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by dathinab 321 days ago
also lead flavoring

lead tastes sweet, sugar wasn't cheaply & widely available, honey is expensive etc.

and knowledge about lead poisoning was not really a think AFIK

at the same time lead pipes tend to gain a crust of chalk over time (depending on chalk content of the water) which mostly defuses their danger. Like you will find some very old houses with lead tape water pipes in the EU today but if you test their tape water you won't find (much of) an issue due to 1) the chalk 2) the water not staying long in the pipe if it's e.g. a 4 apartment house.
1 comments
fernmyth 321 days ago
Here's Vitruvius in "De Architectura" claiming it's common, easily verified knowledge: https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Vitruvius...

Of course, him mentioning "Don't do this" suggests that lead water pipes into the home were common enough to need a warning against.

link
dathinab 321 days ago
interesting

> "Don't do this" suggests that lead water pipes into the home were common enough to need a warning against.

sadly, they still are today sometimes, in areas with a lot of 125+year old infrastructure :/

link