What does a Dutch “loodgieter” do?

A loodgieter is a Dutch plumber, the tradesman who fixes leaks, installs kranen and toilets, builds bathroom aansluitingen, and unblocks afvoeren. The word is etymologically a bit comical: it stacks lood (lead) with gieter (a person who pours), originally describing a worker who poured molten lead to seal water joints. Modern Dutch loodgieters haven’t worked with lead in decades, but the name stuck. The trade is unionized, well-paid, and increasingly short-staffed: Dutch vmbo-tech tracks have actively recruited loodgieter-trainees as the country’s housing-renovation pipeline runs deep.

In this clip, NOS Jeugdjournaal profiles Dutch social-media loodgieter Mario: “Met meer dan een half miljoen volgers, is hij misschien wel de bekendste loodgieter van Nederland.”