What from your childhood would be UNTHINKABLE today?

[The Larch]

I felt the same way when I learned that Yuros vomit uncontrollably at the mere sight of a peanut butter jar.

They...do?

I don't. Peanutbutter&nutella sandwich.

Both at the same time? Jesus Fucking Christ, you have no pity of yourself. 

[Ed Anger]

I don't think I've ever seen a peanut butter jar.

You dodged a bullet.

I wanna know what happen to Apple Jelly, i can't find it anymore.

Make your own, dammit.

[Berkut]

I wouldn't have thought Berkut would be the one to make a 'think of the children' argument.  Still, nobody is immune to panic over minor things.

The "'think of the children' argument" would be to say that all hoses, except safe ones, should be banned.

Not at all.  Vastly overstating a danger due to the potential risk to children is what a 'think of the children' argument is.

But nobody has vastly over-stated any danger.

Just noted that water sitting in an unsafe hose can contain very large amounts of lead, and that lead is rather unhealthy for children.

How is that "vastly over-stated"?

The funny thing about this lead argument is that it only came up because someone (charliebear? CC?) said something about how drinking from hoses was bad because of bacteria or stuff "in the system". I pointed out that the reason it is unsafe has nothing to do with that, but rather with the lead in the PVC hoses.

I wonder why it is "vastly over-stating" the danger and "panic" to avoid drinking water from hoses with lead, but perfectly reasonable to avoid drinking water from hoses for reasons that turn out to be completely false?

[The Larch]

Just noted that water sitting in an unsafe hose can contain very large amounts of lead, and that lead is rather unhealthy for children.

I dispute that. Most probably there's way more lead in normal tap water coming from old piping than in a hose, and even that's not enough to cause widespread problems. Lead poisoning in children usually derives from them ingesting paint or soil which contain lead, not by drinking water.

Quote from a paper by the CDC:

Lead can be found in high concentrations in three media to which children may be directly or indirectly exposed: paint, interior dust, and exterior soil or dust. (...) Lead in tap water, generally a lower dose source of exposure, is also addressed.

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/CaseManagement/caseManage_chap2.htm#Sources

[Berkut]

You dispute that lead in hoses can contain unsafe amounts of lead?

So the studies that have shown that lead can leech into a hose are....what? Bogus? Made up by the hose manufacturers or something?

I would be willing to bet that the CDC would not agree with your assessment that because they mention the three most common ways for people to get high concentrations of lead, those are the only ways.

[Berkut]

According to a May 2003 article from Consumer Reports, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) deemed safe levels of lead to be less than 15 parts per billion. Consumer Reports tested 16 of the most popular hoses sold nationwide, finding that many leached up to 100 times that amount at the initial flush of standing water.

[Berkut]

http://www.msdh.state.ms.us/msdhsite/_static/41,0,176.html

Where lead comes from

Children can be exposed to lead from lead-based paint, tap water that is delivered in lead pipes, batteries, and even old vinyl mini-blinds. Older homes, where lead-based materials are more common and paint may be peeling or chipping, can be especially risky to your child's health. Possible sources of lead are:
  Lead-based paint     Imported vinyl or plastic mini-blinds made before 1997
  Soil and dust     Keys
  Tap water     Batteries
  Glazed pottery     Imported canned foods
  Some electrical cords     Metal jewelry
  Garden hoses     Outside water faucets

[Grey Fox]

I bought a new hoses this week-end.

The Label on it said that the state of California recommends that no one drinks from it. California is usually right.

[charliebear]

I don't think I've ever seen a peanut butter jar.

You dodged a bullet.

I wanna know what happen to Apple Jelly, i can't find it anymore.

Go to Cracker Barrel and order breakfast, sweetie.  They have it on request.  I had some recently, and it was quite tasty.

[Berkut]

From Consumer Reports:

Dare you drink from a garden hose?
WARNING A label like the one above signals that the hose contains lead.
We'd answer that question by saying it's OK to drink from a hose only if it's labeled safe or if you flush it first.
Otherwise, the water standing inside may contain worrisome amounts of lead and other chemicals that leach
from the hose itself. Many hoses are made of polyvinyl chloride, which uses lead as a stabilizer.
We tested 16 new hoses, brands sold at national chains and on the Internet. Four were labeled safe for
drinking; six had warning labels. The remaining six weren't labeled either way.
The four hoses labeled safe for drinking typically contained less lead in their construction than the others. In
our tests, those hoses leached minuscule amounts of lead into water that had been standing in the hose for 20
hours or more. We measured concentrations well below 15 parts per billion, the level in drinking water at which
the Environmental Protection Agency requires remedial action. In fact, tap water contained as much lead as
some samples. (The time the water stands in the hose, water temperature and acidity all affect the amount of
lead leaching.) Hoses containing the highest amounts of lead, only two of which carried a "do not drink" label,
leached 10 to 100 times allowable lead levels in the first draw of standing water.
However, even extremely low levels of lead may cause health problems. A recent study reported in The New
England Journal of Medicine suggests that lead levels in the blood even lower than the current definition of
toxicity may adversely affect a child's IQ.
The bottom line. When you buy a hose, choose one labeled safe for drinking. With any hose, flush it by letting
the water run for a minute or so before you drink.

I am rather amazed that anyone would make such a big deal over such an easily avoidable source of potential lead.

[charliebear]

The funny thing about this lead argument is that it only came up because someone (charliebear? CC?) said something about how drinking from hoses was bad because of bacteria or stuff "in the system". I pointed out that the reason it is unsafe has nothing to do with that, but rather with the lead in the PVC hoses.

It was me, and that's what we were told...back in the day.  I can still hear the voices, "Don't drink from the hose.  There's worms in there."


What I think is funny is that I also mentioned I used to play in flood waters as a child, and no one here even raised an eyebrow.

[Malthus]

Looking at dangers realistically, I'd say that the two really big childhood dangers are: 1. being hit by a car; and 2. Drowning. Having a backyard pool and young children is a definite problem.

[The Larch]

You dispute that lead in hoses can contain unsafe amounts of lead?

So the studies that have shown that lead can leech into a hose are....what? Bogus? Made up by the hose manufacturers or something?

I would be willing to bet that the CDC would not agree with your assessment that because they mention the three most common ways for people to get high concentrations of lead, those are the only ways.

I dispute that water from hoses poses a significant hazard from children. I don't dispute that it contains lead, that's probable and can come from a variety of sources (lead polluting the aquifers, plumbing, or even leeching from the hose itself), but I'd venture that it doesn't go beyond trace amounts that don't pose serious long term problems. Surely you can get some nastiness from it, but you'd need to drink gallons over a prolonged amount of time in order to develop some kind of problem. Health scares like that are not uncommon.

[Eochaid]

I felt the same way when I learned that Yuros vomit uncontrollably at the mere sight of a peanut butter jar.

We do?  I quite like peanut butter.

My list is quite similar to what other people wrote: playing outside unsupervised till nightfall etc.

The only original thing I can think of is reading Mein kampf at age 12. I'm a history buff and I read the book quite young to better understand WW2. Nowadays if a teacher saw me reading it I'd end up seeing a shrink or something.

Kevin 

[Caliga]

@ Mal

My parents had good friends in college whose toddler drowned in their pool.  He was about 2 and wandered out the back door while nobody was looking.  He wasn't out of their sight for more than about 10 minutes.