Canadian scientists from Macwon University, Lakehead University and other research organizations have disproved the hypothesis that Sir John Franklin's Arctic expedition was killed by lead poisoning. The researchers found no traces of heavy metal in the remains of the crew members. This is reported by the Gizmodo edition.
The expedition took place in 1845-1848 on two ships - HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. Its goal was to locate a corridor through the Northwest Passage that leads from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and is often covered with solid ice. In 1846, the ships were trapped in an ice trap near King William Island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The crew members survived two wintering periods, but in April 1848 most of the crew left the ships and went south. None of the 129 travelers survived.
The ships were found only in 2014-2016. The bodies of some of the crew members were also found. The results of their analysis showed that the sailors probably died of hunger, tuberculosis and scurvy, but experts called lead poisoning, which was used to make cans, as the main cause of death.
In the new work, the scientists tested three key hypotheses. First, those who died later must have had higher levels of lead in their bones than those who died earlier. Secondly, all crew members in the bone tissue, which was formed shortly before death, the concentration of heavy metal should have been higher than in older bones. Finally, the skeleton of the sailors of the lost expedition should, in general, have more lead than other members of the British Navy. However, all three assumptions were refuted.
According to the researchers, although the exact cause of the death of the Franklin expedition is still unknown, people could die due to a combination of various factors, including hunger, cold and various diseases.