The Summary
- Lead pollution likely dropped the average IQ in ancient Rome by 2.5 to 3 points, a study found.
- The research is based on an analysis of lead concentrations in ice cores extracted from Greenland.
- The findings offer evidence that lead may have contributed to Rome s downfall, a question historians and experts have debated for decades.
According to recent study, the airborne levels of hazardous lead in ancient Rome were so high that they probably caused the average person’s IQ to plummet by 2.5 to 3 points.
The study, which was released on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences publication, raises long-standing concerns about whether or not lead contamination contributed to the fall of the empire.
After connecting lead discovered in Greenland ice samples to ancient Roman silver smelters, the scientists concluded that a large portion of Europe would have been impacted by the astounding quantity of background pollution they generated.
The amount of lead that most likely entered Roman bloodstreams and the impact that would have had on their cognitive abilities were ascertained by the researchers using studies on lead exposure in contemporary civilization.
Even today, lead, a potent neurotoxin, poses a threat to public health. Your body cannot contain any amount of it safely.Among other consequences, exposure is linked to learning difficulties, reproductive troubles, mental health problems, and an increased chance of hearing loss.
The new study’s findings, according to its researchers, are the first definite illustration of pervasive industrial contamination in recorded history.
According to Joe McConnell, a climate and environmental scientist at the Desert Research Institute, a nonprofit research site in Reno, Nevada, human or industrial activities were already affecting human health on a continental scale 2,000 years ago. Lead pollution from the Roman era is the first clear-cut illustration of how humans affect the environment.
The Greenland ice sheet concealed the tale of the old pollution.
Important hints regarding the nature of previous habitats can be gleaned from the chemical makeup of the ice there and in other polar regions. The molecules trapped within provide a sort of timeline as snow falls, melts, and compresses to produce layers of ice.
“Year after year of environmental history, you built up this layer cake,” McConnell remarked.
Scientists can quantify characteristics like atmospheric carbon dioxide in previous climates or, in this case, lead concentrations across time by drilling, retrieving, and processing large cylinders of ice.
After examining three ice cores, the researchers discovered that variations in lead concentrations over the course of about a thousand years correlated with significant moments in Rome’s economic history. For instance, when Rome established authority over modern-day Spain and increased silver output in the area, the level climbed.
According to McConnell, 10,000 ounces of lead could be produced for every ounce of silver. The Romans were mining and smelting silver for their currency and economy, which resulted in a significant amount of lead being released into the atmosphere.
According to McConnell, lead would cling to dust particles in the air throughout the smelting process. A tiny portion of the particles were deposited in Greenland after being blown.
After calculating the concentration of lead in Greenland’s ice, the researchers utilized climate modeling tools to calculate the amount of lead that the Romans must have been releasing into the atmosphere in order to poison Greenland to the level that was seen.
The team then examined current data on lead exposure to ascertain the health impacts of atmospheric lead during the Pax Romana, an era of calm in the empire that lasted from 27 BCE to 180 AD.
The average lead exposure, according to the researchers, was roughly one-third of what it was in the US prior to the Clean Air Act and during the height of leaded gasoline consumption in the late 1970s. According to McConnell, Roman children were exposed to almost twice as much lead as children in the United States today.
The researchers hypothesize that the people in Iberia (present-day Spain) who lived closest to silver mines would have had the highest levels of lead in their blood.
According to McConnell, almost no one managed to get away.
However, because Romans were exposed to lead through other means, such as lead drinking goblets, lead plumbing, and wine sweetened in lead-lined jars, the results probably do not fully capture the extent of lead’s negative health effects in ancient Rome.
Dr. Bruce Lanphear, a lead specialist and health sciences professor at Simon Fraser University in Canada, who was not engaged in the study, claimed that lead was present throughout ancient Rome. He stated that the authors realize that the new research is limited because it solely evaluates atmospheric lead.
According to Lanphear, these figures are probably understated.
Nevertheless, the study provides evidence that exposure may have contributed to the decline of ancient Rome, which could rekindle continuing discussions about the impact of lead.
For many years, historians and medical professionals have argued over whether and to what extent lead played a role in the demise of the empire. In the 1980s, researchers hypothesized that the elites of Rome suffered from gout and unpredictable conduct as a result of drinking excessive amounts of wine tainted with lead.
Although it was only one cause, I firmly believe that lead played a role in the fall of the Roman Empire. According to Lanphear, it’s never just one thing.
The majority of historians believe that Rome collapsed for a variety of causes, such as plagues, economic issues, and climatic changes, according to Joe Manning, a history professor at Yale University. According to Manning, it’s critical to keep in mind that life expectancy in ancient Rome was just 25 to 30 years, making it a difficult place to survive.
Under no circumstances would you want to enter an old world city. You wouldn’t want to go there at all. Manning stated, “They’re filthy, sick, and there’s dysentery everywhere.” In addition to the lead, there are extremely unhygienic circumstances.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!