It's crazy how much perspectives on different chemicals and substances being in your home has changed from generation to generation.
We've learned a lot about the effects of exposure to toxic materials, not to mention what is and isn't dangerous in other ways.
Here are some of the things that used to be just fine but are now recognized as straight-up bad for your health and safety.
1.According to the EPA, "87% of homes built before 1940 have some lead-based paint, while 24% of homes built between 1960 and 1978 have some lead-based paint."
2.And since no amount of lead exposure is safe, that also made leaded gas (tetraethyl) a problem.
3.Chemically-made colors became trendy in the 19th century and were in high demand into the 20th century. Arsenic-derived pigments were known to be dangerous, but they continued to be available because of how much money the designs were bringing in.
4.A number of household appliances including stoves, toasters, slow cookers, and bottle warmers contained asbestos for the majority of the 20th century.
5.Batteries and garden fertilizer in your home could contain cadmium to this day.
6.Talc in baby powder and cosmetic powders have been linked to cancer.
7.If you've got any Teflon nonstick cookware from 2013 or before, it could contain a chemical previously used in the production of the nonstick coating called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which has been linked to cancer.
9.Science teachers still use liquid mercury in school experiments even though the CDC frowns upon that sort of thing.
10.And speaking of mercury, there was quite a bit of it in mercurochrome, an antiseptic that was also included as a disinfectant in household cleaners.
12.Knobs and ornamental designs on metal dashboards were dangerous to drivers and front-seat passengers in cars with steel dashboards.
13.Kids could sit in the front seat if they wanted, and babies could be held by someone who wasn't driving. Car seats didn't become a mainstay until the '80s into the '90s.
16.Lysol was used as a douche and subtly marketed as a method of birth control.
17.You'd never dream of hitchhiking today, but it was once a valid way of getting around prior to the '70s.
What are some other bygone things and ways of life from the past that aren't safe to continue today? Talk about what's changed (and whether it's for better or worse) in the comments!
