Toxic lead harmed the ancient Romans

A new study has found that when ancient Romans used to mine for silver, they accidentally exposed themselves to high levels of lead pollution. Lead is a toxic metal found in the Earth’s crust that can be harmful to people’s health. Researchers think the Romans would have breathed in enough to lower their intelligence. Historians already knew that Romans were exposed to lead in their day-to-day lives. Lead was in the pipes that their tap water came from, the pots they cooked food in and the medicines they used. However, a team from the Desert Research Institute in Nevada, the US, had a theory that there was also lead pollution in the air. Ancient texts say that Romans used to get silver from a material called galena, which they would…

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The Week Junior (UK) (Digital) - 1 Issue, 475

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