Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length.

[funtimefrankie]

The decline of the Roman Empire has been blamed on water supplies running through lead pipes. 

Would it no be the rise of the Roman empire that produced lead pipes?

[funtimefrankie]

Although most lead water pipe has been removed now if you think you have any in your system then I suggest you run the tap down the waste for a short while first thing in the morning.

Our pipe is still lead from the street to the stop tap under the sink, I would think that with 80 years of lime scale it will be  OK, it's not afected my brain after 40 years  ::)(in this house) 
Anyway....
Our bog gets a few flushes in morning before any serious tea/coffee making goes on

[Roger in France]

Lead is particularly pernicious as the brain develops in babies and young children. You may be alright but I bet you have always head suspicion about your kids!

A story: Many, many years ago I successfully prosecuted a major British Company who supplied paint containing lead way above the maximum permitted by the relevant Regulations. Before the matter came to court I was harangued by the Chief Executive of the Company who told me that he employed some of the best scientists in the world, how did I dare argue with his Company.

After being shown his scientists report I told him I was sure his scientists were the best in the world but they were lousy lawyers as they had only tested for soluble lead and not total lead which is what the Regs. limited. After all, as I told him, babies and children don't just lick their toys and cots painted with your product they chew them as well!

Roger in France.

[Garabaldy]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_poisoning

Stavros is right, its not funny!

[Damien]

My grand father was a house painter and always drank lots of milk, i never thought much about it until i worked as a storeman at Commonwealth Aircraft in Melbourne, i was given the oil/paint store on my own & was provided with 600ml of milk twice a day because i was working with lead based paint, I was told the milk puts a coating on any lead consumed and stops it's absorption into the body.
Just made me damned sick as years later i was found to be Lactose intolerent now when handling lead i drink lactose free milk.
Damien.

[Colin H]

Sheet lead is made to produce roof flashing's and if you watch a professional he/she will use tin snips to cut it. He/she may well have two or three different pairs but for general use you can't be a pair of 10" straight blade Gilbows. A craft knife works well but you stand far more chance of ending up with stitches.

No need for gloves but please WASH your hands well before eating your sandwich's.

As pointed out by other members its is melting lead that can be dangerous, first it burns and if your skin is damp you will get very badly scolded. The most deadly time is if you overheat the lead pot. the fumes are highly toxic and the lethal dose quite small.

If you ever see a lead pot shimmering and with a dull red surface turn the heat off and RUN like hell.

As a plumber I have used lead in all its forms for 46 years and have the scars to prove it.

Yours Colin H.

[Roger in France]

My mother always used to scold me if I was damp! Sorry, couldn't resist it - nasty so and so that I am.

The bit about milk is an awful old wives tale with no scientific basis whatever. mind you if drinking the milk made you vomit, that could help!

As I said before the main threat is to babies and youngsters. The human body has no mechanism for discarding lead and so, sadly, its ingestion can have a cumulative effect.

Roger in France.

[Bryan Young]

Apropos of nothing really, but one of my last jobs was a stint based in Split during the "problem period"...plenty of time to meander around the locality. There is a huge aqueduct that feeds watr into Split. It is Roman, still in use, and according to my interpretors is still lined with the original lead. Must be good stuff.
Up here in Northumberland the lower slopes of Cheviot are riddled with ancient lead mines. But even the "museums" don't really tell me how lead was discovered. For the life of me I cannot imagine a Neanderthal guy looking at a bit of rock and thinking "if I heat this thing up a bit, a heavy shiny liquid will come out of it". Any ideas on how it was discovered?