AA 2000 Volume 32 Issue 2

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Loodvergiftiging in antieke Rome
(University of the Free State, 2000) Retief, Francois; Cilliers, Louise
English: Lead was known to the ancients from at least the fourth millennium BC, but its utilisation increased markedly during Roman times, when it became a health hazard. Mines and smelting furnaces caused air pollution; lead was extensively used in plumbing; domestic utensils were made of lead and pewter; lead salts were used in cosmetics, medicines and paints. As a microbicide, lead was also utilised in the preservation of food. A grape juice concenrrate (sapa) commonly used as a sweetener was prepared by preference in lead containers. Roman writers commented on the toxicity of lead but classic chronic lead poisoning was first described in the seventh century AD. Skeletal lead content increased significantly in the Roman era, but peaked at a level only 41-47% of that of modern Europeans. The authors suggest that chronic lead poisoning did not contribute significantly to the fall of the Roman Empire in the West.