History
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USE IT EVEN IF IT HURTS..... For years and maybe centuries people have found uses for the lead. And for years they've known that this amazing metal is very deadly. The debate on whether we should use it or not still goes on...
The ancient people thought lead was the "father of all metals". The lead was so important and useful to them that they thought it to be the roman god, Saturn (just like the planet!) In the ancient world, lead was used for many everyday purposes. It was used by all people, even the poor ones. Even though the rich people used it the most.
In ancient Rome, lead was used a lot. This is very strange since Romans actually knew that something was wrong with this metal. As a matter of fact, Romans found out that people who use lead a lot often show strange symptoms like madness, sickness, and death. You would think this would make them stop using the lead products. Instead, they made more and more products with lead. And used them regularly! Some important things made of lead in the ancient Rome were (See Products) The sad thing is that the more tools and weapons they made, the sicker they got. They mined more and more lead. Finally, they paid the price. Some people even think that it was the lead that crushed Rome. It is hard to understand why Romans continued using something they know causes disease and death...
But, lead's popularity did not stop with Ancient Rome. Plates and cups in Middle Ages were painted with lead paint! Weapons continued to contain lead and people continued to get ill! In America, lead came to the new world in Virginia where the first American colonies were settled. As soon as people settled in Virginia they started to mine lead and make everyday products out of it. The use of lead continued well into the 20th century. In the 20th century, cars were invented and became the part of everyday life. Soon people realized that adding lead to the gasoline will make it more efficient. No one thought of the effect that exhausts containing lead would have. So, people continued to use lead in everyday life. Paints, gasoline, ceramic dishes - lead was and still is a killer among us.
BUT WHY?
If people were aware that lead is dangerous, then why did they not stop using it? There are several reasons. First of all, lead was very useful. Also, what would you replace it with. So, people continued using it because it was convenient. What about the danger? From Roman times to the 20th century people thought that you have to be exposed to lots of lead at once to get sick! In other words, they thought that simply eating from a lead cup is not enough to get poisoned. They were SO wrong!
Scientist now know that there are two types of lead poisoning. The first one is called ACUTE - this is the type which is caused by exposure to lots of lead at once. We can see this type of poisoning with miners who mine lead. But there is the other type - this one is caused when you are exposed to a low amount of lead for a long period of time. Like eating from a lead-containing plate every single day or drinking the red wine that contains lead daily. Because symptoms did not come all at once and were not very severe at first, people thought it was safe to use lead in everyday life.
TRYING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM
In mid 1920's the USA Surgeon General thought something was wrong with lead. He figured this out because he noticed that many people involved in making and working with leaded gasoline were dying or becoming crazy! He made up a panel of scientists to investigate what was happening. But the panel came up with nothing- the use of leaded gasoline and other things containing lead product went on. And it went on for decades! It wasn't until 1970's that the Environmental Protection Agency decided to lower the amount of lead in the gasoline people put in their cars.
TODAY
Today you can see the sign "unleaded" on the gas stations in the USA. Around the world people have realized the dangers of lead and lead poisoning. Many countries have passed many laws that deal with lead in different products. But even today, there are still places and products that contain lead. It may be an old house painted with the lead paint or your grandmother's precious china set. Lead can also be found in water. Today there are many different ways to find lead around you. There are companies who find and destroy lead. You can also buy lead kit to test your own water, paint, plates, and other things around you to make sure that they are lead free. There are still places around the world that do not do enough to prevent lead poisoning.
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