question: Why do preserved bodies immediately start deteriorating after being exposed to air?
comment: Same reason why canned food last much longer than food being left out in the open. A lot of bacteria and other organisms that decompose organic matter heavily rely on having a supply of oxygen to grow. The tomb was acting like a seal not allowing oxygen in so no growth of bacteria could take place and decompose the corpse.
passages: Section::::Preservation.
  
  SCFs are best preserved in anoxic conditions with limited thermal maturity; the presence of oxygen is particularly deleterious at high temperatures.
  
  Section::::Biota.
   Some animal species are better equipped than humans to detect hypoxia, and these species are more uncomfortable in low-oxygen environments that result from inert gas exposure; however, the experience is still less aversive than CO exposure.
  
  Section::::Physiology.
   Section::::Treatment.:Complications.
  
  High incidence of relapse after hyperbaric oxygen treatment due to delayed cerebral edema.
  
  Section::::Epidemiology.
  
  In terms of the epidemiology of air embolisms one finds that the "intra-operative" period to have the highest incidence. For example, VAE in neurological cases ranges up to 80%, and OBGYN surgeries incidence can climb to 97% for VAE (vascular air embolism). In divers the incidence rate is 7/100,000 per dive.
  
  Section::::Other organisms.
  
  Air embolisms generally occur in the xylem of vascular plants because a fall in hydraulic pressure results in cavitation. Falling hydraulic pressure occurs as a result of water stress or physical damage.
   Organic materials are porous by nature, which means that they are greatly affected by changes in the moisture levels of their surroundings. Overly moist conditions can lead to growth of fungi on protein materials like human remains, which is one of the most common risks they face. Alternately, low-humidity conditions can potentially cause protein materials to crack, split, and shrink.
   Section::::Animal slaughter.
  
  Section::::Animal slaughter.:Relation to controlled atmosphere killing.
   Section::::Chemistry.
  
  Bynesian decay usually starts when specimens are stored or displayed for considerable periods of time in an enclosed space. The storage method itself usually causes this problem, when containers, cabinets or display cases are entirely or partially made of wood, plywood or other wood products such as Masonite, or when the specimens are surrounded by, or in contact with, various other kinds of materials that are cellulose-based and can turn water vapor acidic.
   Manner of burial: Speedy burial can slow putrefaction. Bodies within deep graves tend to decompose more slowly due to the diminished influences of changes in temperature. The composition of graves can also be a significant contributing factor, with dense, clay-like soil tending to speed putrefaction while dry and sandy soil slows it.
  
  Light exposure: Light can also contribute indirectly, as flies and insects prefer to lay eggs in areas of the body not exposed to light, such as the crevices formed by the eyelids and nostrils.
  
  Section::::Factors affecting putrefaction.:Endogenous (internal).
   A new tragic experience persuaded me that air could also carry decaying organic matter. In November of the same year, an individual was admitted with a discharging carious left knee. […] the ichorous exhalations of the carious knee completely saturated the air of her ward. In this way the other patients were exposed and nearly all the patients in that room died. […] The ichorous particles that saturated the air of the maternity ward penetrated the uteruses already lacerated in the birth process. The particles were resorbed, and childbed fever resulted.
   The rate of putrefaction is greatest in air, followed by water, soil, and earth. The exact rate of putrefaction is dependent upon many factors such as weather, exposure and location. Thus, refrigeration at a morgue or funeral home can retard the process, allowing for burial in three days or so following death without embalming. The rate increases dramatically in tropical climates. The first external sign of putrefaction in a body lying in air is usually a greenish discoloration of the skin over the region of the caecum, which appears in 12–24 hours. The first internal sign is usually a greenish discoloration on the undersurface of liver.
   Section::::Factors affecting decomposition of bodies.:Anaerobic vs aerobic.
  
  Aerobic decomposition takes place in the presence of oxygen. This is most common to occur in nature. Living organisms that use oxygen to survive feed on the body. Anaerobic decomposition takes place in the absence of oxygen. This could be place where the body is buried in organic material and oxygen can not reach it. This process of putrefaction has a bad odor accompanied by it due to the hydrogen sulfide and organic matter containing sulfur.
  
  Section::::Factors affecting decomposition of bodies.:Artificial preservation.
   Over time, taxidermy specimens can accumulate layers of dust, dirt, and other airborne pollutants, especially if they are house on open shelving or display. Additionally, cases and containers made of unstable materials can off gas pollutants, such as H2s, SO2, formaldehyde, peroxides, and organic acids, which can damage the surfaces of taxidermy.
  
  Section::::Causes of deterioration.:Environmental damage.:Light.
  
  Fading of fur, feathers, and skins is almost exclusively caused by improper lighting conditions, such as long-term exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. UV light can come from both natural and artificial lighting sources.
  
  Section::::Causes of deterioration.:Environmental damage.:Temperature.
   Section::::Predisposing factors.
  
