King Tut Curse Caused by Tomb Toxins?

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Egypt's 'King Tut Curse' Caused by Tomb Toxins?

By Handwerk for National Geographic News

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Stories of " the mummy's curse " or " King Tut's curse " excited the world after

the discovery in 1922 of the ancient pharaoh's tomb in Egypt. Lord

Carnarvon, a British sponsor of archaeology in Egypt, died shortly after

attending the

tomb's opening, inspiring speculation that supernatural forces were at work.

In recent years a scientific mummy's-curse theory was offered for

Carnarvon's death. Was he killed by exposure to ancient, toxic pathogens from

the

sealed tomb? Did they prove too much for his immune system, which was weakened

by

a chronic illness he had experienced before he went to Egypt?

" When you think of Egyptian tombs, you have not only dead bodies but

foodstuffs -- meats, vegetables, and fruits " interred for the trip to the

hereafter,

said Wegner, an Egyptologist at the University of Pennsylvania

Museum in Philadelphia. " It certainly may have attracted insects, molds,

[bacteria], and those kinds of things. The raw material would have been there

thousands of years ago. "

Recent laboratory studies have revealed that some ancient mummies do indeed

carry mold, including at least two potentially dangerous species --

Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus. These molds can cause allergic

reactions

ranging from congestion to bleeding in the lungs. The toxins can be

particularly

harmful for people with weakened immune systems.

Some tomb walls may also be covered with respiratory-assaulting bacteria

like Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus.

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Scientists have also detected ammonia gas, formaldehyde, and hydrogen

sulfide inside sealed sarcophagi. In strong concentrations they could cause

burning

in the eyes and nose, pneumonia-like symptoms, and in very extreme cases,

death.

Bats inhabit many excavated tombs, and their droppings carry a fungus that

can cause the influenza-like respiratory disease histoplasmosis.

Under the right conditions such hazards could prove deadly.

'Safer in the Tomb Than Outside'

But experts who have examined the case of Lord Carnarvon believe that tomb

toxins played no role in his not-so-untimely demise.

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The elderly Carnarvon was chronically ill before he set foot in Tut's tomb.

Plus, his death occurred months after his initial exposure to the tomb. If he

had been exposed to biological beasties in the tomb, they would have

manifested themselves sooner.

" I take the position that [the archaeologist who opened the

tomb] took before me, " said F. DeWolfe , professor of epidemiology at the

University of Hawaii at Manoa. " Given the sanitary conditions of the time in

general, and those within Egypt in particular, Lord Carnarvon would likely

have been safer in the tomb than outside. "

" We don't know of even a single case of either an archaeologist or a tourist

experiencing any negative consequences [from tomb molds or bacteria], "

said. The University of Pennsylvania's Wegner hasn't noticed much

concern

among her colleagues at tomb sites.

" On the archaeological projects that I've been involved with, we generally

don't wear masks or [other protection against hazardous materials] in a tomb, "

she explained. " If we do, it's because of worry about breathing in dust

rather than molds or fungus.

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" If someone has a compromised immune system, they might be more [likely] to

pick up something in a tomb, but that's also the case in a restaurant or

anywhere else they might be. " While molds and bacteria are present in Egyptian

tombs, it's no easy matter to identify which may be of truly ancient origin.

" We don't have good procedures to recover the contents of a sarcophagus and

assure that gas or microorganisms aren't contaminated [by more modern

elements], " said.

" Anything that would have hung around for 3,000 years that you could recover

and prove that it's not a contemporary organism (which is not easy to do)

would be such a huge scientific find that I hope I'm there to participate in

the discovery. "

Dangerous Digs?

Yet many archaeological dig sites do hold potentially nasty biological

surprises, according to Feder, professor of archaeology at Central

Connecticut State University in New Britain.

" There is science behind the fact that when you are disturbing deposits that

haven't been mucked around in a while, it's at least conceivable that you

can expose yourself to some evil stuff, " Feder said.

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Feder is co-editor of the book 'Dangerous Places: Health, Safety, and

Archaeology.'

Researchers on most archaeological digs are surrounded by dust—and exposed

to whatever it may contain.

" An old joke about archaeology is that when you go home after a hard day in

the field and blow your nose, you blow out dirt, " Feder said. " Clearly you

have been breathing it in, and if you have been exposed to molds, spores, or

fungi that lay dormant in the earth, there is at least a possibility of being

exposed to some nasty stuff. " Many fungi are found in soil and often fostered

by small ground animals and their feces-filled tunnels.

Yet despite the presence of molds, bacteria, and other nasties, most

archaeological sites, including tombs, have proven safe for science and tourism

alike.

In fact, the real mummy curses may be curses on tombs, rather than on modern

visitors. " There are countless examples of tombs being infected by people,

rather than tombs infecting people, " the University of Hawaii's

explained.

" The opening of these tombs by people who are eager to make discoveries

without a mind on how to conserve and protect them can expose [the tombs] to

enormous damages. Moisture [has spawned] mold literally growing on walls and

destroying paint and other artifacts. As many tombs as they've opened, they've

had to close because of damage from tourists. "