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That sentence in the wikipedia article doesn't cite any sources to support the claim that lead acetate was used in paint. It only links to the article for lead

That sentence in the wikipedia article doesn't cite any sources to support the claim that lead acetate was used in paint. It only links to the article for lead acetate. It's unfortunate but common on wikipedia, and in this case serves only to perpetuate the myth of "sweet paint chips".

lostlogin 5y ago
> serves only to perpetuate the myth of "sweet paint chips". I wasn’t aware of it being a myth and there are reference to sweet lead paint every time I read about lead. I believe it was in the white paint and an older painter has assured me it gives an excellent finish that lasts well without yellowing. It seems the Romans even used it as a sweetener. Why do you think it isn’t sweet and lead acetate wasn’t in paint? https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/lead-acetate https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sci... https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/savoring-danger-sugar-lead-was-used-flavor-roman-food-and-wine-toxic-021771 https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/s...
- nate_meurer 5y ago
  See my earlier response to @sokoloff, who helpfully posted an article debunking the myth of sweet paint chips. Lead acetate is sweet, no doubt, and it is possible that it was used in small quantities as a drier in old oil-based finishes, however I've seen no actual evidence of this, and even if it was, the quantities are unlikely to be sufficient to be detectable at all, especially years later. When we talk about lead paint, the lead is in the form of pigments such as lead oxides, carbonate, or chromate. These pigments constituted a large propertion of the paint, and it's these pigments that present the lead poisoning hazard. Lead acetate is not a pigment-- it was only ever used as a drier-- and it would make absolutely no sense to add it in any significant quantity to pigmented paint, because the pigments are themselves very effective driers. And indeed, I've never seen evidence that lead acetate was ever used in any significant quantities in paint. The legend about the Romans using it to sweeten drinks and sauces is historically verifiable.

lostlogin 5y ago

> serves only to perpetuate the myth of "sweet paint chips". I wasn’t aware of it being a myth and there are reference to sweet lead paint every time I read about lead. I believe it was in the white paint and an older painter has assured me it gives an excellent finish that lasts well without yellowing. It seems the Romans even used it as a sweetener. Why do you think it isn’t sweet and lead acetate wasn’t in paint? https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/lead-acetate https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sci... https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/savoring-danger-sugar-lead-was-used-flavor-roman-food-and-wine-toxic-021771 https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/s...

nate_meurer 5y ago
See my earlier response to @sokoloff, who helpfully posted an article debunking the myth of sweet paint chips. Lead acetate is sweet, no doubt, and it is possible that it was used in small quantities as a drier in old oil-based finishes, however I've seen no actual evidence of this, and even if it was, the quantities are unlikely to be sufficient to be detectable at all, especially years later. When we talk about lead paint, the lead is in the form of pigments such as lead oxides, carbonate, or chromate. These pigments constituted a large propertion of the paint, and it's these pigments that present the lead poisoning hazard. Lead acetate is not a pigment-- it was only ever used as a drier-- and it would make absolutely no sense to add it in any significant quantity to pigmented paint, because the pigments are themselves very effective driers. And indeed, I've never seen evidence that lead acetate was ever used in any significant quantities in paint. The legend about the Romans using it to sweeten drinks and sauces is historically verifiable.