White Lead Workers: The Victorian Job That Slowly Poisoned You

Send us Fan Mail 💬 White paint was used everywhere in Victorian Britain. The trouble was, the pigment that made this paint so useful was deadly. For the people working in the white lead factories, this job was said to be deadlier than being a soldier. Early chemical jobs were notoriously hazardous, but white lead workers are said to have had it worst of all. We’ve known about white lead’s toxic and deadly qualities for thousands of years. Despite this people - like Queen Elizabeth I - wore it as make-up. ⚡In this episode we find out how this trade became increasingly dangerous as industrialisation ramped up the need for white paint. From blue gums to seizures, discover the health consequences of breathing in the lead dust - and why women usually took on this role. Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your host: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: [email protected] Image Credits: Cracking lead paint: Ich, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Lead paint: Thester11, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0 via Wikimedia Commons  Lead worker gums: Barts Health Archives, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Titanium White: Østfoldmuseets arkiv Sources: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OW18930302.2.62 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/women-lead-industries-3879/fulltext https://www.victorianlondon.org/disease/white-lead.htm https://linseedpaint.com/blog/the-history-of-lead-paint/  https://theconversation.com/dying-for-makeup-lead-cosmetics-poisoned-18th-century-european-socialites-in-search-of-whiter-skin-176237 Support the show