Tea and lead?

[bigbore442001]

I have been doing a lesson plan on the Boston Tea Party and one of the things that I noticed was that the tea from the East India Company was shipped in 100 to 400 lb chests. The chests were lined with sheets of lead.

This may sound silly, but I was wondering how much lead exposure our forefathers were exposed to when they imbibed tea? I tried to look that question up but couldn't really find anything on it.

By the way, I had the kids make loose leaf tea and drink it without any sugar. It was rather amusing seeing them drink PG tips , loose tea when they are so used to having everything sicky sweet. :haha:

 

[Swampman]

Lead came in many forms during the day. Most paints and varnishes, most pottery glazes, nearly all tinware and pewter, contained lead. I think the problem is overrated. On the otherhand, many people didn't live long enough for it to be a problem. The doctors were more likely to kill you than lead. That fact hasn't changed all that much. :winking:

 

[bnail]

I think Swampman's right. Lead was a ubiquitous presence in the 18th century. I've seen numerous plates repaired with lead seams. and early pewter contained lead. with all this exposure, you'd think that the population over all would have exhibited more obvious signs of lead poisoning.
look at the deterioration of the Franklin expedition. they set sail from England in the 1840s with the modern "advantage" of tinned food. the few exhumed bodies revealed large traces of lead. Historians are starting to connect some of the clues thus far discovered with lead poisoning from the lead solder used in sealing the cans; now this was concentrated lead exposure! and I'd think this is what would be needed for us to see the obvious effects of lead poisoning in any historical sense.
Just think, many of our parents and grandparents' generations had lead pipes, and they don't seem much the worse for it. I think the key is in the concentrations of lead.

Finally,
I'm not up on the etiquette of tea, but I think Englishmen (colonials included) drank their tea with milk and sugar when they didn't have to.

 

[shmrck1]

You know i have always wondered if we quit eating
and drinking everything the government says if we
will live forever. I hope not because they can not
pay for the people living to 70 now. I don't want to live forever i just want to LIVE till the day
I die. My thoughts only, and i know I'm off topic
and apologize.
snake-eyes :hmm:

 

[bwhoffman]

You know i have always wondered if we quit eating
and drinking everything the government says if we
will live forever. I hope not because they can not
pay for the people living to 70 now. I don't want to live forever i just want to LIVE till the day
I die. My thoughts only, and i know I'm off topic
and apologize.
snake-eyes :hmm:

Snake eyes, you got the goverment part plugged dead square on the head.
Factor in the testing they do on us and our military( more things we dont have a clue about) and they can keep us dying off at an "equitable) age.

I totally enjoy your choice of words in this post!

Thanks,
Brett sr

 

[pondoro]

I think dry tea would absorb less lead than water in the Roman plumbing, which would abrorb less than canned food which probably was canned hot and may have contained acid.