It is common knowledge that the Romans made water piping and drinking vessels from lead 2,000 years ago. There are anecdotes that use of lead may have caused the fall of the Roman Empire. Whether or not those anecdotes are true, the fact remains that lead poisoning is real threat to human health. It is interesting that it has taken us 2,000 years to pass laws to prohibit the use of lead in materials that we use in our daily lives. Lead pipes were so common in 20th century plumbing that they were incorporated as a murder weapon in the popular family game Clue which was released in 1949.
I think we are all aware of activities and substances that are not good for our health. As humans, we have a habit of giving into our baser impulses. Having the right to make bad decisions is sometimes known as “adulting.” What makes lead poisoning so harmful is that it affects the youngest and most innocent among us. Infants and young children are particularly vulnerable, with one of the worst effects of lead poisoning being irreversible brain damage. Unborn children are the most at risk of suffering from high levels of lead.