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Re: lead in tank?



Wright Huntley wrote:
>If someone out there can document the toxicity of metallic lead, not
>dissolved by gastric acids, I would like to know of it. Then I can shut up
>about this little piece of urban folklore. Until that happens, I'll happily
>use lead anchors when I need them (which is almost never). I'll also repond
>whenever anyone uses that emotion-laden press word, "toxic," without
>justifying the use of such a scare word.

I haven't reaearched lead toxicity at all, but I do remember a documentary I 
saw on the Discovery Channel about an expedition in the early 1800s to fine the 
"Northwest Passage".  This particular expedition's food supplies were canned 
with lead sealant, and for that matter, about 20 times more lead than was 
necessary (big lead globules inside the cans).  The expedition tried to winter 
on one of the islands north of the Canada mainland, but they all died.  When 
the remains of the expedition members were unearthed from the permafrost and 
studied, the researchers found significant signs of lead poisoning.  The 
journals found at the site indicated that the members of the team went insane 
prior to dying.

What does this have to do with aquariums?  The only commonality is the lead.  
Given this, I decided quite a while back to leave lead out of my aquariums and 
find other ways of securing my plants. 

David W. Webb
Enterprise Computing Provisioning
Texas Instruments Inc. Dallas, TX USA
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