vintage computers and lead poisoning? - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

5 Jun 2004

On Jun 6,  3:59, Ethan Dicks wrote:
...
  On Sat, Jun 05, 2004 at 06:04:30PM -0600, Kevin Handy
wrote:
 > But then there was the Roman "artificial sweetener" (powdered
lead).
...

 Lead Acetate, IIRC... used to sweeten wines.  ISTR a scandal or two in
...
  the 20th C. in Europe (Austria?) involving lead
acetate adulteration of
...
  wine by a vinyard. 
It wasn't lead acetate, it was ethylene glycol, aka antifreeze.  Tiny
amounts of glycol occur naturally in some wines and help to give a
smoother flavour.  Someone decided that a little extra would be even
better :-)

-- 
Pete						Peter Turnbull
						Network Manager
						University of York