30th November 2006, 03:14 PM
Hmmm... I've been trying to find out if what I said earlier about the use of quicklime and its detrimental effects on skeletal remains is true. I've managed to google at least one report that indicates that it may even act to preserve bones rather than degrade them. Then again, this could be a combination of this subtance with the burial conditions, ground moisture etc? Any scientists out there got any answers? All I know for sure is that quicklime is commonly thought to hasten decomposition. However this may just impact on soft tissue. Nonetheless I have seen extremes of preservation in close proximity that appeared to reflect local variations in the subsoil.