Lead Pollution Affects IQ

This is a Greenland news story, published by NBC News, that relates primarily to Roman news.

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lead exposure

NBC News

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Lead pollution in ancient Rome may have dropped average IQ by up to 3 points, study finds

Summary

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80% Informative

Lead was so pervasive in the air that it most likely dropped the average person’s IQ by 2.5 to 3 points.

The study is based on an analysis of lead concentrations in ice cores extracted from Greenland .

The researchers linked lead found in ice samples from Greenland to ancient Roman silver smelters.

Roman lead levels were roughly twice what American children are exposed to today .

Researchers in the 1980s suggested that Rome ’s elites were stricken with gout and erratic behavior because they drank copious amounts of lead-laced wine.

Historians and medical experts have for decades debated whether lead contributed to the empire's downfall.

Most researchers think Rome fell for myriad reasons, including plagues and economic problems.

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Neutral language

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semi-formal

Language

English

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