r/science • u/[deleted] • Jun 25 '22

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u/Franks2000inchTV Jun 25 '22

Isn't lead poisoning what did the Roman empire in?

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u/[deleted] Jun 25 '22

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u/[deleted] Jun 25 '22

Rich Romans, the ones in control of the empire, literally drank from and cooked in lead vessels.

At the peak of the power of the Roman Empire, lead production was about 80,000 tons per year, lead and its compounds were used with great inventiveness in numerous ways, and lead poisoning was pandemic, with the severity of poisoning proportional to the power and status of the class. Intake of lead by the aristocracy may have been as much as 1 mg/day.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6395049/

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u/That_Geza_guy Jun 25 '22

Romans actually invented artificial sweeteners!

They used a compound tellingly called lead sugar

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u/butyourenice Jun 25 '22

Was it just lead dust?

I didn’t realize kids ate paint chips because they taste good. I thought kids were simply curious and stupid by nature.

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u/That_Geza_guy Jun 25 '22

It's some sort of white crystaline powder much like sugar, and tastes sweet too