5 ms·

If the Romans knew lead pipes made water unhealthy, how did we end up with so much lead piping? (I'm not asking the question as a refutation, I'm genuinely curi

If the Romans knew lead pipes made water unhealthy, how did we end up with so much lead piping? (I'm not asking the question as a refutation, I'm genuinely curious - was this a lesson we forgot??)

mike_hearn 11y ago
You could also ask why lead was used for gasoline when it was known that lead was toxic. The reason is simple. People knew it was toxic and caused brain damage ('madness' in Roman terms) at high levels of exposure. What they didn't realise is that very small levels of exposure could cause an internal buildup over time and cause steady mental degradation. If someone is exposed to massive heavy metal poisoning and immediately goes crazy, the correlation is obvious. If an entire generation slowly gets more violent and crime rates go up, then it's much, much harder to spot the issue because everyone is changing at the same time.
- Houshalter 11y ago
  Almost everything is poisonous in large doses. This really complicates such research.
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
- orionblastar 11y ago
  In the USA alcohol was prohibited in the 1920s, and there was a knocking problems with gas engines going over a certain speed that needed to be fixed. They tried different additives until they found lead works. People got sick on the exhaust but the industry covered it up. It wasn't until later that it was discovered that people got sick on the lead in the exhaust that they switched to ethanol an alcohol based on corn. Prohibition was over by decades by then and ethanol was healthier than lead and solved the knocking problem plus farmers made money growing corn to add to the gas. Lead paint was the same way, they hid the fact that it made people sick so they could sell more of it. Lead pipes or copper pipes with lead soldier was used the same way and the safety risks were hidden to people as well. Lead is a neurotoxin and leads to mental illnesses and brain damage. People effected might have violent outbursts and get arrested for crimes. If there is lead in the water supplies of the poor neighborhoods that minorities live in it could be the cause of crime by those who drink the water, bathe in it, cook with it, etc. This is being hidden as well and just now is being reported on by some news media companies. Corporations get away with stuff like that because of the ignorance of the public and their short-term memories. Lead has always been a neurotoxin but people tend to forget that and it gets covered up when it is used in products and pipes and other stuff.

If the Romans knew lead pipes made water unhealthy, how did we end up with so much lead piping? (I'm not asking the question as a refutation, I'm genuinely curious - was this a lesson we forgot??)

mike_hearn 11y ago

You could also ask why lead was used for gasoline when it was known that lead was toxic. The reason is simple. People knew it was toxic and caused brain damage ('madness' in Roman terms) at high levels of exposure. What they didn't realise is that very small levels of exposure could cause an internal buildup over time and cause steady mental degradation. If someone is exposed to massive heavy metal poisoning and immediately goes crazy, the correlation is obvious. If an entire generation slowly gets more violent and crime rates go up, then it's much, much harder to spot the issue because everyone is changing at the same time.

Houshalter 11y ago
Almost everything is poisonous in large doses. This really complicates such research.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
orionblastar 11y ago
In the USA alcohol was prohibited in the 1920s, and there was a knocking problems with gas engines going over a certain speed that needed to be fixed. They tried different additives until they found lead works. People got sick on the exhaust but the industry covered it up. It wasn't until later that it was discovered that people got sick on the lead in the exhaust that they switched to ethanol an alcohol based on corn. Prohibition was over by decades by then and ethanol was healthier than lead and solved the knocking problem plus farmers made money growing corn to add to the gas. Lead paint was the same way, they hid the fact that it made people sick so they could sell more of it. Lead pipes or copper pipes with lead soldier was used the same way and the safety risks were hidden to people as well. Lead is a neurotoxin and leads to mental illnesses and brain damage. People effected might have violent outbursts and get arrested for crimes. If there is lead in the water supplies of the poor neighborhoods that minorities live in it could be the cause of crime by those who drink the water, bathe in it, cook with it, etc. This is being hidden as well and just now is being reported on by some news media companies. Corporations get away with stuff like that because of the ignorance of the public and their short-term memories. Lead has always been a neurotoxin but people tend to forget that and it gets covered up when it is used in products and pipes and other stuff.