History’s deadliest colors - J. V. Maranto

譯者: LAS CC 審譯者: Regina Chu

In 1898, Marie and Pierre Curie discovered radium.

1898 年

瑪麗和皮埃爾·居禮發現了鐳

Claimed to have restorative properties,

鐳被宣稱具有修復性

radium was added to toothpaste,

因此曾被添加到牙膏

medicine,

藥物

water,

水

and food.

和食物裡

A glowing, luminous green,

由於鐳的綠色帶有光澤感

it was also used in beauty products and jewelry.

它也用於美容產品和珠寶製作

It wasn't until the mid-20th century

直到 20 世紀中期

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

我們才意識到鐳作為一種放射性元素

outweighed its visual benefits.

帶來的害處超過了它視覺上的好處

Unfortunately, radium isn't the only pigment that historically

然而在歷史上

seemed harmless or useful

鐳並不是唯一的看上去無害

but turned out to be deadly.

實則致命的顏料

That lamentable distinction includes a trio of colors and pigments

長期以來，我們使用三種顏料

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

用來裝飾自己及物品

white,

白色

green,

and orange.

綠色

和橙色

Our story begins with white.

我們先來說說白色

As far back as the 4th century BCE,

早在公元前四世紀

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

古希臘人使用鉛來製作白色顏料

The problem?

問題在於什麼呢？

In humans, lead is directly absorbed into the body

鉛可以直接吸收進人體

and distributed to the blood,

進入血液

soft tissues,

軟組織

and mineralized tissues.

以及礦化組織

Once in the nervous system,

鉛一旦進入神經系統

lead mimics and disrupts the normal functions of calcium,

會模仿並干擾鈣元素的正常功能

causing damages ranging from learning disabilities

造成的損害輕則使人出現學習障礙

to high blood pressure.

重則導致高血壓

Yet the practice of using this toxic pigment

但使用這種劇毒顏料的工藝

continued across time and cultures.

在很多文化中持續了很久

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

直到 19 世紀，鉛白是唯一用於

白油畫和蛋彩畫的顏料

until the 19th century.

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

藝術家為了作畫 會將鉛塊磨成粉末

exposing highly toxic dust particles.

這樣，他們會充分 接觸這些劇毒的成分

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

這種顏料的過分使用 導致了「畫家的腹絞痛」

or what we'd now call lead poisoning.

我們現在稱之為鉛中毒

Artists who worked with lead complained of palseys,

使用鉛的畫家會出現肌肉麻痹

melancholy,

心情抑鬱

coughing,

咳嗽

enlarged retinas,

視網膜放大

and even blindness.

甚至失明

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

但是鉛白的質感 不透明性和溫暖的色調

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

令包括維梅爾及之後的 印象派畫家難以捨棄

Its glow couldn't be matched,

沒有其他顏料可以媲美鉛白的光澤

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

這種顏料繼續廣泛使用 直到 1970 年代才被禁止

As bad as all that sounds,

如上所述

white's dangerous effects pale in comparison

鉛白帶來的危險性 與另一種顏料相比則頓失光芒

to another, more wide-spread pigment, green.

那就是廣泛使用的綠色

Two synthetic greens called Scheele's Green and Paris Green

謝勒綠和巴黎綠 是兩種合成的綠色色素

were first introduced in the 18th century.

18 世紀時首次問世

They were far more vibrant and flashy

相比於天然染料較沉悶的綠色

than the relatively dull greens made from natural pigments,

他們的顏色更加明亮鮮艷

so they quickly became popular choices for paint

因此這兩種色素迅速流行

as well as dye for textiles,

用於繪畫、紡織品染色

wallpaper,

壁紙

soaps,

香皂

cake decorations,

蛋糕裝飾

toys,

玩具

candy,

糖果

and clothing.

衣物

These green pigments were made from a compound called

這些綠色的染料由某種化合物製成

cupric hydrogen arsenic.

這種化合物稱為砷酸銅

In humans, exposure to arsenic

人如果接觸砷

can damage the way cells communicate and function.

會損傷細胞通訊及功能

And high levels of arsenic have been directly linked

高劑量的砷與癌症

to cancer and heart disease.

和心臟疾病直接相關聯

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

因此在十八世紀 紡織廠工人經常出現中毒

and women in green dresses reportedly collapsed

且據報導，穿綠裙子的女性

from exposure to arsenic on their skin.

因皮膚接觸裙子上的砷而昏倒

Bed bugs were rumored not to live in green rooms,

還有傳言說，臭蟲也不會 生活在綠色的房間中

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

人們甚至推測拿破崙 就死於慢性砷中毒

from sleeping in his green wallpapered bedroom.

因他睡在自己那鋪著綠色壁紙的臥室

The intense toxicity of these green stayed under wraps

這種劇毒綠色顏料的配方 一直處於保密狀態

until the arsenic recipe was published in 1822.

直到 1822 年發佈了砷的配方

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

一個世紀之後，這種綠 被改變用途成為殺蟲劑

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

合成綠色染料或許是 廣泛使用的顏色中最為危險的

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

但至少它並沒有鐳的放射性

Another color did, though - orange.

而另一種顏色則具備這一特徵

橙色

第二次世界大戰之前

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

陶瓷餐具製造商在彩釉中 使用氧化鈾是非常普遍的

to use uranium oxide in colored glazes.

The compound produced brilliant reds and oranges,

這種化合物能夠產生 鮮艷的紅色和橙色

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

如果不是因為其放射性 這些顏色都是吸引人的特色

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

當然，放射性是在 19 世紀晚期才為我們意識到

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

更不用提在更久之後才發現 與輻射相關的癌症風險

During World War II,

在第二次世界大戰期間

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

美國政府沒收了全部的鈾 以發展核武器

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

然而在 1959 年 原子能委員會放鬆了管制

and depleted uranium returned to ceramics and glass factory floors.

鈾重新回到了瓷器和玻璃工廠

Orange dishes made during the next decade

接下來十年中生產的橙色餐具表面

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

很可能至今仍然具有此危險特質

Most notably, vintage fiestaware reads positive for radioactivity.

尤其連經典餐具品牌 Fiestaware 都有放射性

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

雖然在架上擺著時 輻射很低不至於構成健康威脅

if they're on a shelf,

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

美國環保局仍發出警告 不要用這些餐具裝食物

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

我們雖然偶爾還會遇到 有問題的人工食物色素

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

但科學認知已經幫助我們 在生活中去掉了那些危險的顏色