A century of hair samples proves leaded gas ban worked
a day ago
- #lead regulation
- #environmental health
- #historical impact
- The EPA's 1970s crackdown on lead-based products like lead paint and gasoline significantly reduced lead concentrations in humans, as shown by a 100-fold decrease in lead levels in hair samples over 100 years.
- Recent concerns arise due to the Trump administration's potential deregulation of EPA rules, including possible loosening of enforcement on the 2024 Lead and Copper Rule for replacing old lead pipes.
- Co-author Thure Cerling emphasizes the importance of historical regulations, acknowledging their positive effects despite industry pushback.
- Thomas Midgley Jr., developer of leaded gasoline and CFCs, publicly defended leaded gasoline's safety despite personal lead poisoning, later dying tragically in 1944.