mg/g [1]. These elements can be essential or non essential to the living organism. Determining the elemental constitution of mineralized human remains, such as bones, can give information about ante-mortem and post-mortem exposure [2,3]. Human bones are dynamic organs that remodel throughout life and can be differentiated based on their structure. At a macro- scopic level we can distinguish between cortical bone: compact, constituting the external bone surface, conferring their strength, rigidity and shape; and trabecular bone: spongy, making up the interior of bones, very porous, more vascular and metabolically active than compact bones. It is estimated that, in adults, about of 5–10% of the skeleton is replaced per year, with a higher bone turnover for trabecular compared to cortical [4,5]. Consequently, depending on in vivo uptake of food and water and environmental exposure, new minerals are continuously being integrated into newly formed bone [6]. Analyzing the elemental constitution of ancient bones can lead to important conclusions on populations’ socioeconomic status, occupational practices and even dietary habits [7–9]. Zinc, Sr, and Br in bone are well established as dietary Contents lists available at ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/talanta Talanta http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2016.04.028 0039-9140/& 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. n Corresponding author at: Laboratory of Inorganic and Nuclear Chemistry, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, P.O. Box 509, Albany, NY 12201-0509, USA; diana.guimaraes@health.ny.gov E-mail address: diana.guimaraes@health.ny.gov (D. Guimarães). Talanta 155 (2016) 107–115