Buyer beware: Those mummified remains might carry toxic spores

Mummified human and animal remains can contain hazardous heavy metals such as arsenic, mercury and lead, and may harbor dormant bacteria, yeasts and toxic fungal spores that can reactivate under poor storage conditions. Documented incidents include a 1962 case of inhalable poisonous spores, a 2013 study of microbial growth in Palermo’s Capuchin Catacombs, and a 2012 identification of Aspergillus, Penicillium and Stachybotrys species in the crypts of Krakow’s Church of St. Peter and Paul.