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We make fun of the Romans for eating out of lead plates and slowly going crazy, and yet here we are surrounded by a substance that might cause cognitive impairm

We make fun of the Romans for eating out of lead plates and slowly going crazy, and yet here we are surrounded by a substance that might cause cognitive impairment as well https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7068600/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7068600/

hans1729 5y ago
That's an interesting paper, thanks for sharing.
StreamBright 5y ago
Very civilisation has its own poison. Romans were eating from lead plates, we used to use lead in car fuel that made us dumb (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220307162011.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220307162011.h...) and now this. If humanity survives we are going to be those crazy dumb people who used plastic.
- e2le 5y ago
  > lead in car fuel that made us dumb It wasn't just car fuel, we would also cover the walls of our homes with lead paint. A practice that still continues in some countries. > As of 31 May 2020, 75 countries have confirmed they have legally binding controls to limit the production, import and sale of lead paints, which is 39% of all countries. In many countries, using lead paint in homes and schools is not prohibited, creating a significant risk of children’s exposure to lead. https://www.who.int/news/item/31-05-2020-global-progress-toward-eliminating-lead-paint https://www.who.int/news/item/31-05-2020-global-progress-tow... One has to wonder whether the individuals who insist on selling lead paint have any morality or sense of ethics. We've known about the harmful effects of lead additives in paint since at least 1786 (efforts to ban lead paint began around 1921) before it's ban in 1976 (US). The unimaginable number of people who have likely being afflicted by health issues (learning disabilities, poor health, shortened lifespan) through no fault of their own, knowingly by those who manufacture and sell the products creating such debilitating issues, it's difficult to imagine there being any possible forgiveness for such actions.
  - adriand 5y ago
    > One has to wonder whether the individuals who insist on selling lead paint have any morality or sense of ethics. We've known about the harmful effects of lead additives in paint since at least 1786…it's difficult to imagine there being any possible forgiveness for such actions. The list of companies doing exactly this is very, very long. You can still buy packets of deadly carcinogens at the corner store. We’re still belching vast amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. We’re manufacturing all sorts of molecules that have either proven or suspected harmful effects and distributing them liberally across the globe…it’s a pervasive facet of our capitalist system.
    - iratewizard 5y ago
      If only we had hundreds of millions starving to death to prevent the horrors of crony capitalism.
  - mhitza 5y ago
    > It wasn't just car fuel, we would also cover the walls of our homes with lead paint. Pf, rookie stuff. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium_Girls https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium_Girls
WithinReason 5y ago
Is there any research on proven negative effects? This paper is only about "potential" negative effects. From the conclusion: Following the intake of microplastics into the human body, their fate and effects are still controversial and not well known. [...] Not enough information is available to fully understand the implications of microplastics for human health;
- EGreg 5y ago
  As it accumulates more and more — probably ! Like acidification of the oceans is alright until it’s not
- giantg2 5y ago
  "effects are still controversial and not well known" That's probably what the Romans were saying back then. Or when uranium plates were used. Or when PFOAs were/are used in good contact.
  - parineum 5y ago
    > That's probably what the Romans were saying back then You can use that argument to support the implication that everything might be dangerous.
    - giantg2 5y ago
      Technically everything does contain some level of danger. We just say that something isn't dangerous when it falls below some level (subjective or objective).
  - itslennysfault 5y ago
    I mean.... not just the Romans. We used Lead too. In pipes, in paint, in gasoline. Everyone was literally breathing it daily in all major cities until the mid 80s.
  - likpok 5y ago
    The Romans knew about and documented the risks of asbestos, so don't be so sure. They also knew about some of the risks of lead. Vitruvius (during Augustus) wrote that water through clay pipes is better and purer, and others comment about how the care you need to take when preparing food in leaden vessels. e.g. https://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/wine/leadpoisoning.html https://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/wi...

hans1729 5y ago

That's an interesting paper, thanks for sharing.

StreamBright 5y ago

Very civilisation has its own poison. Romans were eating from lead plates, we used to use lead in car fuel that made us dumb (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220307162011.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220307162011.h...) and now this. If humanity survives we are going to be those crazy dumb people who used plastic.

e2le 5y ago
> lead in car fuel that made us dumb It wasn't just car fuel, we would also cover the walls of our homes with lead paint. A practice that still continues in some countries. > As of 31 May 2020, 75 countries have confirmed they have legally binding controls to limit the production, import and sale of lead paints, which is 39% of all countries. In many countries, using lead paint in homes and schools is not prohibited, creating a significant risk of children’s exposure to lead. https://www.who.int/news/item/31-05-2020-global-progress-toward-eliminating-lead-paint https://www.who.int/news/item/31-05-2020-global-progress-tow... One has to wonder whether the individuals who insist on selling lead paint have any morality or sense of ethics. We've known about the harmful effects of lead additives in paint since at least 1786 (efforts to ban lead paint began around 1921) before it's ban in 1976 (US). The unimaginable number of people who have likely being afflicted by health issues (learning disabilities, poor health, shortened lifespan) through no fault of their own, knowingly by those who manufacture and sell the products creating such debilitating issues, it's difficult to imagine there being any possible forgiveness for such actions.
- adriand 5y ago
  > One has to wonder whether the individuals who insist on selling lead paint have any morality or sense of ethics. We've known about the harmful effects of lead additives in paint since at least 1786…it's difficult to imagine there being any possible forgiveness for such actions. The list of companies doing exactly this is very, very long. You can still buy packets of deadly carcinogens at the corner store. We’re still belching vast amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. We’re manufacturing all sorts of molecules that have either proven or suspected harmful effects and distributing them liberally across the globe…it’s a pervasive facet of our capitalist system.
  - iratewizard 5y ago
    If only we had hundreds of millions starving to death to prevent the horrors of crony capitalism.
- mhitza 5y ago
  > It wasn't just car fuel, we would also cover the walls of our homes with lead paint. Pf, rookie stuff. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium_Girls https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium_Girls

WithinReason 5y ago

Is there any research on proven negative effects? This paper is only about "potential" negative effects. From the conclusion: Following the intake of microplastics into the human body, their fate and effects are still controversial and not well known. [...] Not enough information is available to fully understand the implications of microplastics for human health;

EGreg 5y ago
As it accumulates more and more — probably ! Like acidification of the oceans is alright until it’s not
giantg2 5y ago
"effects are still controversial and not well known" That's probably what the Romans were saying back then. Or when uranium plates were used. Or when PFOAs were/are used in good contact.
- parineum 5y ago
  > That's probably what the Romans were saying back then You can use that argument to support the implication that everything might be dangerous.
  - giantg2 5y ago
    Technically everything does contain some level of danger. We just say that something isn't dangerous when it falls below some level (subjective or objective).
- itslennysfault 5y ago
  I mean.... not just the Romans. We used Lead too. In pipes, in paint, in gasoline. Everyone was literally breathing it daily in all major cities until the mid 80s.
- likpok 5y ago
  The Romans knew about and documented the risks of asbestos, so don't be so sure. They also knew about some of the risks of lead. Vitruvius (during Augustus) wrote that water through clay pipes is better and purer, and others comment about how the care you need to take when preparing food in leaden vessels. e.g. https://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/wine/leadpoisoning.html https://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/wi...