Banning lead in gas worked. The proof is in our hair
by geox on 2/3/2026, 1:52:21 AM
<a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2525498123" rel="nofollow">https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2525498123</a>
https://attheu.utah.edu/health-medicine/banning-lead-in-gas-worked-the-proof-is-in-our-hair/
Comments
by: cfiggers
In my opinion it is obvious and should be uncontroversial that <i>some</i> environmental regulations work and are great and should if anything be reinforced, while <i>other</i> environmental regulations do more harm than good and need to be reigned in or eliminated.<p>Turning "environmental regulation" into a unified bloc that must be either supported or opposed in totality is a manipulative political maneuver and it should be forcefully rejected.<p>Regulations are not people, and they don't have rights. It is fair and reasonable to demand that environmental regulation justify its existence with hard, scientifically verifiable data or else get chopped. Clearly, banning leaded gasoline has that kind of justification, and therefore I'm strongly in favor of maintaining that ban and extending it wherever it isn't in place yet. The same reasonable standard should be applied to other regulations across the board.
2/3/2026, 2:31:10 PM
by: jmward01
I remember going to LA in the late 80's and my eyes watering (I also remember the pants-less man on the side of the strode but that is a different story). Environmental regulations are a win. Unfortunately there is a large segment of the population that doesn't believe something until it happens to them directly. That makes it a challenge to maintain environmental, or any regulations for that matter, over generations. It isn't practical, but it would be interesting to create 'pollution cities' where the regulations were loose so long as the entire company drew its workforce (including management) from the local population (like within a mile) and a significant portion of their drinking water and foods must also be sourced locally. Go ahead, pollute your own drinking water. I bet cities like this would be cleaner than ones with stricter regulations.
2/3/2026, 6:47:44 AM
by: russdill
Hopefully next we can help fix mercury in fish, the number one contributor right now is burning coal. Seems like it would be a easy decision.
2/3/2026, 3:17:11 AM
by: gambiting
Fun fact - leaded petrol isn't actually banned in the UK, you can legally buy it and use it. The legislation at the time of bans just made it so that leaded petrol could only be a small % of overall petrol sales by any given fuel station, arguing that it allowed time for owners of unleaded-incompatible cars to purchase it.<p>And....it worked pretty much exactly as designed - initially only the largest stations carried it because they could justify the storage costs, and eventually it disappeared from almost everywhere. Just before covid there were still 3 small garages selling leaded petrol by the drum, but afaik they all stopped doing so.<p>And regardless - you can stil buy actual real Tetraethyl Lead fuel additive which turns your petrol into actual real 4-star leaded petrol, just like in the old days:<p><a href="https://www.demon-tweeks.com/tetraboost-e-guard-15-fuel-additive-with-ethanol-protection-lead-additive-tbotet15945/" rel="nofollow">https://www.demon-tweeks.com/tetraboost-e-guard-15-fuel-addi...</a>
2/3/2026, 2:52:51 PM
by: t1234s
You used to be able to buy leaded 110 gas as Sunoco in the early 2000's. It would make your exhaust tips turn white and had a sort of candy like smell when combusted.
2/3/2026, 2:24:48 PM
by: ck2
unless you live next to an airport or even remotely close to it<p>then lead is being sprayed all over you, your car and home, daily<p>for THREE DECADES NOW<p>no rush, not like it's poison or does permanent damage to your health/IQ<p><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/leaded-gas-was-phased-out-25-years-ago-why-are-n1264970" rel="nofollow">https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/leaded-gas-wa...</a>
2/3/2026, 2:44:05 PM
by: defrost
The punchline being:<p><pre><code> The findings, which appear in PNAS, underscore the vital role of environmental regulations in protecting public health. The study notes lead rules are now being weakened by the Trump administration in a wide-ranging move to ease environmental protections. “We should not forget the lessons of history. And the lesson is those regulations have been very important,”</code></pre>
2/3/2026, 2:36:45 AM
by: lenerdenator
I really want to see elimination of lead (projectiles, lead styphnate primers, etc.) in firearms next.<p>When I go to the range, every once in a while, I'll see one of the older marksmen who's there with his squirrel hunting rifle, chambered in .22 LR. I've noticed that he seems to have a tremor in his hands when he's loading his magazines. Essential tremor is linked to lead exposure [0]<p>Most .22 LR projectiles are either just lead or have a copper "wash" over the lead, not a proper jacket like you see on other rounds.<p>I wonder, if you shoot those loads for long enough, and breathe in enough gunsmoke, do you get that problem?<p>As for the proof being in our hair... well, not mine. Chrome dome over here XD<p>[0] <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1241711/" rel="nofollow">https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1241711/</a>
2/3/2026, 2:47:54 PM
by: vintermann
> The Utah part of this is so interesting because of the way people keep track of their family history.<p>Definitively interesting that they could get so many old hair samples with good provenance.
2/3/2026, 6:16:34 AM
by: magaisnuts
Lead in gas is responsible for the maga mental health crisis
2/3/2026, 3:40:18 PM
by: mistrial9
no one has mentioned "The Secret History of Lead" published by The Nation in March 2000. The long and detailed article exposed the deliberate and long-standing cover-up of leaded gasoline's dangers by major corporations. Villians include General Motors, Du Pont, and Standard Oil of New Jersey (now Exxon).
2/3/2026, 2:30:58 PM
by: builderhq_io
[dead]
2/3/2026, 3:00:25 PM
by: wileydragonfly
Explains a great deal, honestly.
2/3/2026, 2:30:57 AM