# Kowal 1991: Source identification of lead found in tissues of sailors from the Franklin Arctic Expedition of 1845

> Walter Kowal, Owen B. Beattie, Halfdan Baadsgaard et al., 1991. 4 records on Mysteries Department cite it. The lead-isotope basis of the lead poisoning…

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D59JNV25W71/source-identification-of-lead-found-in-tissues-of-sailors  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
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[Sources](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources)[Franklin expedition (HMS Erebus and HMS Terror)](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/franklin-expedition)Kowal 1991

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# Source identification of lead found in tissues of sailors from the Franklin Arctic Expedition of 1845

Walter Kowal, Owen B. Beattie, Halfdan Baadsgaard et al., 1991. _Journal of Archaeological Science 18(2): 193-203_.

Lead isotope ratios in tissues of the three sailors buried on Beechey Island in 1846, exhumed in the 1980s, compared with the solder of the expedition's tinned food; the match was read as evidence that the tins were the main source of lead.

**Franklin expedition (HMS Erebus and HMS Terror)** Articledoi: **[10.1016/0305-4403(91)90048-t](https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-4403(91)90048-t)** Checked against the original0

## What it's used for here

The lead-isotope basis of the lead poisoning hypothesis.

## Cited by on this site 4 records

[Lead from the solder of the tinned food, or from the ships' water systems, poisoned the crews.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/franklin-expedition/answers/ANS0D59K0B06ECJ/lead-from-the-solder-of-the-tinned-food-or-from-the-ships)

Answer

ANS

[The Beechey Island graves of John Torrington, John Hartnell and William Braine](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/franklin-expedition/artifacts/ART0D59KCHM3VJ6/the-beechey-island-graves-of-john-torrington-john-hartnell)

ART

[Lead isotope ratios in Beechey Island sailors matched the solder of the expedition's tins.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/franklin-expedition/evidence/EVD0D59K0JT4732/lead-isotope-ratios-in-beechey-island-sailors-matched-the)

Evidence

EVD

[The Franklin expedition (HMS Erebus and HMS Terror)](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/franklin-expedition)

The mystery article

MYS

## Cite it

```
Kowal, W., Beattie, O. B., Baadsgaard, H., & Krahn, P. M. (1991). Source identification of lead found in tissues of sailors from the Franklin Arctic Expedition of 1845. Journal of Archaeological Science 18(2): 193-203. https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-4403(91)90048-t
```

[Find it at doi.org](https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-4403(91)90048-t)

Key

**SRC** 0D59JNV25W71

Kind

Journal article

Rights

The publisher's

Kept

27 Oct 2026, for editors

Checked

Against the published article

Added by

[apollo](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)

The record

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