I never knew that, and it is absolutely horrifying.
Just, like, lead in everything…lead poisoning for everyone.
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It was worse back when leaded gasoline/petrol was the norm. It was included to stop engine knock, but ended up in the air. There are distinct intelligence drops, and increases in violent behaviour, among those who grew up between roughly 1930 and 1980. I’d love to see a study correlating the number of active serial killers in the US with the amount of lead in the air during their childhoods. (Currently, there are roughly 50-100 serial killers active in the US. In the '70s, it was 300-500. There has to be a connection to lead, given the timing and the drop.)
The specific lead molecule used was tetraethyllead, which is an organic molecule the body happily metabolises. It made the whole mess a thousand times worse.
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I didn’t know the word “plumbob” was used anywhere but The Sims. lol
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Apparently, it’s a term. I recall my dad saying it a long time ago, but my memory ain’t great.
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