Since evidence of lead water piping goes back at least to 200BCE, it looks more like lead water goes hand and hand with empires growing.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4843640/Roman...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4843640/Roman...
Just remembered an ex gf worked in a museum. She said they used to dust taxidermist specimens with arsenic powder to prevent pests and decay. So a lot of display items are problematic. Toxic, irreplaceable, and you can't just throw them out either.