Today there is a one woman campaign against lead in consumer products by Tamara Rubin. [1] Unfortunately she doesn't know how to make a professional looking website and doesn't have a degree as a doctor (which would be of no value in her endeavor- operating an XRF tester and posting the results). She is however trained and certified in performing XRF tests and has probably done more XRF testing of consumer products than any other human being. Her testing has been verified independently when the CPI initiated recalls of for example baby bottles after her initial reporting.
I found her information after one of my children tested high for lead levels even though there are no lead paint issues in our neighborhood.
The highest risk for severe lead contamination is still things from our past. Painting can still be dangerous- some houses still have original lead paint that has been painted on top of or they could have a deck that was painted with marine paint (which is still allowed to have lead). Another higher risk level is antique dishware.
In modern products lead and other heavy metal contamination issues are still somewhat widespread, but thankful at much lower levels than in the past- to the point that most people won't test high for heavy metals. But unfortunately it's possible to accidentally buy the wrong products and get unsafe exposure levels.
We only really have safety standards for products marketed to kids (e.g. baby bottles). If the same level of contamination exists on a small plate that is used by a child, it won't be recalled. For consumers it is often impossible to know if there is heavy metal contamination in a product. California's Prop 65 warning often indicates an issue with lead, but the issue could just be that the company didn't want to bother testing for lead in their product.
I think it is worthwhile to try to transition cookware and drinkware towards materials that are known to almost always be lead and heavy metal free- Stainless steel, cast iron, and clear glass. Additionally, this becomes another reason to eat whole foods since the manufacturing processes can also cause low levels of contamination.
> If you look above in this article there is a list of 49 things we have tested so far (49/245 published articles, and that is going to bump to 55 this week) that have all tested safe by the strictest standards – that’s about 20%.
I think the site UX is more a feature than a bug (though probably unintentional, regardless).
If she had some super-slick SPA website that looked like a million bucks, I'd wonder where her funding was coming from. Whether it's true or not, this looks much more like someone who doesn't really know what they're doing just threw the site up to get the message out and cover her costs w/ some affiliate sales. I'm inclined to trust this more than something more "professional."
Any chemists here able to comment on the recent lead test kits around? Eg lumetallix.com and detectlead.com. I have one and like it but don’t know how accurate it is.
I'm also not a chemist but I've heard that at least some lead test kits are meant only for paint. I recently was looking for lead free solder and I ran into a lot of reviews about how the solder triggered a lead test but apparently the strips people were using also reacted with copper (which was supposed to be in the solder)
As I understand it, the biggest source of lead that gets inside people is paint, especially where windows rub against it. And sometimes lead paint has been painted over but can still become airborne when abraded. I would be surprised if these tests can detect it.
Get an XRF test instead — this will quantify the amount of lead at or even under the surface. You can do this by getting a lead testing contractor to come over, and a friendly one will test as many spots as you like in a single visit. Or I suppose you could try to buy the machine, but it isn’t cheap.
(Wirecutter says the main ingredient in these fluorescence tests is methylammonium bromide.)
In the US, crime basically kept increasing until the 1990s and have been on a downward trend ever since. If you've fallen for the modern crime panic, it's completely manufactured. Look at any graph that goes back 40+ years and then tell me what the trend is.
The reason for this is hotly debated.
One theory is that it coincides with being 18 years or so after abortion was legalized [1]. The argument is that not forcing people to be parents who don't want to be and aren't equipped to be as well as this skewing to lower socioeconomic status. The link between poverty and crime has been well-established going back to Ancient Greece. In some ways, this is an uncomfortable argument because it's basically eugenics. In support of this, abortion access varied state-to-state by up to several years and the trends tend to follow that.
But this is a US-specific argument and I believe the trend was present in other countries.
The second big argument is removing lead from gasoline (in particular, but also water because of lead pipes) [2].
I really wonder what societal problems and public health incidents in the future will come down to micro-plastics.
My pet theory is the proliferation of digital entertainment options, and gaming / online culture. There are a lot more ways to keep yourself occupied inside, so less reason to go out and get into trouble.
1990s was the time that the AIDS epidemic took hold. Lots of needle-sharing addicts died, reducing the number of crimes needed to support their habits. AIDS also affected the prison population, further reducing the number of active criminals.
I'm pretty sure a lot of small to y planes use leaded gas....
Correct me if I'm wrong though cuz iv always wondered how bad the fumes would be to a community thats near a busy airport.
Iv always hear jokes about how lead is the miracle element....its great for so many things and pushing efficiency in many areas....but the human body just can't stand it at all.
Hello - there is a comment thread below about my work.
