Living in the shadow of a volcano is not easy. Take a look, for example, at the ancient Romans who lived near Vesuvius in Pompeii. In 79 A. D. e. a volcanic eruption occurred, which covered the city with several meters of ash and pumice, killing many of its inhabitants. Undoubtedly, this event turned out to be one of the most difficult in the life of the people inhabiting Pompeii, but new research suggests that their lives were not easy for many decades before this catastrophic eruption.
Frequent poisoning
The results of the study, published in the journal Toxicology Letters, indicate that the ancient inhabitants of Pompeii may have had frequent exposure to poisoning, which led to daily problems such as vomiting, diarrhea, liver and kidney damage. The culprit for these poisonings was most likely the local pipeline.
For the study, scientists analyzed a piece of pipeline found at an excavation site in Pompeii and found that it contained dangerously high levels of antimony.
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Pipeline problems
Although plumbing was mostly a luxury that only the wealthy residents of the city and its elite had access to, the Romans are well known for building plumbing systems that existed throughout their empire.
These plumbing and sewerage systems kept the city in a satisfactory state of health (by old standards, of course), but archaeologists had previously suggested that the pipeline was causing public health problems due to lead poisoning. Moreover, some historians have even concluded that the fall of the Roman Empire was partly due to the fact that most people suffered from lead poisoning.
"However, this statement was not always true," said study author Kaare Lund Rasmussen of the University of Southern Denmark in a statement. - The pipeline is quickly calcined, which prevents lead from entering the drinking water. In other words, the drinking water was poisoned with lead for short periods, for example, after the pipes were laid or after repairs."
How antimony affected the inhabitants of the city
This new study suggests that the biggest problem could be antimony. Lead poisoning is usually a long and slow process. With prolonged exposure, lead causes damage to the brain, central nervous system, liver, kidneys and bones.
However, the effect of antimony on the body is significantly different. This poisoning occurs quickly and causes acute symptoms. In mild cases, it is diarrhea and vomiting, but in severe cases, antimony can lead to cardiac arrest.
This toxic chemical is often found in groundwater near volcanoes. On the one hand, this indicates that the rest of the Roman Empire did not experience poisoning caused by antimony, but on the other hand, it suggests that in some individual cities this problem was quite acute.
One thing is for sure: the famous ruined city probably had problems long before the eruption of Vesuvius, namely acute symptoms of poisoning due to improper water supply.
Anna Pismenna