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Lead poisoning causes more death, IQ loss than thought: study

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441–450 of 479 posts

Re: Lead poisoning causes more death, IQ loss than thought: study

#441

This feels like a good time to bring up the lead-crime hypothesis (flaws and all). For those who don't know, there's a strong (if faulty) correlation between lead levels in preschool children and crime rates: https://www.vox.com/2016/1/14/17991876/crime-drop-murder-lea... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead%E2%80%93crime_hypothesis Regardless of what you think about the hypothesis, the growth and crunch in lead levels…

I think the "crime is caused by exposure to lead" hypothesis has taken a major hit in recent years. The homicide rate went from 4.99 per 100,000 in 2019 to 6.81 per 100,000 in 2021. There was no sudden increase in lead exposure, either in recent years, or decades ago, that can explain that increase. I'm not saying that lead has no effect on crime, but some people were claiming that lead exposure was the single primar…

The existence of other variables obviously does nothing to eliminate the lead exposure variable.

> some people were claiming that lead exposure was the single primary cause of violent crime.

Examples?

Re: Lead poisoning causes more death, IQ loss than thought: study

#442

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never heard of copper-lined PEX, can you tell me more?

I think op may be referring to 'barrier pipe', which is a plastic -copper-plastic sandwich, which is designed to keep out pollutants which can diffuse through the plastic - eg. Diesel oil. If you don't use it for underground water pipes in cities, you'll normally get complaints from homeowners about 'chemical smelling' water, particularly first thing in the morning when water has been sitting stationary in pipes all…

Barrier PEX (often referred to as PEX-Al-PEX) uses a layer of aluminum, not copper. A far more common type of barrier PEX uses a low-permeability polymer coating.

Re: Lead poisoning causes more death, IQ loss than thought: study

#443

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think op may be referring to 'barrier pipe', which is a plastic -copper-plastic sandwich, which is designed to keep out pollutants which can diffuse through the plastic - eg. Diesel oil. If you don't use it for underground water pipes in cities, you'll normally get complaints from homeowners about 'chemical smelling' water, particularly first thing in the morning when water has been sitting stationary in pipes all…

oh dear i forgot that plastics are permeable to petrochemicals lile paper is to water

That's like saying "metal is strong". There are huge differences among different plastics.

Re: Lead poisoning causes more death, IQ loss than thought: study

#444

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting, I had no idea (I thought only the fittings would have lead, but it's the hose material): https://toxicfreefuture.org/press-room/new-study-rates-best-...

Dear mother no why? Why does the Home Depot garden hoose have 6.8% led in it ... All these small environmental dangers add up. And they are so hard to keep track of. I would never suspect a water hoose to contain led. Let alone 6.8%.

For decades, lead compounds have been used as processing stabilizers in PVC, which has spread the shit everywhere. Hoses, electrical cords, and vinyl window blinds have historically been big sources.

Things started changing in the 2000's when companies started seeking compliance with E.U REACH and RoHS regulations. Garden hoses are now largely lead free, as are blinds, but electrical cords have taken longer to switch over.

Re: Lead poisoning causes more death, IQ loss than thought: study

#445

Earlier quoted context omitted.

oh dear i forgot that plastics are permeable to petrochemicals lile paper is to water

That's like saying "metal is strong". There are huge differences among different plastics.

Well, there are < 100 metals but thousands of varieties of plastic?

Re: Lead poisoning causes more death, IQ loss than thought: study

#446
post #25
post #6

I'd like to point out that, although it is illegal to put lead in water supply lines in the US, there is a loophole that allows it in hot water lines. As a result, for certain fittings, most big-box hardware stores only sell the leaded variants, and label them "hot water heater supply line" or something similar.

I had a stop valve that went bad and I wanted to replace it with a ball-valve because I prefer quarter-turn valves for shutoff valves. No ball-valves at the hardware store were lead free.

If you're in the U.S., Home Depot sells Giancomini ball valves (branded "Everbilt") that are lead free. They're rated for water and gas.

If you're looking for stops for faucet and toilet supply risers, then they're pretty much all lead free now. SharkBite and BrassCraft, for example, only make lead-free stops.

Re: Lead poisoning causes more death, IQ loss than thought: study

#447
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a stop valve that went bad and I wanted to replace it with a ball-valve because I prefer quarter-turn valves for shutoff valves. No ball-valves at the hardware store were lead free.

just a fair warning that you should close that quarter-turn valve very gradually when there is running water if you ever find a non-leaded version... water hammer can and will burst the weakest of your pipes.

It would be extremely difficult to cause water hammer with a ball valve. They're just too difficult to close quickly.

Water hammer is a huge issue with faucets, which can be closed quickly, and with electrically actuated valves such as in washing machines, which close very quickly.

Re: Lead poisoning causes more death, IQ loss than thought: study

#448

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> When they banned lead paint and asbestos, I don't think anyone immediately repainted their walls or replaced their asbestos drywall. It slowly phases out over a number of decades. Kinda. Or, rich people got it replaced right away. Poor people are still living it with it today. Go test a $500k and a $100k (this is midwest price not SF price) house for Lead and Asbestos. I bet you find very different results on the a…

There's not really any issue with asbestos as long as you leave it alone and don't mess with it. It doesn't need to be torn out unless you're renovating. > "THE BEST THING TO DO WITH ASBESTOS MATERIAL IN GOOD CONDITION IS TO LEAVE IT ALONE!" [1] [1] https://www.cpsc.gov/safety-education/safety-guides/home/asb...

Kinda hard to do when your ceiling is covered in delicate popcorn asbestos that showers down on you every time it gets touched. This is very common.

Re: Lead poisoning causes more death, IQ loss than thought: study

#449
post #27

epic water filter + nalgene 32 oz hdpe bottle is a great, lightweight filtered drinking water on-demand system filter pitchers are easy to use and a good safe guard against poor plumbing if you haven't had your home water tested

HDPE Nalgene bottles probably leach PFAS: https://www.reddit.com/r/Nalgene/comments/wqdgbi/are_nalgene... Glass or stainless steel would be a better choice (especially for storage).

Your own citation contradicts you.

Nalgene bottles are now made exclusively from polyester, which is not subject to post-process fluorination, and even if it were, there would be no reason for a company to spend the money to fluorinate consumer water bottles.

Re: Lead poisoning causes more death, IQ loss than thought: study

#450

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's like saying "metal is strong". There are huge differences among different plastics.

Well, there are < 100 metals but thousands of varieties of plastic?

Not thousands, certainly not in common use. But yes there are many, and they have very different properties from one another, including permeability.
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