Overview
- A peer‑reviewed paper led by the University of Staffordshire, published in mid‑August, analysed 128 online listings and documented a measurable international trade in mummified body parts.
- More than half of the listings involved heads and many showed remains openly displayed in homes with no safety guidance provided by sellers.
- The team found photographic evidence that items have been mailed through ordinary postal services, including a transatlantic shipment identified by Royal Mail postage marks.
- Thirteen listings displayed visible suspected fungal colonisation and six showed extensive biodeterioration, and the authors warn that disturbing remains can release airborne spores linked to serious infections such as aspergillosis.
- Researchers note that historic embalming used toxic metals including arsenic, mercury and lead, they urge the public to report sales, and they call for clearer guidance and stronger oversight across marketplaces, postal services and customs, with no coordinated regulatory response yet reported.