Re:Social dynamics of toxic metal industry in medieval Europe
by hobo123 on Sunday October 25, 2026 @03:16AM
(#50229088)
Lead is very flexible and was used even in the last century in Germany for I think roof transitions, fresh water pipes etc. I inherited a nice town house from 1900 which still has lead pipes, but I let them install new ones so the old ones are now dead in the walls as a piece of history.
[ Parent
| on HN ]
Re:Social dynamics of toxic metal industry in medieval Europe
by hobo123 on Sunday October 25, 2026 @03:19AM
(#50229105)
I think the idea was that water pipes will build up a later of calcium anyway, so they aren't harmful.
In Germany there are probably tons of lead pipes still in existence and and only from 2026 is there a law that they all _have_ to replaced (previously they could stay as long as the water lead content was in the permitted range, but I don't think anybody ever checked).
Re:Social dynamics of toxic metal industry in medieval Europe
by marcosdumay on Sunday October 25, 2026 @01:00PM
(#50233659)
Right... Maybe in that 20% of the world that has mostly calcium rocks.
Water tends to slowly eat away calcium, not the other way around.
Re:Social dynamics of toxic metal industry in medieval Europe
by tpm on Sunday October 25, 2026 @04:31AM
(#50229437)
In the UK lead pipes were legal to install until 1970s.
Re:Social dynamics of toxic metal industry in medieval Europe
by enopod_ on Sunday October 25, 2026 @07:36AM
(#50230537)
Same in Switzerland. I work in a building built in the 70s, after the ban of lead, but the plumbers used up their old stock of lead piping before buying new stuff, so the tap water in the building still contains lead. (just under the legal treshold to take action, yay)
Re:Social dynamics of toxic metal industry in medieval Europe
by platinum95 on Sunday October 25, 2026 @05:06AM
(#50229612)
Lead flashing is still in use for roofing elsewhere in the EU. Most of the builders yards near me have rolls of it.