Produced by: Manoj Kumar
The Roman Empire’s dominance came with a hidden cost: air laden with toxic lead silently affecting lives across Europe.
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Ice-core data reveals a shocking rise in atmospheric lead levels from 100 BCE to 200 CE, tied to intense Roman metal mining and smelting.
Roman-era children carried three times the lead in their blood compared to modern US kids, researchers estimate.
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Studies suggest a 2.5 to 3-point IQ drop across the empire, impacting millions of lives, per Nathan Chellman of the Desert Research Institute.
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Lead pipes and vessels directly poisoned Roman elites, compounding the atmospheric threat for urban populations.
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Even rural Romans faced danger; lead-tainted air and soil contaminated crops, livestock, and water, warn global researchers.
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Lead pollution remains a “longest-running epidemic,” echoing ancient impacts seen today in diminished intelligence.
Blood lead levels have dropped to 0.6 µg/dl in modern US children, yet Roman kids likely averaged 3.4 µg/dl, the study finds.
Hydrologist Joe McConnell calls it groundbreaking, as PNAS-published research links ancient pollution to human impacts.