Health

I knew about the lead in the pipes but the rain wasn't acidified then to the extent it is now, so surface water didn't tend to leach as much lead out of the plumbing. They did, however, get massive poisoning from sour wine in lead cups. It should be pointed out that the ancient Romans preferred the sweeter white wines to the sour reds, which they mostly exported along with the worst lead poisoning to their honchos on the frontiers. It might explain why several governors of Britannia decided to go conquer Rome because they wanted to be Caesars.

Lead pipes were common in the early US, also. Acid rain made it worse in places that got their drinking water from ground water, like Boston. We were told to run the water for at least 10 minutes before we used it for cooking or drinking or brushing our teeth. They have since replaced the lead with other materials. I imagine it still tastes fishy from algae.