  Although the occurrence of DCS is not easily predictable, many predisposing factors are known. They may be considered as either environmental or individual.
   Biologists who study the physiology of organisms are under time pressure: They must dissect the organisms before they deteriorate. Colleen Cavanaugh, a microbiologist from Harvard, needs animals that are alive and not starved; once they've been away from their vent too long, even if they've been sitting in a box on the ocean floor, they start to digest the symbiotic bacteria in which she is interested.
   Specimens may lose fur or feathers when exposed to warm environments because the high temperature causes residual fats in skins to release.
  
  Section::::Causes of deterioration.:Environmental damage.:Humidity.
   The damage to specimens is unfortunately not reversible; however, the decay can be arrested by washing or soaking the specimens in water, followed by a very thorough drying. The specimens must then be placed in an environment that consists of only archival materials, in a completely archival setting.
  
  Section::::Pyrite disease.
   Pieces of input are discarded if they are already badly rotten, or show green or black mould. These harbour putrefying organisms which may overwhelm the fermentation.
  
  Large items, and shapes with holes or depressions, can create air pockets which degrade the anaerobic environment. However most such items can be cut, crushed or broken up, so in practice this excludes only strong bones or similar.
  
  Section::::Characteristics.:Emissions.
  
  Section::::Characteristics.:Emissions.:Carbon, gases and energy.
   Section::::Effect of environmental conditions.:Burial.
  
  Burial retards the rate of decomposition, in part because even a few inches of soil covering the corpse will prevent blowflies from laying their eggs on the corpse. The depth of burial, the nature of the soil, and the temperature and moisture content of the soil all affect decay.
  
  Section::::Effect of environmental conditions.:Wet Environments.
   Low temperatures generally slow down the activity of blow-flies and their colonization of a body. Higher temperatures in the summer favor large maggot masses on the carrion. Dry and windy environments can dehydrate a corpse, leading to mummification. Dryness causes cessation in bacterial growth since there are no nutrients present to feed on.
  
  Section::::Factors affecting decomposition.:Access.
   Microorganisms also play a vital role, raising the temperature of the decomposing matter as they break it down into yet simpler molecules. Not all materials need to be fully decomposed. Coal, a fossil fuel formed over vast tracts of time in swamp ecosystems, is one example.
  
  Section::::In biology.:Natural selection.
   The next item of interest is oxygen deficiency, questioning how oxygen deficiency impacts the brain is an important part of comprehending why ASC occurs when there is oxygen deprivation in an environment.
  
  Section::::Induction methods.:Pathologies/other.:Infections.
   Short term effects can be seen in acutely fatal circumstances, but other sublethal consequences can include impaired reproductive ability, reduced growth, and increase in diseased population. These can be attributed to the co-stressor effect. When an organism is already stressed, for example getting less oxygen than it would prefer, it doesn't do as well in other areas of its existence like reproduction, growth, and warding off disease. Additionally, warmer water not only holds less oxygen, but it also causes marine organisms to have higher metabolic rates, resulting in them using up available oxygen more quickly, lowering the oxygen concentration in the water even more and compounding the effects seen. Finally, for some organisms, habitat reduction will be a problem. Habitable zones in the water column are expected to compress and habitable seasons are expected to be shortened. If the water an organism's regular habitat sits in has oxygen concentrations lower than it can tolerate, it won't want to live there anymore. This leads to changed migration patterns as well as changed or reduced habitat area.
   It is a common misconception that anaerobic conditions are necessary for the preservation of soft tissue; indeed much decay is mediated by sulfate reducing bacteria which can only survive in anaerobic conditions. Anoxia does, however, reduce the probability that scavengers will disturb the dead organism, and the activity of other organisms is undoubtedly one of the leading causes of soft-tissue destruction.
  
  Plant cuticle is more prone to preservation if it contains cutan, rather than cutin.
  
  Plants and algae produce the most preservable compounds, which are listed according to their preservation potential by Tegellaar (see reference).
  
  Section::::Disintegration.
   With death, the microbiome of the living body collapses and a different composition of microorganisms named "necrobiome" establishes itself in order to help with the complex decomposition process. Its predictable changes over time are thought to be useful to help determine the time of death.
  
  Section::::Environmental health.
  
  Studies in 2009 questioned whether the decline in biota (including microfauna) as a result of human intervention might impede human health, hospital safety procedures, food product design, and treatments of disease.
  
  Section::::Migration.
   It might be expected that fish would flee the potential suffocation, but they are often quickly rendered unconscious and doomed. Slow moving bottom-dwelling creatures like clams, lobsters and oysters are unable to escape. All colonial animals are extinguished. The normal re-mineralization and recycling that occurs among benthic life-forms is stifled.
   BULLET::::- Aerobes—these species require oxygen to grow, yet their nitrogenase is still debilitated if exposed to oxygen. "Azotobacter vinelandii" is the most studied of these organisms. It uses very high respiration rates, and protective compounds, to prevent oxygen damage. Many other species also reduce the oxygen levels in this way, but with lower respiration rates and lower oxygen tolerance.
  