A new study links 151 million instances of psychiatric illness to leaded gasoline.

Summary

Childhood lead exposure from leaded gasoline caused 151 million additional psychiatric illnesses in the U.S. between 1940 and 2015, according to new research.

Peak exposure occurred for Generation X (1966–1986 births) due to widespread use of leaded gasoline before its 1996 ban.

The study links lead exposure to higher rates of depression, anxiety, ADHD, and altered personality traits, including increased neuroticism and reduced conscientiousness.

Lead pollution also caused a collective loss of 824 million IQ points in Americans.

  • xmunk@sh.itjust.works
    30·
    18 days ago

    I’m the same age - you Gen Xers can’t steal me… I had to endure decades of shitty avocado toast references and can’t afford a decent fucking home. I’m millennial to my core!

    • TimeSquirrel@kbin.melroy.org
      11·
      17 days ago

      I like to think a good way to tell if someone is one is asking if they’ve ever heard of or played the original Oregon Trail, or know what Pogs are.

      • fluxion@lemmy.worldEnglish
        4·
        17 days ago

        I was early 80s and grew up with those things too, but really I think if your childhood internet experience was “wtf is that” or BBS boards, then that’s the GenX cut-off, whereas millennials got the full WWW/AOL+ experience.

        Millennials were the “Information Age” generation, and being a part of that, when there was some thought that free access to information and true knowledge would connect us all and bring us all into a new world… Before that was all completely crushed by corporate/government manipulation… that really feels like the defining aspect of being a millennial to me.

        It becomes a far more defining characteristic to me as I see where the world is heading. That’s probably why a lot of us “older” folks are here, escaping enshittification and weaponized social media platforms, searching for some semblance of what we grew up with. It’s making me a bit emotional to be honest… another “millennial” thing i suppose.

    • fluxion@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      17 days ago

      I tried to resist being lumped in with millennials, meekly clung to “Xennials” for a time, but I’ve accepted my place finally.

      • xmunk@sh.itjust.works
        2·
        17 days ago

        Did you buy a detached house before you joined us? If not you’ll probably need to wait until at least 2060 to afford one.

        • fluxion@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          17 days ago

          Fortunately I did manage to exploit my then in-between status to purchase a home before covid, but i had to permanently sacrifice avocado toast to do it.