It's weird that lead, which is not very volatile or reactive, is so deadly to us. I'm guessing the reason it was used to make water supply lines was that it would not decay or fail or react with the water. A lead-pipe cinch, as they used to say. Remember when Superman, weakened by kryptonite, had to tell Jimmy and Lois to use the drain plpe to block off the rays that were killing him?
Pretty sure the house where lived in Denver 1974-82, that was built in 1924, had a lead supply line, and that may explain my manifold failings.
A couple months ago when my sister said,'What's the big deal with Flint? We grew up with lead pipes in Cleveland" I did NOT say, "maybe that's why you're such a dumfuck."
Within my collection of obscure antiques is a can of white lead, which was used in the days of old to lubricate pipe dies when cutting threads, long after lead pipes were passé. It was also used as a pigment in oil based paints. It's a wonder we all don't have to wear helmets.
Could be worse. Some family of mine picked up some [vaseline glass].
And in the electronics front, as Microsoft announces the end of its production, let us take a moment to remember the original run of the Xbox 360, its lead-free solder (a relatively new thing), its chip creep (because apparently they suck at designing around lead-free solder), and the resulting Red Ring of Death that gave us so many memes!
(PS3 had a similar issue but the news wasn't as widespread, probably because they changed hardware revisions so frequently.)
I've seen vaseline glass in a museum display before, now I wonder how safe that exposure could be? It was one of those things that kids find to be so fascinating, black light and all.
I knew a couple of old miners who lost their teeth way prematurely due to mercury exposure. Makes me thankful all my vocation cost me was my hearing. And skeletal stability. And pride…
The Latin word for lead is "plumbum," hence the symbol and the reason we call the people who extort a king's ransom for replacing a faucet washer "plumbers." Wikipedia sez: "Plumbing reached its early apex in ancient Rome, which saw the introduction of expansive systems of aqueducts, tile wastewater removal, and widespread use of lead pipes. With the Fall of Rome both water supply and sanitation stagnated—or regressed—for well over 1,000 years.". So it must have been possible to smelt the lead-bearing ore at relatively low temperatures.
![800px-Roman_baths_lead_pipes_01[1]](http://wonkville.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/800px-Roman_baths_lead_pipes_011-720x384.jpg)
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It's weird that lead, which is not very volatile or reactive, is so deadly to us. I'm guessing the reason it was used to make water supply lines was that it would not decay or fail or react with the water. A lead-pipe cinch, as they used to say. Remember when Superman, weakened by kryptonite, had to tell Jimmy and Lois to use the drain plpe to block off the rays that were killing him?
Pretty sure the house where lived in Denver 1974-82, that was built in 1924, had a lead supply line, and that may explain my manifold failings.
A couple months ago when my sister said,'What's the big deal with Flint? We grew up with lead pipes in Cleveland" I did NOT say, "maybe that's why you're such a dumfuck."
Or perhaps putting water in your engine to begin with explains your manifold failings.
Within my collection of obscure antiques is a can of white lead, which was used in the days of old to lubricate pipe dies when cutting threads, long after lead pipes were passé. It was also used as a pigment in oil based paints. It's a wonder we all don't have to wear helmets.
Could be worse. Some family of mine picked up some [vaseline glass].
And in the electronics front, as Microsoft announces the end of its production, let us take a moment to remember the original run of the Xbox 360, its lead-free solder (a relatively new thing), its chip creep (because apparently they suck at designing around lead-free solder), and the resulting Red Ring of Death that gave us so many memes!
(PS3 had a similar issue but the news wasn't as widespread, probably because they changed hardware revisions so frequently.)
I've seen vaseline glass in a museum display before, now I wonder how safe that exposure could be? It was one of those things that kids find to be so fascinating, black light and all.
Never played a game console, though.
Speaking of deadly substances NPR ran a story about poor gold miners, one of whom was standing knee deep in a 55 gal barrel of mercury.
I knew a couple of old miners who lost their teeth way prematurely due to mercury exposure. Makes me thankful all my vocation cost me was my hearing. And skeletal stability. And pride…
So is lead toxic to all life forms? It's pretty common in the environment, right?
The Latin word for lead is "plumbum," hence the symbol and the reason we call the people who extort a king's ransom for replacing a faucet washer "plumbers." Wikipedia sez: "Plumbing reached its early apex in ancient Rome, which saw the introduction of expansive systems of aqueducts, tile wastewater removal, and widespread use of lead pipes. With the Fall of Rome both water supply and sanitation stagnated—or regressed—for well over 1,000 years.". So it must have been possible to smelt the lead-bearing ore at relatively low temperatures.
The sweetness of lead in paint primer was why kids would eat lead paint in houses.