Water purity, lead pipes

Of the Romans, Vitruvius (1st century BC) mentions that water impregnated with lead was injurious On Architecture, viii, 3), and noted the pallid appearance of lead workers. Horace (1 st century BC) is another of the writers of antiquity to mention the purity of water in relation to lead pipes. In a letter to an old friend, he extolled the virtues of living in the countryside, comparing amongst other things, the purity of town water to fresh countryside water. 

This may be verified by observing the workers in lead, who are of a pallid color for in casting lead, the frunes from it fixing on the different members, and daily burning them, destroy the vigor of the blood water should therefore on no account be conducted in leaden pipes if we are desirous that it should be wholesome. That the flavour of that conveyed in earthen pipes is better, is shown at our daily meals, for all those whose tables are furnished with silver vessels, nevertheless use those made of earth, from the purity of the flavor being preserved in them [43.2],... 

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