Not sure how to respond within the thread, but I thought people here might be interested in watching the documentary film that I directed and produced on the subject of Lead poisoning. It has interviews with top experts and music donated by the Who and Tom Waits. Jon Fishman (drummer of Phish) is an executive producer of the project too (I helped his family when his kiddo tested positive for Lead). Here's the link to the film on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMbhbwMhs1U&t=7s
-
There are also lots of videos showing different lead testing methods (and discussing issues with various methods) on my YouTube channel.
Getting lead out of our environments (housing stock, schools, etc) would do wonders to improving quality of life for so many people globally. Not just for those directly poisoned by it. [1]
Allison Hayes is another person who campaigned against lead--this time in vitamin supplements--which lead to a change in FDA rules. She was a frequent actor in Roger Corman's B-movies which is where I first encountered her. She suffered disability from the lead in Calcium supplements.
> “Many times … I met men who employed foreign-born labor because it was cheap and submissive, and then washed their hands of all responsibility,” she wrote. “They deliberately chose such men because it meant … a surplus of eager, undemanding labor.”
If this was today people would say it's your personal right to consume lead and use leaded gas (aka freedom fuel) and we'd never be able to remove it lol
> She broke gender barriers in the broader sciences that opened stodgy male-dominated fields to women. And her approach to social justice—combining evidence-based research, interdisciplinary collaboration and community engagement—remains the blueprint for nearly all public health and policy fights today, from the smallest neighborhood disputes to global battles over pollution, natural resources and climate change.
You might say that we all follow her lead. (She led the way)
The whole lead poisoning scandals are really great examples of how capitalism/free markets have serious limits to what they can achieve. They should should be seen as a useful tool to help make certain markets more efficient and not as an ideology to embraced without limitations.
Even when consumers understood that leaded petrol for example was contaminating the air and water with carcinogens that harmed many many people especially babies and small children the market still had demanded leaded petrol and that demand was catered to by companies making huge profits and scientists deemed that there was no safe threshold.
It's been speculated that the fall of the Roman Empire can be partially attributed to prevalence of lead pipes and leaded drinking vessels. When a critical mass of elites/rulers have lead poisoning there was a subsequent collapse of those societies.
In short it's basically a national security issue even if it does make fuel cheaper and more effective.
> It's been speculated that the fall of the Roman Empire can be partially attributed to prevalence of lead pipes and leaded drinking vessels. When a critical mass of elites/rulers have lead poisoning there was a subsequent collapse of those societies.
I agree with the other part of your text but this lead contributing to downfall of roman society is not spoken about by serious historians.
Plagues, societal evolution, mass migration, change of climate are what caused downfall of Roman empire.
My personal stance on this: Capitalism is extremely good at hill climbing within a certain constraint set. Almost like a constraint satisfaction algorithm.
However, if the constraints are ill-posed (eg. it is possible to externalize certain costs, by outputting co2, using lead, etc.) it WILL eventually do that.
IMHO capticalism CAN work but it needs a strong government that sets the constraints to the benefit of its people. And updates those constraints once new information becomes available.
This is in stark contrast to the often seen „just deregulate everything and line goes up“ stance. This will just create a degenerate solution (monopolies, climate change, financial crises, etc).
That can be said for every system. They are tools. They all become pathological when transformed into ideologies and used to try to solve every problem in one way.
I still wonder about all the hobbiests, including occasionally myself who might not be treating leaded solder with the caution it deserves. I use unleaded solder but I also fix older gear.
You don't use solder in a place where it's exposed to friction (like window sashes with lead paint) which makes a dust, nor do you put it places where it's exposed to food or drink (again, hopefully) like with pewter or lead glass (crystal).
Solder is not the problem, soldering fumes do not contain vaporized lead as that would require >400C. They might and often do contain vaporized flux/colophony/resin. You reaaaaaaallllyyyy dont want to breath that thus fume extractors are a must.
This is just an anecdote, but I know someone who worked with leaded solder since he was a young teen, and he sometimes holds the solder in his mouth(!) when working on tricky joints. He is in his early 90s now and still very healthy.
Robert Kehoe, working for GM, was the chief advocate for leaded gasoline, and really the only person/lab doing research on lead until Clair Patterson stumbled into it while measuring the age of the earth. [0,1]
A modern equivalent might be if Facebook was the only organization researching social media's impact on society, while being able to set the paradigm/assumptions about said safety for half a century.
So even when Patterson's research was published in 1965, it took time to change the paradigm, and more time to phase out lead's use.
