Comments on: "Looney gas" and lead poisoning http://boingboing.net/2013/01/07/looney-gas-and-lead-poison.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Sat, 18 May 2013 10:07:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: B. Peasant http://boingboing.net/2013/01/07/looney-gas-and-lead-poison.html#comment-1623063 B. Peasant Tue, 08 Jan 2013 21:44:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=204461#comment-1623063 There's also Jamie Kitman's article from 2000, <a href="http://www.thenation.com/article/secret-history-lead?page=full" rel="nofollow">"The Secret History of Lead"</a>, which goes into more detail on how lead was perpetrated like a huge scam on society. There’s also Jamie Kitman’s article from 2000, “The Secret History of Lead”, which goes into more detail on how lead was perpetrated like a huge scam on society.

]]> By: Marios P. http://boingboing.net/2013/01/07/looney-gas-and-lead-poison.html#comment-1622712 Marios P. Tue, 08 Jan 2013 18:29:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=204461#comment-1622712 less cars perhaps? less cars perhaps?

]]> By: paul beard http://boingboing.net/2013/01/07/looney-gas-and-lead-poison.html#comment-1622599 paul beard Tue, 08 Jan 2013 17:21:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=204461#comment-1622599 Interestingly, we have the same person to thank for leaded gasoline and CFCs, a fact I probably learned here on BB. Interestingly, we have the same person to thank for leaded gasoline and CFCs, a fact I probably learned here on BB.

]]> By: paul beard http://boingboing.net/2013/01/07/looney-gas-and-lead-poison.html#comment-1622602 paul beard Tue, 08 Jan 2013 17:21:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=204461#comment-1622602 Did you read the original article? Did you read the original article?

]]> By: ShawShaw http://boingboing.net/2013/01/07/looney-gas-and-lead-poison.html#comment-1622566 ShawShaw Tue, 08 Jan 2013 16:51:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=204461#comment-1622566 Say you were 1 or 2 at the time the lead levels spiked. It takes a much smaller dose to seriously do damage to you than a fully-grown adult. Also, your brain is still in a developing state - making you doubly vulnerable to lead's effects. Once the damage is done, the IQ deficiencies and behavior problems start showing up. Those don't become actual crime statistics until you're actually old enough to be a criminal, though. Make sense? Say you were 1 or 2 at the time the lead levels spiked. It takes a much smaller dose to seriously do damage to you than a fully-grown adult. Also, your brain is still in a developing state – making you doubly vulnerable to lead’s effects. Once the damage is done, the IQ deficiencies and behavior problems start showing up. Those don’t become actual crime statistics until you’re actually old enough to be a criminal, though. Make sense?

]]> By: lakelady http://boingboing.net/2013/01/07/looney-gas-and-lead-poison.html#comment-1622483 lakelady Tue, 08 Jan 2013 15:20:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=204461#comment-1622483 Wait second. . .  leaded gasoline was around (and the norm) since the 1920s. Why would there be a spike in crime between 1960-1980? It doesn't make sense to me. Something's not adding up here. Wait second. . .  leaded gasoline was around (and the norm) since the 1920s. Why would there be a spike in crime between 1960-1980? It doesn’t make sense to me. Something’s not adding up here.

]]> By: Gibbon1 http://boingboing.net/2013/01/07/looney-gas-and-lead-poison.html#comment-1622371 Gibbon1 Tue, 08 Jan 2013 10:34:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=204461#comment-1622371 Perhaps the crack epidemic was also part of the lead fueled crime wave?  Mild retardation, poor impulse control, smoking crack? Beating up old ladies to get money for more crack? Synergy! Perhaps the crack epidemic was also part of the lead fueled crime wave?  Mild retardation, poor impulse control, smoking crack? Beating up old ladies to get money for more crack? Synergy!

]]> By: jbond http://boingboing.net/2013/01/07/looney-gas-and-lead-poison.html#comment-1622370 jbond Tue, 08 Jan 2013 10:26:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=204461#comment-1622370 There's another wonderful conspiracy theory here. Johnson Matthey were major donors to both Reagan and Thatcher's administrations. In the 80s, they were looking for new markets for their monopoly on platinum. They hit on car catalytic convertors which then didn't work with leaded petrol. So two right wing governments could appear green by introducing new more stringent environmental laws while simultaneously rewarding and re-paying their friends with money. Meanwhile correlation-causation, http://xkcd.com/552/ obviously! Numerous statistical criticisms of that study. There’s another wonderful conspiracy theory here. Johnson Matthey were major donors to both Reagan and Thatcher’s administrations. In the 80s, they were looking for new markets for their monopoly on platinum. They hit on car catalytic convertors which then didn’t work with leaded petrol. So two right wing governments could appear green by introducing new more stringent environmental laws while simultaneously rewarding and re-paying their friends with money.

Meanwhile correlation-causation, http://xkcd.com/552/ obviously! Numerous statistical criticisms of that study.

