They may not have to, though - most of the major battery manufacturers have stopped adding mercury (along with cadmium and lead) to their alkaline batteries, so there's really only trace amounts in batteries these days.
It's pretty certain the Roman aristocracy went downhill mentally from the combination of inbreeding and the use of lead plumbing and dinnerware.
Maybe. I'm not entirely sure I buy it, since the water carried through Roman pipes was all cold water, and might not have actually absorbed much lead. But maybe it had some effect ;) It's pretty certain the Roman aristocracy went downhill mentally from the combination of inbreeding and the use of lead plumbing and dinnerware.
Their food was prepared in leadware and that probably was a much bigger factor than water pipes. The following snippet is more to the point:
"The ancient Romans used lead for making water pipes, cooking utensils, water tanks and storage vessels. Lead water pipes were used in most major cities in the empire. Wine was cheap in ancient Rome and Athens and it was contaminated with lead from as many as 14 sources during its preparation. Lead was used as part of the preservative and as a flavor enhancer."
But how do you explain Congress?