Water through Lead Pipes

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We are frequently told of the deleterious effect upon the system, of water which passes through a lead pipe, but only occasionally are we made sensible of the extent of the danger. Several days ago a gentleman living a few miles out of the city, caught a couple of trout and placed them in a trough, the water of which was supplied through a lead pipe, intending to keep them there. In less than three hours they were both dead. Suspicious ot the reason of this sudden death, he determined to make another trial, and placed in the trough another trout. The same result followed in less time, and he made a third experiment. The result was still the same, and he considers it a settled fact that a trout, a native of the pure, sparkling stream, cannot live in a lead-impregnated water. If such water is poisonous enough to kill fishes, it cannot be without its destructive effects upon the human system.— [Manchester (N. H.) Democrat. The boiler of locomotive No. 58, New York and Erie Railroad,exploded on the 16th inst., by which eleven persons were instantly killed and several others wounded. The cause was over pressure.

Scientific American Magazine Vol 8 Issue 42This article was published with the title “Water through Lead Pipes” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 8 No. 42 (), p. 331
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican07021853-331d

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