Lead and health
Sir, — It might be pen> tinent to say again that history is the fount of society’s knowledge of itself — of its successes and failures. The lessons of history can help society’s survival into the future. One of the reasons, probably the main one, for the fall of the Roman Empire, was lead poisoning. The lead can still be detected in the bones of the ancient Romans. They used lead water pipes and lead utensils. But, by far the most devastating factor was that they put lead acetate into their wine to sweeten it. Our society is being threatened by the lead in petrol. Increasing amounts of lead are being detected in Arctic and Antarctic ice. To get there, it must be spread through the whole atmosphere to a considerable height. The brain damage caused by atmospheric lead, however slight, might explain society’s growing acceptance of many social aberrations, some of which are self destructive. — Yours, etc..
G. K. MURROW. January 24, 1979.
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Press, 27 January 1979, Page 14
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165Lead and health Press, 27 January 1979, Page 14
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