How Lead Exposure Remains a Dangerous Problem
A startling TED-Ed lesson,written byGerald MarkowitzandDavid Rosnerand animated byTim Rauch, reveals the devastating effects oflead exposureon the human body and how, despite the danger, the United States has historically been slow to remove lead from consumer products due to industry lobbying.
Lead is a metallic element that's distributed across Earth's crust. When it enters the human body, it can disrupt many critical processes that span various systems, producing a diverse set of symptoms. So, just how bad is lead for human health? And if it's really that dangerous, how did it get into so many products?
In the early 20th century, lead was commonly used for paint, pottery, makeup, and even medicine. Despite the League of Nations 1921 ruling regarding the dangers of lead, the chemical lobby thought otherwise and instead blamed the problem on lower income families.
In 1921, the League of Nations passed lead paint restrictions, which were enacted in many countries. But the US never joined the League of Nations. And the American led industry aggressively promoted lead products as safe and advocated for leaded gasoline. ... The lead industry, in turn attempted to blame the issue on lower-income parents. Their claim? That the parents didn't prevent their kids from crawling around and putting their hands in their mouths- typical behavior among children.
Things improved somewhat in later decades, although more needs to be done.
Gradually, the US introduced laws against lead paint in the 1970s, lead water pipes in the 80s, and leaded gasoline in on-road vehicles in the 90s. But none of this undid the damage of decades of aggressive lead implementation, and the process of removing lead is dangerous, time-consuming, and costly. ..
Another danger is the manipulation of information to make a dangerous product appear safe.
As of 2024, lead paint still coats walls and contaminates soil and water worldwide. Tens of millions of people in the US alone drink water from lead pipes. The lead industry made billions following same denial and disinformation playbook the oil and tobacco industries used, sometimes even relying on the same consulting firm.
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