Lead and nearly all its compounds are dangerous and secret poisons; when received into the system, it frequently remains dormant for years, and then suddenly manifests itself in various forms of disease.
What is the disease called “painter’s colic”?
A disease to which painters and others working in lead are liable, in consequence of receiving into their system, imperceptibly, portions of lead.
Is it dangerous to sleep in, or breathe the air of, a room newly painted with paints containing lead?
It is highly dangerous, since the air is filled with a vapor of the lead compound used as paint.
Why are some waters, when conveyed through lead pipe, poisonous?
Waters which are very pure and contain much oxygen dissolved in them; waters which contain nitric acid compounds, such as those flowing from the vicinity of barn-yards, manure heaps, and those which contain common salt or organic matter, as water flowing from swamps and fields; waters containing soluble carbonates—all dissolve lead from the pipes through which they may be made to pass. Constant use of such waters, in the process of time, will introduce sufficient lead into the system to produce disease, which is often attributed to other causes.
What is verdigris?
Verdigris is a compound of copper, oxygen, and acetic acid. This, and all the compounds of copper, are very poisonous. The most efficacious antidotes for poisoning with copper are white of eggs and milk.