The Poisonous Green Wallpaper of the Victorian Era
Discover the dark history of Scheele's Green, the beautiful Victorian wallpaper dye that secretly poisoned families with arsenic.
About this video
Discover the dark history of Scheele's Green, the beautiful Victorian wallpaper dye that secretly poisoned families with arsenic.
Full transcript of The Poisonous Green Wallpaper of the Victorian Era
A single shade of green once wiped out entire Victorian families without a trace. It was Scheele’s Green, a brilliant pigment used in elite wallpapers. But the secret ingredient was copper arsenite—pure, lethal arsenic. When dampness hit the walls, toxic mold released a tasteless, odorless gas. Children playing in bedrooms inhaled the dust, slipping into sudden comas. It took decades to realize these beautiful walls were breathing poison. Even Queen Victoria tore down her palace wallpapers in a panic. What silent killer are we willingly bringing into our homes today?