Well I know Copper pipe plumbing is bacteriostatic, and that bacteria can‘t grow in the copper pipeswhich means it‘s probly a lot safer than lead which made them sick and die quite a bit
Lead piping in the aqueducts didn't effect the health of the Romans very much. Within a few months, calcification coated the inside of the lead pipes, thus eliminating any traces of lead poisoning in the water supply.As the aqueduct system was completed well before the imperial period, lead poisoning through the water supply could not have occurred under the empire. The effects of lead poisoning came from other sources. Romans used lead oxide to sweeten the strong flavour of their wine. The rich also stored wine in lead amphorae and wine was often drunk out of lead cups by the general population. Lead oxide was also the basis of many cosmetics and make-up used by Roman women. So, lead poisoning was a factor in poor health during the Roman Empire, but not because of the lead piping in the aqueduct system.
Yep, the lead would also rust and make lead oxide which is poisonous
you are totally correct. There is in fact also evidence from human remains that the make-up they used contributed considerably to the decline of the rRoman Empire. I know it sounds ridiculous, but you have to remember that upper class women often used mercury based bleaching agents for their facial cream. Mercury accumulates in your bones and can cause severe brain damage in your offspring. Hence, one can argue there was a gradual decline in the IQ of Rome's elites. Indeed, if one looks at the actions of one Caracalla, Caligula, Honorius, or Romulus Augustulus you will get the impression that these guys were not the sharpest tools in the shed.