]]> By: Ladyfingers http://boingboing.net/2013/01/07/looney-gas-and-lead-poison.html#comment-1622309 Ladyfingers Tue, 08 Jan 2013 06:42:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=204461#comment-1622309 I'm sure the violence had nothing to do with the war on drugs, though. I’m sure the violence had nothing to do with the war on drugs, though.

]]> By: Wayne Dyer http://boingboing.net/2013/01/07/looney-gas-and-lead-poison.html#comment-1622198 Wayne Dyer Tue, 08 Jan 2013 02:08:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=204461#comment-1622198 I imagine someone calling to release the hounds upon your discovery. I imagine someone calling to release the hounds upon your discovery.

]]> By: Marja Erwin http://boingboing.net/2013/01/07/looney-gas-and-lead-poison.html#comment-1622128 Marja Erwin Mon, 07 Jan 2013 23:52:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=204461#comment-1622128 Yes. I was just reading Pete Nash's Basic Roleplaying: Rome the other day. He mentions that Vitruvius favored ceramic pipes over lead pipes, because of concerns over lead poisoning. He claims that the calcium-rich water tended to reduce the effect, and that the use of lead-based sweeteners was more dangerous than the use of lead pipes. Of course there's no safe dose. "Sapa produced in lead kettles tasted very sweet due to the high acidity of the boiling grape juice dissolving large quantities of the metal from the vessel. This produced lead acetate which had the unusual effect of increasing the sweetness of the syrup's flavour! Thus sapa was popular as both a preservative and a condiment, but became the major source of lead poisoning in Roman society." Yes.

I was just reading Pete Nash’s Basic Roleplaying: Rome the other day. He mentions that Vitruvius favored ceramic pipes over lead pipes, because of concerns over lead poisoning. He claims that the calcium-rich water tended to reduce the effect, and that the use of lead-based sweeteners was more dangerous than the use of lead pipes. Of course there’s no safe dose.

“Sapa produced in lead kettles tasted very sweet due to the high acidity of the boiling grape juice dissolving large quantities of the metal from the vessel. This produced lead acetate which had the unusual effect of increasing the sweetness of the syrup’s flavour! Thus sapa was popular as both a preservative and a condiment, but became the major source of lead poisoning in Roman society.”

]]> By: Greg Webster http://boingboing.net/2013/01/07/looney-gas-and-lead-poison.html#comment-1622118 Greg Webster Mon, 07 Jan 2013 23:36:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=204461#comment-1622118 Also covered in Freakonomics or Superfreakonomics. Also covered in Freakonomics or Superfreakonomics.

]]> By: Cowicide http://boingboing.net/2013/01/07/looney-gas-and-lead-poison.html#comment-1622079 Cowicide Mon, 07 Jan 2013 22:44:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=204461#comment-1622079 When I was a college-aged rascal many years ago, I often lived a few blocks from the Ethyl Corporation headquarters and at one point even viewed it from my back deck. They had this beautiful mansion atop of a manicured, grass hill.  I routinely mountain biked down their hill, went off a fantastic jump and lovingly destroyed their precious lawn in the process. The security would chase me in trucks, which I enjoyed (and they never caught me despite doing this literally hundreds of times). The wonderful Ethyl Corporation was also responsible for forcing a homeless shelter out of the area. Never liked those scumbags. When I was a college-aged rascal many years ago, I often lived a few blocks from the Ethyl Corporation headquarters and at one point even viewed it from my back deck.

They had this beautiful mansion atop of a manicured, grass hill.  I routinely mountain biked down their hill, went off a fantastic jump and lovingly destroyed their precious lawn in the process.

The security would chase me in trucks, which I enjoyed (and they never caught me despite doing this literally hundreds of times).

The wonderful Ethyl Corporation was also responsible for forcing a homeless shelter out of the area. Never liked those scumbags.

]]> By: anansi133 http://boingboing.net/2013/01/07/looney-gas-and-lead-poison.html#comment-1622076 anansi133 Mon, 07 Jan 2013 22:40:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=204461#comment-1622076 I have to wonder if there were Romans concerned by the use of lead in their plumbing, back in the day? I have to wonder if there were Romans concerned by the use of lead in their plumbing, back in the day?

]]> By: timquinn http://boingboing.net/2013/01/07/looney-gas-and-lead-poison.html#comment-1622028 timquinn Mon, 07 Jan 2013 21:52:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=204461#comment-1622028 OK, can we just cut to the chase and have the gas companies start sending checks to baby boomers for $39.47 and one to the lawyers for $28 kajillion. Price of gas will go up 35 cents for six months and we can all get back to being crazier than we needed to be. OK, can we just cut to the chase and have the gas companies start sending checks to baby boomers for $39.47 and one to the lawyers for $28 kajillion. Price of gas will go up 35 cents for six months and we can all get back to being crazier than we needed to be.

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