A study published in the International Journal of Cultural Property warns that the online trade in mummified human and animal remains poses serious health risks, as sellers offer no safety guidance despite clear signs of biodeterioration. Collectors are exposed to two hazards: toxic substances such as arsenic, mercury and lead historically used in preservation, and dormant micro-organisms that can reactivate and multiply, particularly when remains have been stored poorly. Researchers link this modern trade to the long-standing "mummy's curse" legend, arguing that unregulated online sales have amplified demand for such items without any accompanying awareness of the dangers involved.

The paper cites several historical cases to illustrate the risks, including a 1962 discovery of poisonous fungal spores in mummified remains capable of causing respiratory illness, and 2012-2013 studies finding fungi such as Aspergillus, Penicillium and Stachybotrys in crypts and catacombs in Poland and Sicily. Most strikingly, Aspergillus flavus spores are believed to have killed 10 of 12 scientists who opened a 15th-century Polish royal tomb in 1973. The article also revisits the Tutankhamen "curse", noting that Lord Carnarvon actually died of blood poisoning from an infected mosquito bite rather than fungal exposure, and that of 58 people present at the tomb's opening, only eight died within 12 years — undermining the curse narrative while still underscoring genuine modern risks from the unregulated remains trade, according to co-author Kirsty Squires of the University of Staffordshire.