Lead
The Grim Reaper
No. 3 in a never-ending series. Autumn 1992
The Romans made their water pipes from lead, all went mad, and their empire collapsed. We clearly never learned from them because we're still putting it in petrol. Who knows how much damage has been done?
Lead has been used as a petrol additive for years to improve engine performance. Unfortunately no one stopped to think that when petrol is burned lead is emitted fron the exhaust. As the Romans found out it has never been a particularly good idea to ingest lead. It was withdrawn from paint some years ago. This was because everyone knew it was a neurotoxin causing damage to the brain and to the central nervous system. However the petrol Barons couldn't give a toss and continued to chuck in the poison. Moreover, they knew that it was only by reducing the I.Q. of the human race that people would be daft enough to continue buying cars.
This is what lead does to humans. Foetuses and young children are particularly susceptible to the toxic effects which can result in both mental retardation and behavioural problems. High concentrations may cause malformation of the foetus and can cause serious liver damage. Lead is retained in the body for several months and as a result may accumulate unless remedial action is taken. According to Greenpeace, levels of lead found in the blood of children still often exceed safety guidelines. It easilly enters the foodchain, for example on green leafy vegetables.
Lead dust is relatively heavy and doesn't go far from roads but it goes far enough to be a major problem to us all. Unlike pollutant gases it takes a long time to disperse from the environment.
Atmospheric lead decreased in the mid '80s due to reductions in lead in petrol but then increased in the late '80s as traffic and congestion increased. Lead is once again on the decrease and in Bristol is generally below the EC directive limits. However it is questionable whether there is a safe level for lead. The problem will be with us for years to come, even when all cars have gone lead free as lead in dust has a long half life and will be rotting our brains for a long while yet.
The Grim Reaper
