Twas the definition of dangerous that changed, not the danger itself.
As kids we played with mercury, used lead solder, lead paint and cleaned our hands with gasoline. We wore watches with radium hands and dials. That’s just off the top of my head.
I found the Mother Jones article quite persuasive and not hysterical at all.
Yes, that sounds about right. I did all that too.
I’ll add that when we needed gas for the lawnmower (leaded gas), we siphoned it out of Mom’s car’s tank, and got a mouthful in the process. Worst-tasting stuff I’ve ever tasted–but we’re still here.
There is so much wrong with that article it’s hard to know where to start. The graph doesn’t line up with itself in the largest spike in lead and the changes in cities are too varied. It’s an article by a journalist and not a scientific paper.
Of course you’re still here. If you weren’t still here, you wouldn’t be capable of making a post to tell us that you’re still here.
This “But I’m fine/still here/didn’t die” argument has got to be the most ridiculous one in the history of arguments. I see it a lot when people are talking about the golden days of the American automobile, when nobody wore seatbelts and children crawled freely around in the back seat with no car seats, and “we survived just fine.” Right, because the kids who were killed in crashes aren’t around to post “actually, I never used a seatbelt when I was a kid and therefore I was killed at age 8.”
The question of whether a particular substance/activity/etc is dangerous enough to be banned has nothing to do with whether some people were exposed to it and managed not to die.
Wow. I just got an intense physical memory of moving around the board the top hat, the doggie, and… the Lead Pipe!
What the hell game was that? Clue? Those pieces always seemed heavy for their size. Lead?
ETA: I’ve just been informed it was Monopoly. Lead?
That is true but we were giving example to use in context for the OP’s question. Lead obviously isn’t good for you but people today may have a distorted idea of what the risks of short-term, casual exposure are (or more likely, aren’t). The question is about one incident where some kids got some lead residue on their hands and if that poisoned them permanently or not.
I think it is fair to point out that many people received more lead exposure from that back in those days from lots of activities over a much longer period and most of us never had any ill effects from it. It isn’t the same as a car accident in a vehicle without seatbelts where most people get lucky and nothing happens but a few unlucky ones die tragically. The amount of lead exposure described shouldn’t hurt anyone on its own.
To add to a history of professional use, I, and legions before me, used to work in a hot-type shop and lug around and breathe fumes from lead (85%) slugs for the pot.
I remember how I always would struggle internally as a kid when they too my temperature and I had to make sure the thermometer was completely, definitely in my mouth, yet having to negotiate it with my teeth and fearing it would break, spilling out all that amazing stuff.
I knew it was probably bad for you but I always kind of wished it would happen.
The Lead Pipe would be from Clue, the other two from Monopoly.
Back around 1980 or so, my class went on a field trip to a printer that had a Linotype machine. Each of us got a chance to sit down and type our names, and were given the lead slug - still warm! - to take home with us. I had it for years and was sad when I was packing up for college and realized I’d lost it.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that lead was just around a lot more in those days. I’m sure it didn’t do the kids any good, just like the Linotype experience didn’t improve my health any, but it wasn’t unique. We were exposed to lead in many more ways than kids are today. I wouldn’t feel guilty on your father’s behalf.
I think those Monopoly/Clue(do) pieces were cast in tin (which is easily mistaken for lead - heavy, malleable, silvery when new, turning dull greyish with age)
I think I got that once as well. I was at a place working outside all day. Some guy in the neighborhood was apparently burning all the old shingles and crap from doing a roofing job. Actually the fumes weren’t even particularly strong, in fact they were mild enough that at first I wasn’t sure what that faint burning smell actually was.
My friend and I worked outside all that day. That night we both felt rather bad. The next day we felt REALLY bad. Fortunately the day after was much better and things quickly improved.
At first I didn’t put 2 and 2 together. But a week or so later…duh, burning roofing nail fumes!
a seat belt is not an environmental factor. and the argument that some of us managed to survive the ravages of lead is relevant because we’ve had many many generations exposed to it without the promised chaos.
Bawahahahaha For the WIN !!! 
Better get ready, I’m failing fast. Bawahahaha
This. A thousand times, this. It is like the anthropic principle.
And when people say “we never had any harmful effects from it”, how can they be so sure? Maybe you took enough of an IQ hit from it that you don’t reason well enough to know what you have lost!
Speaking of lead on the brain… typing that one word over and over must get to be habit forming. The past tense of the verb you want is led.
For the record, I still have and run a Linotype, and because of that, I get my blood drawn for a lead level test now and again. I’ve never had elevated lead levels found. The metallic lead of the slugs isn’t soluble, so handling them is not a concern if you remember to wash your hands now and again. The molten lead in the pot can be an issue, but only if you have it set so hot the lead is fuming, but if it’s that hot, the quality of the type will be bad, so there’s multiple reasons not to do that.
As a kid I used to make my own fishing weights out of lead. Also, I had many lead toys that I played with. This was over 50 years ago, and I’m still here!
(P.S., I hate the word “Lead”. It’s to goddamn ambiguous!)