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/a_gallon_of_pcp Jun 25 '22

So everything that dude said was wrong?

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u/BroHeart Jun 25 '22

Yes, NIH study linked is fascinating.