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davmeva t1_iu3v564 wrote

This video has a nice explanation. Essentially it was money. They knew it was toxic. A large number of scientists petitioned against it being used. But certain companies knew they could make money so they did it anyway

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DavetheHick t1_iu4d1k1 wrote

He said before it was discovered to be toxic. Take your agenda elsewhere.

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amanamongbotss t1_iu5ajf2 wrote

Lol the anti-lead agenda?

You missed that boat like decades ago man. Hahaha. Where do you people come from??

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DavetheHick t1_iu5mamx wrote

The anti-capitalism agenda.

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amanamongbotss t1_iu5nt19 wrote

So, explain how explain a historical fact about industry knowing lead is toxic and using it anyways is anti-capitalist?

Or, is it true in your mind that saying "nicotine is addictive" is an anti-capitalist statement, too? Or that cigarettes cause cancer? Or that there are documents proving that the oil industry knew about climate change and did nothing?

Is it possible that these things be true, and also the people say them aren't anti-capitalist? Is pointing out a lack of accountability "anti" at all?

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seanbron t1_iu4der8 wrote

Lead was used by Romans because it was available and easy to work with. It was added to many of our products AFTER it was already known to be dangerous in order to make some people richer. Not an agenda. A fact.

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A_Garbage_Truck t1_iu5c1hs wrote

this is factually wrong.

Lead has been known to be toxic basically since discovery. we just didnt make use of it in the way we did in the last 100 years or so(because it was pushed for despite knowing its dangers)

but before that LEad had its uses as a dense and malleable metal

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urzu_seven t1_iu4urd5 wrote

It’s been known to be toxic for millennia. Take your ignorance elsewhere.

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VinylJitsu t1_iu4yiq4 wrote

Because profit above human life is not an agenda.

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davmeva t1_iu72u2g wrote

As other comments have stated the issue is with the question not my answer. It's not possible to answer in the way it was asked. There wasn't really a before. Lead comes from the decay of uranium. Hippocrates know about its dangers somewhere around 300 BC, Nikander described results of lead poisoning in 250 BC. Maybe I'm wrong but I don't think OP was asking why they made lead necklaces in Anatolia around 6000 years ago. Although it was probably the last time people did use lead without knowing it was toxic.

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DBDude t1_iu4pse8 wrote

Lead just makes paint better -- dries faster, keeps looking good longer, etc. Lead added to gasoline is an inexpensive way to increase the octane, allowing for higher compression.

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Bored_Mars t1_iu5xj5e wrote

You forgot to mention that it makes paint taste better.

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spider-bro t1_iu5rhoi wrote

Lead piping is malleable and easy to bend. Before plastics were invented, lead was a great way to connect two pieces of pipe that were off by a slight amount.

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focoloconoco t1_iu5w21f wrote

Thomas Midgley Jr. not only discovered the use of PB in gasoline to prevent misfiring cylinders by controlling the pressure, he also invented Freon, which went on to destroy some areas of the ozone layer.

Environmental historian J. R. McNeill opined that Midgley "had more adverse impact on the atmosphere than any other single organism in Earth's history",[27]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley_Jr.

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