Those working from say 1970 to 2000, did you notice a change in office tempers as lead poisoning wound down?
Much is said about lead and crime rates, I'm wondering about the more mundane things.
Gen X here. There has been huge shift in office culture, and the generational shift from boomers out of it has led to a completely different experience, with the biggest shift being in the decrease in overt misogyny and outbursts of anger. Most of my worst bosses were from this generation, including one individual that would literally start screaming and hitting the wall when something went wrong.
Their generation is marked by a lack of impulse control and a deep inner rage that can often be triggered by trivial inconveniences. They also seem to have a vindictiveness to them that I never really understood, holding grudges far past their expiration date. This is in significant contrast to their parents' generation, which, for all its problems, always seemed to treat us Gen X folks kindly.
Their generation is marked by a lack of impulse control and a deep inner rage that can often be triggered by trivial inconveniences. They also seem to have a vindictiveness to them that I never really understood, holding grudges far past their expiration date.
oh shit i might be a boomer
I'm absolutely convinced that a lot of the batshit we're seeing right now from them is the lifetime exposure to lead showing up in their old age.
We have a generation raised by traumatised world war II vets - in some cases those vets themselves were raised by traumatised world war I vets - and then marinated in lead for most of their lives. There's gonna be...symptoms.
You clearly haven’t worked with incels then. I noticed the computer age has brought this back in the newer generation among a certain type. I don’t blame the water or air. I blame the echo chambers.
That corresponds with the period people quit smoking so the anecdata may be affected (by people on short fuse because of nicotine withdrawals). An increase of women in the workforce may also be a potential factor (either way).
Fuck, getting flashbacks to when my boss quit smoking back in like 2011. He became a dictator overnight.
What makes you think lead poisoning has wound down as GenX ages into taking over from the Boomers?
What does this chart even show? People's lead levels are at 100%?
Edit: okay I understand it now after examining it closer but this seems to contradict what I've heard about lead bans in gasoline and paint causing the crime rates to begin dropping in the late 90s and beyond around 20 years after the bans due to these children reaching adulthood without having been exposed like previous generations. This graph seems to show that it was only GenX who were exposed to a lot of lead, which doesn't make a lot of sense since this stuff was around long before they were born.
This chart doesn't show the adult blood lead levels boomers had through continuing exposure. They didn't get as huge a dose as kids, but they got it for longer.
But yeah, you're understanding why I am asking why people think this is becoming less of an issue. It's just shifting a bit. As a GenXer myself, I would probably be ok with an age limit of like 40 to hold political office at this point. Neither we nor the boomers can be trusted.
It's buckets of people that had those different lead levels, so it adds up to everyone.
I'm still convinced most boomers are still contaminated. They still own a lot of stuff filled with lead or were too stubborn to give it up. I'm purposefully breaking my parent's corningwear when I visit because they are too fucking stubborn to stop using it.
You can almost tell the difference between someone with high lifetime lead exposure and someone without. It's sad and frustrating.
Can you reference a source that shows Corningware contains or leaches lead?
Different brand but apparently it is a thing that was done previously: https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2022/05/30/corelle-responds-to-viral-post-about-its-vintage-dishware-lead-exposure/
I found very few news stories, mostly just people discussing the topic.
It seems this person has personally detected the presence of lead in older corningware: https://tamararubin.com/2019/03/how-much-lead-is-in-my-vintage-corning-casserole-here-are-pictures-of-each-one-i-have-tested-with-links-to-the-post-with-test-results/
From my reading on the subject, vintage corningware baking dishes have high levels lead in the glazes used for the colored patterning. They seem to consistently test negative for lead on the white surfaces used for cooking.
Lead can get into your food as those colored patterns wear off, and the dishes get washed. It is a danger, but corningware isn't directly marinating your food with lead.
Lead is still in many kitchen products. Its mainly in paints and colored glazes, and other coatings. Though corningware is bad, there are many other sources of lead in many other parts of the kitchen.
How would it get into your food, when your food is only on the inside of the dish?
I'm extremely skeptical corningware contains lead which can come off.... it's sealed, ultra hard ceramic. that's not how people have historically gotten lead contamination. there's probably more lead in the soil in their front yard than in every piece of corningware in the house....
please don't destroy these, just donate them to a thrift shop so sensible folks can use them as intended. many of those vintage ceramics are collectibles, more importantly they are infinity reusable.
They are. You don't flush lead out of your system, it's there for life.
Honestly it's a toss up comparing old stuff to modern glazes. It's all contaminated.
I'm not THAT old but have worked for long enough to remember smoking offices. Like, people smoking at their desks.
I've surely experienced a decline in aggression in my workplaces over my career but think it has more to do with getting better jobs over time. An office is different from a flea market, restaurant, or retail.
I guess our shop didn't ban smoking indoors until around 2009.
No, I noticed the anger grew as computers were introduced.
The city just replaced my lead water lines.
We've been drinking straight out of the tap for about 5 years.
No change in my temperament, anger, mood I guess.
Remember that mineral deposits may line the inside of those pipes and doesnt necessitate that lead has been leeching into the water
What?
No like there was a lead pipe from the early 1900s from the street up through the woods to my house.
The city and utility company replaced it with a copper one at no cost. It's a big initiative in our city right now to replace all the old lead water lines by 2027
https://www.pgh2o.com/projects-maintenance/lead-line-replacement-programs
Watch the TV series "Mad Men", it was like this for real..