New research confirms that Beethoven had lead poisoning—but it didn't kill him

Beethoven Really Did Have Lead Poisoning, But That Didn't Cause His Death

A centuries-old lock of hair that turned out to be from an unknown woman and advanced genomic sequencing technologies in 2023 debunked a long-running theory that German composer Ludwig van Beethoven had died from lead poisoning.

New research confirms that Beethoven had lead poisoning—but it didn't kill him

To this day, no one knows for certain what caused the liver and kidney disease that led to Ludwig van Beethoven's untimely death. However, a new letter to the editor in the journal Clinical Chemistry rules out one popular theory, showing that the composer was exposed to lead levels that were high—but not high enough to kill him.

Beethoven’s Hair Confirms He Had Lead Poisoning – But It Didn’t Kill Him

New analysis of two locks of Beethoven’s hair proves the composer had high levels of lead in his system – but not high enough to be considered the sole cause of his death.