Should anyone want to read a narrative about the intertwined lives of Midgley, Patterson, Kehoe and lead, then this Mental Floss article is a good read. [2]
So even when Patterson's research was published in 1965
It's a rambling article that provides no real evidence, only speculation about future discoveries (which never came) and absurd arguments why its concentration is supposed to be smaller.
[+] [-] gregwebs|1 year ago|reply
I found her information after one of my children tested high for lead levels even though there are no lead paint issues in our neighborhood.
The highest risk for severe lead contamination is still things from our past. Painting can still be dangerous- some houses still have original lead paint that has been painted on top of or they could have a deck that was painted with marine paint (which is still allowed to have lead). Another higher risk level is antique dishware.
In modern products lead and other heavy metal contamination issues are still somewhat widespread, but thankful at much lower levels than in the past- to the point that most people won't test high for heavy metals. But unfortunately it's possible to accidentally buy the wrong products and get unsafe exposure levels.
We only really have safety standards for products marketed to kids (e.g. baby bottles). If the same level of contamination exists on a small plate that is used by a child, it won't be recalled. For consumers it is often impossible to know if there is heavy metal contamination in a product. California's Prop 65 warning often indicates an issue with lead, but the issue could just be that the company didn't want to bother testing for lead in their product.
I think it is worthwhile to try to transition cookware and drinkware towards materials that are known to almost always be lead and heavy metal free- Stainless steel, cast iron, and clear glass. Additionally, this becomes another reason to eat whole foods since the manufacturing processes can also cause low levels of contamination.
[1] https://tamararubin.com/
[+] [-] MetaWhirledPeas|1 year ago|reply
And she replies in the comments. Sad quote:
> If you look above in this article there is a list of 49 things we have tested so far (49/245 published articles, and that is going to bump to 55 this week) that have all tested safe by the strictest standards – that’s about 20%.
https://tamararubin.com/2025/01/daves-killer-bread-thin-slic...
[+] [-] pc86|1 year ago|reply
If she had some super-slick SPA website that looked like a million bucks, I'd wonder where her funding was coming from. Whether it's true or not, this looks much more like someone who doesn't really know what they're doing just threw the site up to get the message out and cover her costs w/ some affiliate sales. I'm inclined to trust this more than something more "professional."
[+] [-] ComputerGuru|1 year ago|reply
I was under the impression that various governmental safety bodies said that was safe so long as it remained undisturbed?
[+] [-] apt-apt-apt-apt|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] CalRobert|1 year ago|reply
Had some leaded Pyrex among other things
[+] [-] scq|1 year ago|reply
Some of the authors of that paper founded Lumetallix.
[+] [-] lgats|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] tdb7893|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] amluto|1 year ago|reply
As I understand it, the biggest source of lead that gets inside people is paint, especially where windows rub against it. And sometimes lead paint has been painted over but can still become airborne when abraded. I would be surprised if these tests can detect it.
Get an XRF test instead — this will quantify the amount of lead at or even under the surface. You can do this by getting a lead testing contractor to come over, and a friendly one will test as many spots as you like in a single visit. Or I suppose you could try to buy the machine, but it isn’t cheap.
(Wirecutter says the main ingredient in these fluorescence tests is methylammonium bromide.)
[+] [-] jmyeet|1 year ago|reply
The reason for this is hotly debated.
One theory is that it coincides with being 18 years or so after abortion was legalized [1]. The argument is that not forcing people to be parents who don't want to be and aren't equipped to be as well as this skewing to lower socioeconomic status. The link between poverty and crime has been well-established going back to Ancient Greece. In some ways, this is an uncomfortable argument because it's basically eugenics. In support of this, abortion access varied state-to-state by up to several years and the trends tend to follow that.
But this is a US-specific argument and I believe the trend was present in other countries.
The second big argument is removing lead from gasoline (in particular, but also water because of lead pipes) [2].
I really wonder what societal problems and public health incidents in the future will come down to micro-plastics.
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legalized_abortion_and_crime_e...
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead%E2%80%93crime_hypothesis
[+] [-] lordgrenville|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] Merrill|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] Anotheroneagain|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] mcmoor|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] tonetegeatinst|1 year ago|reply
Correct me if I'm wrong though cuz iv always wondered how bad the fumes would be to a community thats near a busy airport.
Iv always hear jokes about how lead is the miracle element....its great for so many things and pushing efficiency in many areas....but the human body just can't stand it at all.
