Apart from sanitation, medicines, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health, what did the Romans ever

Roman Empire’s use of lead lowered IQ levels across Europe, study finds

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2025-01-07 03:00:04

Apart from sanitation, medicines, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health, what did the Romans ever do for us? asks an exasperated Reg in Monty Python’s Life of Brian.

One answer, according to a new study, is widespread cognitive decline across Europe, courtesy of the vast quantities of lead pollution churned out by the booming metals industry that shaped the empire.

Researchers have said the massive expansion of mining and the processing of metal ores in particular caused airborne lead pollution to soar during the peak of the empire, leading to an estimated 2- to 3-point drop in IQ across the land.

“It’s amazing that we were able to quantify atmospheric air pollution over Europe nearly 2,000 years ago and assess potential health impacts on the ancient Roman civilisation,” said Dr Joseph McConnell at the Desert Research Institute in Nevada.

“Our findings demonstrate that anthropogenic emissions from industrial activities have resulted in widespread damage to human health for over two millennia, which is pretty profound in my view,” he added.