Portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) spectroscopy is commonly used for testing toxic levels of heavy metals in modern industrial waste sites, and it has seen growing applicability in the context of archaeological survey and soils. In this study, we present the results of our pXRF analysis of surface soils at a historic silver refinery located near Puno, Peru, in the western Lake Titicaca Basin. The results of our analysis identified hazardous levels of antimony (Sb), arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb) in excavation soils, necessitating the relocation of planned excavation units and the use of personal protective equipment. This study highlights the advantages of rapid, in situ pXRF analysis of surface soils in contaminated industrial archaeology sites to assess potential harm to human health.

中文翻译：

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考古土壤中的重金属

便携式 X 射线荧光 (pXRF) 光谱通常用于测试现代工业废物场地中重金属的毒性水平，并且在考古调查和土壤方面的应用越来越广泛。在这项研究中，我们展示了我们对位于的的喀喀湖盆地西部秘鲁普诺附近历史悠久的银精炼厂地表土壤的 pXRF 分析结果。我们的分析结果确定了挖掘土壤中的锑 (Sb)、砷 (As)、汞 (Hg) 和铅 (Pb) 的危险水平，因此需要搬迁计划的挖掘单元并使用个人防护设备。本研究强调了在受污染的工业考古遗址中对表层土壤进行快速原位 pXRF 分析以评估对人类健康的潜在危害的优势。