For Richard Turner and his wife, 1862 was a desperate year. Starting in February of this year, their children contracted mysterious illnesses one after another and died one after another in just a few months. Eventually, their last remaining child, three-year-old Ann Amelia Turner, developed the same symptoms. She became extremely weak, unable to swallow, and passed away in agony.
Initially, local doctors thought the children were suffering from diphtheria, a respiratory infection that was very common in the 19th century and killed many children.
But things seem a little strange:Several of the Turner children fell ill and died one after another, but everyone else in close contact with them was safe. This was not like a sign of an infectious disease.
Finally, through the examination of Ann Amelia's body tissue, chemist Letheby finally discovered the truth:The unfortunate little girl died of arsenic poisoning. What killed her was the green wallpaper decorating her bedroom wall.
Victorian wallpaper pattern|JOHNTODDMERRICK&COMPANY,LONDON,UK,1845
Deadly pop of color
In 19th-century Europe, pursuing fashion was far more dangerous than it is today.
A delicate celluloid hair comb may burst into flames when exposed to heat, an elegant beaver hat must be processed with highly toxic mercury salts, and a fascination with bright emerald green may lead to death called arsenic poisoning.
The history of arsenic-containing green pigments begins with a species called"Scheele's Green"material begins.
Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele first obtained it in the laboratory in 1775. Arsenic trioxide is slowly added to the heated sodium carbonate solution, then copper sulfate is added, and the product is filtered and dried to obtain a green powder that is a bit like matcha in color. Its chemical composition is copper hydrogen arsenite.
Twenty-five years later, a more vivid emerald green pigment was created. It is often called "Pairs green" or "emerald green", and the chemical ingredient behind it is copper acetate arsenite.
Both green pigments are highly toxic. According to the words of the time, "just a few grains can kill someone" (one grain is equivalent to approximately 65 milligrams).
A jar of Paris green, which was also a rat poison at the time | Madame Talbot
This green pigment can be seen in the works of famous painters such as Van Gogh and Turner. At the same time, it has also become popular in people's lives to a surprising extent.
A true "Victorian fashion colour", they were used to make printed wallpaper, artificial flowers, wrapping paper and clothing, and even appeared in food and children's toys.
An article published in the British Medical Journal in February 1862 stated,The woman in the arsenic-green dress carried "enough poison to kill all the admirers she met in half a dozen dance halls."
Arsenic Green Dress |MONNINJacques/WIKIMEDIACOMMONS
ghost on wall
To be fair, it wasn't just green pigment that was problematic at the time, but the bright Paris green and the gorgeous wallpaper it made were iconic.
VICTORIAN WALLPAPER PATTERN|CORBIE?RE,SON&BRINDLE,LONDON,UK,1879
In Europe and the United States in the 19th century, bright and gorgeous wallpaper patterns were very popular.
Many wallpapers depict floral patterns or large-scale natural scenery. To express their beauty, you need to use bright green paint on a large area.
Arsenic green pigment is not easy to fade and is low-cost, so it is naturally favored by wallpaper manufacturers.
In fact, when these pigments came out, some people already raised concerns.
In 1815, the German chemist Leopold Gmelin pointed out in a newspaper that using arsenic pigments for wallpaper was dangerous, but it was not until the mid-19th century that these dangers really began to receive attention.
"Mary Magdalene" by British painter Frederick Sandys. This painting was created in 1859. The background of the painting is also the green wallpaper that was very popular in this era.
Beginning in the 1850s, numerous cases of poisoning were published in newspapers, magazines, and medical journals, beginning with the story of the Turner family.
Large swathes of wallpaper were torn off the Turner home, and it was played with by children and eaten. This is the most dangerous situation.
But even adults who would never lick wallpaper can't escape the green ghost's curse.
Many cases at that time showed thatJust staying in a room with arsenic-containing wallpaper is enough to cause a series of poisoning symptoms such as headaches, sore throats, nausea, dizziness, and eye inflammation.
Some people also find that they are always feeling unwell at home, and going out to recuperate can relieve symptoms.
But this is not because the environment of the resort is pleasant, but because the hotel where they live is reluctant to decorate the room with gorgeous arsenic wallpaper...
Why can’t I avoid arsenic poisoning even if I don’t lick or touch the wallpaper?
An important question is thatPowders of these green pigments always fall off the wallpaper, forming toxic dust that is inhaled by the occupants.
A good dye should bond firmly to the paper or fabric, but arsenic green pigment simply sticks to the surface in powder form. The surface of these wallpapers will be "glued" (size), but it often cannot play a sufficient fixing role. Over time, the green on the wallpaper will gradually fade, and various things in the room will be covered with a layer of green "dust".
In addition, under the influence of humid environment and mold, the arsenic pigment in wallpaper will undergo chemical changes, producing trimethylarsine gas with a garlic smell, which may also be harmful to health.
Victorian wallpaper pattern | Jules Desfosse, Paris, France, 1879
Hard to guard against
So can you just take off the wallpaper and sit back and relax? Not necessarily.
The application of these green pigments in the 19th century was so common that even if people were not pursuing gorgeous decoration, they might be affected in unexpected places.
For example, a Boston doctor who was plagued by finger pain eventually discovered that the cause was the playing cards he was playing that were colored with toxic arsenic pigment.
At a children's home in Massachusetts where children continued to have trouble breathing and two babies died, it turned out the problem was nurses' uniforms - which also contained arsenic-based paint.
Exposure to arsenic-containing paint causes fingers to turn green and skin ulcers |WellcomeCollection
In the mid-19th century, European countries gradually began to legislate to ban the use of arsenic-containing pigments in daily necessities, but only in the United Kingdom, the ban was delayed - this was related to the interests of arsenic mining and wallpaper manufacturing.
death of working woman
Arsenic-green dresses irritate the skin, and arsenic-containing wallpapers cause headaches and nausea, but it is not consumers who bear the greatest risk, but the people who produce them.
In the process of mining and processing arsenic ore, and decorating products with green pigments, workers are exposed to doses of poisons that far exceed those of consumers. Even when faced with a hostile work environment, they may have no choice.
The death of young female worker Matilda Scheurer is the most famous case among them. On November 20, 1861, at the age of 19, she died painfully of chronic arsenic poisoning.
Scheurer's job was to color the artificial flower ornaments, which were made from wax and whose leaves were colored with Paris green powder—a process that undoubtedly kicked up a lot of toxic dust.
In the 18 months before her death, she had fallen ill four times due to the same cause.
Newspaper reports at the time stated,She vomited green water, her eyes and fingers turned green, and she had convulsions every few minutes in the hours before her death.
A satirical cartoon titled "Arsenic Waltz" published in the British magazine Punch in 1862, depicting a skeleton wearing an arsenic dress and artificial flowers
In order to copy the beauty of nature, people chose Scheele green and Paris green, but the consequences of these pigments are completely opposite to "fresh and natural". Now if you look at those Victorian wallpaper patterns again, you will find them quite ironic in their beauty.