History’s deadliest colors - J. V. Maranto

Najsmrtonosnije boje u povijesti - J. V. Maranto

Prevoditelj: Irma Komljenović Recezent: Ivan Stamenković

In 1898, Marie and Pierre Curie discovered radium.

1898., Marie i Pierre Curie otkrili su radij.

Claimed to have restorative properties,

Mislilo se da ima okrepljujuća svojstva,

pa se radij dodavao u paste za zube,

radium was added to toothpaste,

medicine,

lijekove,

water,

vodu

and food.

i hranu.

A glowing, luminous green,

Zbog sjajne, svijetle zelene boje,

it was also used in beauty products and jewelry.

korišten je u kozmetičkim proizvodima i nakitu.

It wasn't until the mid-20th century

Tek smo sredinom 20.-og stoljeća

we realized that radium's harmful effects as a radioactive element

shvatili da štetni učinci radija, radioaktivnog elementa,

outweighed its visual benefits.

premašuju njegove vizualne prednosti.

Unfortunately, radium isn't the only pigment that historically

Nažalost, radij nije jedini pigment u povijesti

seemed harmless or useful

koji se činio bezopasnim ili korisnim,

but turned out to be deadly.

za kojeg se ispostavilo da je smrtonosan.

That lamentable distinction includes a trio of colors and pigments

U te žalosne značaje spada i trio boja i pigmenata

that we've long used to decorate ourselves and the things we make:

koje već dugo koristimo za ukrašavanje sebe i predmeta koje pravimo:

white,

bijela,

green,

and orange.

zelena,

i narančasta.

Our story begins with white.

Naša priča počinje s bijelom.

As far back as the 4th century BCE,

Još u 4. stoljeću pr. K.,

the Ancient Greeks treated lead to make the brilliant white pigment we know today.

stari Grci su koristili olovo za stvaranje sjajnog bijelog pigmenta.

The problem?

U čemu je problem?

In humans, lead is directly absorbed into the body

Kod ljudi je olovo izravno upijeno u tijelo

and distributed to the blood,

i raspoređeno po krvi,

soft tissues,

mekanom,

and mineralized tissues.

i mineraliziranom tkivu.

Once in the nervous system,

U živčanom sustavu

lead mimics and disrupts the normal functions of calcium,

olovo oponaša i ometa uobičajene funkcije kalcija,

causing damages ranging from learning disabilities

što nanosi štete u rasponu od poteškoća u učenju,

to high blood pressure.

pa sve do visokog krvnog tlaka.

Yet the practice of using this toxic pigment

Ipak se navika korištenja tog otrovnog pigmenta

continued across time and cultures.

zadržala kroz vrijeme i kulture.

Lead white was the only practical choice for white oil or tempera paint

Olovna bijela bila je jedini praktični izbor bijele uljane boje ili tempere

until the 19th century.

sve do 19.-og stoljeća.

To make their paint, artists would grind a block of lead into powder,

Kako bi napravili boju, umjetnici bi samljeli komad olova u prah

exposing highly toxic dust particles.

izloživši se otrovnim česticama prašine.

The pigment's liberal use resulted in what was known as painter's colic,

Zbog slobodnog korištenja pigmenta došlo je do tzv. slikareva kolika,

or what we'd now call lead poisoning.

što danas zovemo trovanjem olovom.

Artists who worked with lead complained of palseys,

Umjetnici koji su radili s olovom žalili su se na paralize,

melancholy,

melankoliju,

coughing,

kašalj,

enlarged retinas,

povećane mrežnice,

and even blindness.

pa čak i sljepoću.

But lead white's density, opacity, and warm tone

Ipak, gustoća, neprozirnost i topla nijansa olovne bijele

were irresistible to artists like Vermeer, and later, the Impressionists.

bile su neodoljive umjetnicima poput Vermeera i, kasnije, impresionistima.

Its glow couldn't be matched,

Sjaj mu je bio nenadmašiv,

and the pigment continued to be widely used until it was banned in the 1970s.

pa je pigment naširoko korišten sve do njegove zabrane u 1970.-ima.

As bad as all that sounds,

Koliko god to loše zvučalo,

white's dangerous effects pale in comparison

opasne posljedice bijele blijede u usporedbi

to another, more wide-spread pigment, green.

s drugim, šire rasprostranjenim pigmentom, zelenom.

Two synthetic greens called Scheele's Green and Paris Green

Dvije sintetičke zelene, Scheeleova i Pariški zelena,

were first introduced in the 18th century.

predstavljene su u 18. stoljeću.

