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The dust masks are pretty standard when working in any such site. Nothing to do with protection against a potential chemical or biological hazard. It simply wou
by close04 8y ago
The dust masks are pretty standard when working in any such site. Nothing to do with protection against a potential chemical or biological hazard. It simply wouldn't help.
But the site was most likely evacuated because of the smell and the fact that the local workers were reluctant to work in conditions that most of them considered to be dangerous. I would call it a needless precaution, definitely not a real danger. When a myth is too entrenched in people's minds fighting it will bring no benefit. It's easier to go along out of an excess of precaution and then go back to work when "all is safe".
- Cthulhu_ 8y agoDidn't a bunch of people that visited Tutanchamun's tomb die? Mold spores iirc, or is that an urban legend?
- stryan 8y agoThis was discussed in the article. The financial backer for the expedition died from an infected mosquito bite but nothing else went wrong. > "We don't know of even a single case of either an archaeologist or a tourist experiencing any negative consequences [from bacteria or tomb moulds],"
- alpaca128 8y agoThe linked article mentions that one of the people involved died due to an infection after a mosquito bite in the same time period, but that there's no known case where anyone was injured due to stuff in the tomb.
- mirimir 8y agoSure, and H2S poisoning is rather diabolical. In that exposure nukes odor receptors quickly, so victims don't realize that they're receiving fatal doses.