[+] [-] camkego|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] cjrp|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] LeadSafeMama1|1 year ago|reply
Not sure how to respond within the thread, but I thought people here might be interested in watching the documentary film that I directed and produced on the subject of Lead poisoning. It has interviews with top experts and music donated by the Who and Tom Waits. Jon Fishman (drummer of Phish) is an executive producer of the project too (I helped his family when his kiddo tested positive for Lead). Here's the link to the film on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMbhbwMhs1U&t=7s - There are also lots of videos showing different lead testing methods (and discussing issues with various methods) on my YouTube channel.
Thanks for checking it out.
T
[+] [-] brianbreslin|1 year ago|reply
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead%E2%80%93crime_hypothesis
[+] [-] unknown|1 year ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] rrmm|1 year ago|reply
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allison_Hayes
[+] [-] whycome|1 year ago|reply
This seems like a relevant typo.
[+] [-] xienze|1 year ago|reply
Interesting parallels to today...
[+] [-] sweeter|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] jagged-chisel|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] londons_explore|1 year ago|reply
Unfortunately, lead mining today is pretty much stable[1], with only slight decreases in production volumes.
[1] https://www.statista.com/statistics/264871/production-of-lea...
[+] [-] MrVandemar|1 year ago|reply
See: - https://www.propublica.org/article/3m-forever-chemicals-pfas...
- https://www.consumerreports.org/health/food-contaminants/dan...
... or just use the search engine of your choice.
[+] [-] whycome|1 year ago|reply
You might say that we all follow her lead. (She led the way)
[+] [-] louthy|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|1 year ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] elchief|1 year ago|reply
One in Four US Households Likely Exceed New Soil Lead Guidance Levels
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024GH00...
[+] [-] s_dev|1 year ago|reply
Even when consumers understood that leaded petrol for example was contaminating the air and water with carcinogens that harmed many many people especially babies and small children the market still had demanded leaded petrol and that demand was catered to by companies making huge profits and scientists deemed that there was no safe threshold.
It's been speculated that the fall of the Roman Empire can be partially attributed to prevalence of lead pipes and leaded drinking vessels. When a critical mass of elites/rulers have lead poisoning there was a subsequent collapse of those societies.
In short it's basically a national security issue even if it does make fuel cheaper and more effective.
[+] [-] aucisson_masque|1 year ago|reply
I agree with the other part of your text but this lead contributing to downfall of roman society is not spoken about by serious historians.
Plagues, societal evolution, mass migration, change of climate are what caused downfall of Roman empire.
As far as I know, lead would be marginal at best.
[+] [-] haizhung|1 year ago|reply
However, if the constraints are ill-posed (eg. it is possible to externalize certain costs, by outputting co2, using lead, etc.) it WILL eventually do that.
IMHO capticalism CAN work but it needs a strong government that sets the constraints to the benefit of its people. And updates those constraints once new information becomes available.
This is in stark contrast to the often seen „just deregulate everything and line goes up“ stance. This will just create a degenerate solution (monopolies, climate change, financial crises, etc).
[+] [-] api|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] djmips|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] coryrc|1 year ago|reply
Lead in paint is not metallic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_paint
You don't use solder in a place where it's exposed to friction (like window sashes with lead paint) which makes a dust, nor do you put it places where it's exposed to food or drink (again, hopefully) like with pewter or lead glass (crystal).
[+] [-] the__alchemist|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] kragen|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] MengerSponge|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] rasz|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] buildsjets|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] userbinator|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] leoc|1 year ago|reply
> Two beliefs became entrenched:
1. that lead is natural to the human body, and
2. that a poisoning threshold for lead existed
Robert Kehoe, working for GM, was the chief advocate for leaded gasoline, and really the only person/lab doing research on lead until Clair Patterson stumbled into it while measuring the age of the earth. [0,1]
A modern equivalent might be if Facebook was the only organization researching social media's impact on society, while being able to set the paradigm/assumptions about said safety for half a century.
So even when Patterson's research was published in 1965, it took time to change the paradigm, and more time to phase out lead's use.
Should anyone want to read a narrative about the intertwined lives of Midgley, Patterson, Kehoe and lead, then this Mental Floss article is a good read. [2]
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_A._Kehoe
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clair_Cameron_Patterson#Campai...
[2] https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/94569/clair-patterson-sc...
[+] [-] hnburnsy|1 year ago|reply
"The Man Who Accidentally Killed The Most People In History"
https://www.veritasium.com/videos/2022/4/22/the-man-who-acci...
[+] [-] dmckeon|1 year ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|1 year ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] Anotheroneagain|1 year ago|reply
It's a rambling article that provides no real evidence, only speculation about future discoveries (which never came) and absurd arguments why its concentration is supposed to be smaller.
[+] [-] LeadSafeMama1|1 year ago|reply
[deleted]