It explains a lot...
Lead exposure in last century shrunk IQ scores of half of Americans: study
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Re: Lead exposure in last century shrunk IQ scores of half of Americans: study
#92Earlier quoted context omitted.
Compared to ignoring global warming - ignoring lead exposure is a minor negligence.
Both are a product of the same process of privileging of commodity production for profit over overall collective well-being. And yes, I'm aware that said commodity production produces wealth which also improves well-being. But there's a contradiction there in our economic model that is not serving us well. EDIT: I should add to my point above that what's common with both these is one overarching world altering produc…
Economics has a term for this: negative externalities. A buys a snowblower from B, gaining 4 health for not shoveling and reducing everybody's health by 3 from pollution. B buys a leaf blower from C, gaining 4 health from not raking and reducing everybody's health by 3 from pollution. C buys a lawnmower from A, gaining 4 health from not scything and reducing everybody's health by 3. Each seller gets 4 health from the money. Every trade is beneficial to both parties by 1 health unit, but now, everybody is worse off by 1 health unit than they would be had the trades not happened. In practice, we're usually D-Z, who participated in no trades and get a net reduction in health of 9.
Re: Lead exposure in last century shrunk IQ scores of half of Americans: study
#93Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sugar isn't really optional these days. It's snuck into so much of our processed food it's sickening.
Indeed. Added sugar and high fructose corn syrup is in everything. I have to go out of my way to find a brand of bread that doesn't have added high fructose corn syrup. It's ridiculous.
I havent bought bread in probably 4 Years now. Investing half an hour of work (distributed over the day) every other week for a 2kg Bread. Half of it goes in the freezer.
Also buying fresh vegtables and cooking instead of buying ready made dishes helps.
Re: Lead exposure in last century shrunk IQ scores of half of Americans: study
#94Earlier quoted context omitted.
The societal risks are the same with additional worse effects for non participants with alcohol and they have been known for a long time. If society is OK with those risks, then I cannot see cannabis being an unacceptable risk in 50 years. Can throw in refined sugar too.
> The societal risks are the same and additional worse ones with alcohol I don't think this is correct, personally. (I'm pretty sure you'll find studies arguing for both sides, so we can only go on personal wisdom.)
Would you rather deal with someone high on cannabis or drunk on alcohol?
To collect data, visit all the hotels, restaurants, bars, police, security guards, and entertainment venues in your area and ask all the front line employees this question. Or even who you would rather drive around.
I guarantee everyone would rather deal with someone high on cannabis, who might ask for extra snacks or drive slow and be unlikely to go on a belligerent tirade or get physical.
In terms of other societal risks, I have not heard of a cannabis addict beating their spouse or children yet.
Re: Lead exposure in last century shrunk IQ scores of half of Americans: study
#95I have a strong worries that our current generation will have a similar huge reckoning with marijuana. We are already seeing studies that show regular marijuana use is correlated with permanent decreases in intelligence, memory loss, motivation, and mental health. And anecdotally, this seems very apparent in my peer group. And Americans are using copious amounts of the stuff right now, and younger than ever before. I…
>I have a strong worries that our current generation will have a similar huge reckoning with marijuana.
I think "Cannabis" is the prefered term nowadays. The word "Marijuana" has negative cultural connotations which we would do well to escape when discussing this issue.
The problem is that the research into the risks of exposure to both of these substances was/is not exactly at the top of the list due to various factors.
That said, I'd take my chances with a bong over a car exhaust *or drinking water pipe. At least you have some choice over what goes into (and, consequently comes out) of the former.
Re: Lead exposure in last century shrunk IQ scores of half of Americans: study
#96Perhaps past lead usage in fuels will indirectly lead to collapse of the civilisation: Lead is known to decrease empathy and increase crime. I don’t want to generalise an entire generation but boomer generation was heavily poisoned by lead and perhaps this made them more selfish and less emphatic. Maybe this is the primary cause of many current problems? I wonder if humans were supposed to be more emphatic in past be…
Crime rates have fallen historically until COVID. I think it's more likely the post WW2 and post Cold War (perceived) eras were periods of irrational exuberance culturally in the west with uncommon optimism in western lead globalism and its future (What you consider civilization I take it). The last few years were a big time reality check on the collective interest in that future.
Pun intended?
> western lead globalism
You probably meant 'western-led globalism'.
Re: Lead exposure in last century shrunk IQ scores of half of Americans: study
#97I have a strong worries that our current generation will have a similar huge reckoning with marijuana. We are already seeing studies that show regular marijuana use is correlated with permanent decreases in intelligence, memory loss, motivation, and mental health. And anecdotally, this seems very apparent in my peer group. And Americans are using copious amounts of the stuff right now, and younger than ever before. I…
> I have a strong worries that our current generation will have a similar huge reckoning with marijuana.
There might be such a reckoning, just not at the same level or with the same impact.
Water is simply a necessity, and marijuana is not. Quite literally 100% of Americans ingest water in some capacity and/or means. Also, brain development delay and interference, caused by contaminated water, would be present in children, who are not, by default, marijuana users.
Re: Lead exposure in last century shrunk IQ scores of half of Americans: study
#98And plastics/PFAS/pththalates being everywhere has brought down sperm counts as well. They all need to be outlawed.
Re: Lead exposure in last century shrunk IQ scores of half of Americans: study
#99I have a strong worries that our current generation will have a similar huge reckoning with marijuana. We are already seeing studies that show regular marijuana use is correlated with permanent decreases in intelligence, memory loss, motivation, and mental health. And anecdotally, this seems very apparent in my peer group. And Americans are using copious amounts of the stuff right now, and younger than ever before. I…
>We are already seeing studies that show regular marijuana use is correlated with permanent decreases in intelligence When used at very young ages. Important caveat. The other things you mentioned are highly speculative and I typically discount anecdotes as mostly useless.
> I typically discount anecdotes as mostly useless
This is fair. I mention it because it was only in hindsight that it was so obvious how many smokers were getting emphysema and lung cancer, and that these were not actually common diseases.
Re: Lead exposure in last century shrunk IQ scores of half of Americans: study
#100I have a strong worries that our current generation will have a similar huge reckoning with marijuana. We are already seeing studies that show regular marijuana use is correlated with permanent decreases in intelligence, memory loss, motivation, and mental health. And anecdotally, this seems very apparent in my peer group. And Americans are using copious amounts of the stuff right now, and younger than ever before. I…
I agree with some of this in the abstract, but I think it's worth noting that "regular use" in academic studies of marijuana usually entails dosing lab animals with quantities that a human being couldn't physically consume, or surveying the (much smaller) population of people with psychological addictions to marijuana.
OTOH, and this is anecdotal, I worry about how potent a lot of "normal" marijuana has become and how rapidly we've normalized high-dose delivery mechanisms for it (like waxes and tinctures). It's hard to predict the future given how "primitive" marijuana consumption used to be, in contrast.