• Eheran@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Does it still cause harm? Or are people “just” still harmed by the exposure back then?

    • Thorry84@feddit.nl
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      2 days ago

      I think it has gotten a lot better in the past 10 years, but there are still a lot of places where there is too much lead in the environment. It doesn’t degrade at all, so unless it’s dealt with it just stays there. Given we’ve only gotten rid of leaded gasoline less then 3 decades ago, the effects are still very much there.

    • JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works
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      1 day ago

      General aviation still uses leaded gas almost exclusively. It’s really hard to qualify replacements though the FAA, and airports don’t want to carry multiple fuel types.

    • jjjalljs@ttrpg.network
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      1 day ago

      I’ve read that most of the lead from leaded gasoline is still in the environment, where it does cause harm. It it’s in the soil, and that can get into people through a variety of means.

      • AA5B@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        I don’t know if it’s universal but here every kid is tested for lead. When we did that, our pediatrician warned not to grow vegetables within 10’ of the house.

        For any house in the us built before mid 1970s you most likely had lead exterior paint Which would contaminate the soil. However they weren’t concerned about it still being concentrated enough to harm people directly, only if you ate contaminated vegetables

        The lead will never go away, but it does disperse, mix in, get covered over time

          • AA5B@lemmy.world
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            20 hours ago

            Northeast us. A big distinction is we were built out before most of the country. The land has been settled longer and you’re much more likely to find houses that have been around longer. Even when you find modern houses, they are likely on a lot previously having an older house. So, yeah, lead contamination is more likely than areas with more recent growth

            I have absolutely no idea how common lead testing is, but I also know most of the region trends blue, more likely to be aware of potential public health issues and do something about it