Disturbing Details About Victorian Bathrooms
By ALICE BENNETT
History
The Victorian era was an age of great technological innovation coupled with terrible health and safety standards, such as the Victorians’ method for warming bath water.
The geyser heating system was invented in 1868 in the U.K. It consisted of a gas burner that was fitted directly under baths so that people could heat the water directly.
Of course, this system had many problems. Baths could get extremely hot, and gas fumes created by the burner could cause someone to suffocate.
The 1888 Edinburgh Evening News recounted a story of a man who fell unconscious in his bath from the gas fumes. While passed out, he was boiled alive like a lobster.
Aside from unsafe heating and plumbing, Victorian England bathrooms often contained products laced with arsenic. It produced a shade of green that was fashionable at the time.
Victorian sewage systems also left much to be desired. People relied on cesspools to dispose of their waste, which could be dangerous due to the build-up of explosive gasses.
Toilets were often placed over the cesspools in people’s houses. In some homes, the buildup of methane and hydrogen sulfide would sometimes cause toilets to spontaneously explode.
Victorian-era pipes were also made of lead, which can damage your nervous system and even your IQ when ingested or inhaled. In large enough doses, it can eventually kill you.