this post was submitted on 17 Jul 2023
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Asklemmy

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 year ago

Getting really speculative, but maybe Infinite Scrolling and similar UX design patterns. I think we learned it was dangerous pretty early in, but I have a feeling there isn't currently a widespread understanding of just how badly things like infinite scrolling shortcircuit parts of the brain and cause issues with attention and time regulation in large populations.

If I was more researched on it, I might include infinite short-form content feeds of almost any type to be honest, which may just be another way of saying social media.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 year ago (3 children)
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[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 year ago

I think it's about to be the weather

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 year ago

Microplastics and PFAS

No, seriously, these two will kill Earth, and us

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago (4 children)

By your definition we don't know yet. Ask again in 10 years.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Alcohol is a known carcinogen and many people still don't know that.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago

Don't forget teflon...

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago (7 children)
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[–] Crucible_Fodder 21 points 1 year ago

ToS for digital products

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago

Probably digital screen exposure. The impact of the digital age on mental health, especially due to increased screen time, is an area of active study. Some early research suggests potential risks, including impacts on sleep, attention, and mental well-being.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I would probably say either alcohol or microplastics. Both are carcinogenic. At least alcohol is avoidable, but microplastics pretty much saturate all of our environments. It reminds me of when they were doing experiments to figure out the impact of lead, they couldn't even open the door to the lab, because the airborne concentration of lead would throw off the readings. We might not ever know what real health is like without walking around with grams of microplastics inside us.

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (6 children)

Artificial sweeteners. Everyone is so obsessed with whether or not they cause cancer that their other potential effects get much less attention. There's a major industry push to keep them on the shelves, and we still have only recently discovered the gut microbiome.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Fossil fuels.

Things have slowly drifted from "we might wanna consider doing something before this becomes a problem" to "we need an immediate and concrete plan" to "anything short of immediate and drastic action is killing and will continue to kill people" over the course of the last decade or two.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago

Trans fats. Every processed food was full of the things until the mid 2000s, when it was discovered they were a leading cause of heart disease.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago (11 children)

Soft drink. They are just sugar water and color chemistry that give color and flavor.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago (2 children)

E-cigarettes
It is advertised as a safer option, but it is not.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (17 children)

Gas cooking ranges

Edit to clarify: they're way too normal for how toxic they are.

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It's been way more than one dangerous product per generation. So people should feel free to choose multiple current ones.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago
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