The Sheffield lead poisoning scandal

Mike Collins on how Sheffield water supply caused lead poisoning in 1885-1900 , the subsequent investgations and actions taken. Reports of a significant increase in the incidence of lead poisoning emerged in Sheffield in the 1880’s. Occupational causes such as file cutting and smelting were common at this time but were not thought to be the cause because many sufferers were not engaged in these industries. The increased incidence was specific to certain parts of the city that were supplied with water from the reservoirs at Redmires. Mr J. Sinclair White, the Medical Officer for Health (MOH) for Sheffield 1885-1887, concluded that the Redmires water, being slightly acidic due to surrounding peat, damaged the lead supply pipes leading to excessive lead in the domestic water supply. The MOH recommended that the Redmires water should be run over limestone to render it alkaline and that taps should be run before use. However, disputes and controversy led to delays in the implementation of the MOH’s recommendations by the Corporation. Eventually, the Corporation sought the advice of external experts in 1890. The experts agreed with the MOH and suggested that lime was added to the Redmires water at source. This led to a reduction in lead poisoning in the city. The difficulties in Sheffield received national attention at the time but the solution arrived at was applied successfully in other cities with similar problems. In this talk, Mike Collins will explore the roles played by the MOH, the Corporation, the Water Board, the local newspapers and national medical press. This will conclude with a description of the parallels between the Sheffield experience and the lead poisoning controversy in Flint, Michigan in 2014 and ask the question: “could this happen again? Our speaker Mike Collins is a retired radiologist having lived in Sheffield for almost 50 years. Since retirement, Mike has developed an interest in the history of medicine particularly that related to Sheffield. He was President of the British Society for the History of Medicine when its Congress met at the University of Sheffield in 2021