They were far more vibrant and flashy

Bile su puno vibrantnije i sjajnije

than the relatively dull greens made from natural pigments,

od dosadne zelene napravljene od prirodnih pigmenata,

so they quickly became popular choices for paint

pa su brzo postale popularniji izbor boje,

as well as dye for textiles,

uključujući i boje za tekstile,

wallpaper,

tapeta,

soaps,

sapuna,

cake decorations,

ukrasa za torte,

toys,

igračaka,

candy,

slatkiša,

and clothing.

te odjeće.

These green pigments were made from a compound called

Ove pigmente izgrađuje spoj koji se zove

cupric hydrogen arsenic.

bakrov hidrogen arsenat.

In humans, exposure to arsenic

Kod ljudi izloženost arsenu

can damage the way cells communicate and function.

može oštetiti funkciju i način komuniciranja stanica.

And high levels of arsenic have been directly linked

Visoke razine arsena u tijelu izravno su povezane

to cancer and heart disease.

s rakom i srčanim bolestima.

As a result, 18th century fabric factory workers were often poisoned,

Kao posljedica toga, radnici u tvornicama tekstila u 18. st. često su bili otrovani,

and women in green dresses reportedly collapsed

a žene u zelenim haljinama rušile bi se

from exposure to arsenic on their skin.

zbog izlaganja svoje kože arsenu.

Bed bugs were rumored not to live in green rooms,

Stjenice navodno nisu živjele u zelenim sobama,

and it's even been speculated that Napoleon died from slow arsenic poisoning

a neki misle da je Napoleon umro od sporog trovanja arsenom

from sleeping in his green wallpapered bedroom.

uzrokovanog zelenim tapetama u njegovoj spavaćoj sobi.

The intense toxicity of these green stayed under wraps

Izrazita toksičnost zelene boje ostala je skrivena

until the arsenic recipe was published in 1822.

do 1822. kad je objavljen recept za arsen.

And a century later, it was repurposed as an insecticide.

Sto godina kasnije, prenamijenjen je kao insekticid.

Sintetička zelena vjerojatno je najopasnija često korištena boja,

Synthetic green was probably the most dangerous color in widespread use,

but at least it didn't share radium's property of radioactivity.

ali barem nije radioaktivna, poput radija.

Another color did, though - orange.

Premda jedna druga boja je - narančasta.

Before World War II, it was common for manufacturers of ceramic dinnerware

Prije Drugog svjetskog rata, bilo je često da proizvođači keramičkog posuđa

to use uranium oxide in colored glazes.

koriste uranijev oksid kao glazuru u boji.

The compound produced brilliant reds and oranges,

Spoj je stvarao sjajne crvene i narančaste pigmente,

which were appealing attributes, if not for the radiation they emitted.

koji bi bili privlačni atributi, da nije bilo radijacije.

Of course, radiation was something we were unaware of until the late 1800s,

Naravno, o radijaciji nismo znali ništa sve do kasnog 19. stoljeća,

let alone the associated cancer risks, which we discovered much later.

a kamoli o poveznicama s rakom, o kojima smo saznali puno kasnije.

During World War II,

Tijekom Drugog svjetskog rata

the U.S. government confiscated all uranium for use in bomb development.

Američka vlada zaplijenila je sav uranij zbog izrade bombi.

However, the atomic energy commission relaxed these restrictions in 1959,

Međutim, odbor za atomsku energiju oslabio je ta ograničenja 1959.,

and depleted uranium returned to ceramics and glass factory floors.

vrativši ostatak uranija u tvornice keramike i stakla.

Orange dishes made during the next decade

Narančasto posuđe napravljeno u sljedećem desetljeću

may still have some hazardous qualities on their surfaces to this day.

još danas nosi neke opasnosti na svojoj površini.

Most notably, vintage fiestaware reads positive for radioactivity.

Značajno je da starinsko posuđe za zabave često radioaktivno.

And while the levels are low enough that they don't officially pose a health risk

Razine su dovoljno niske da ne predstavljaju zdravstveni rizik

if they're on a shelf,

ako su na polici,

the U.S. EPA warns against eating food off of them.

ali američki EPA savjetuje da se iz njih ne jede.

Though we still occasionally run into issues with synthetic food dyes,

Iako se katkad susrećemo sa problemima sintetičke boje za hranu,

our scientific understanding has helped us prune hazardous colors out of our lives.

naše razumijevanje znanosti pomoglo je ukloniti opasne boje iz naših života.