First, about 1968-69 HFC which has a tiny mercury content started to get switched for sugar as the most used sweetener. Mercury is a cumulative poison, like lead. What goes in, stays. It affects young minds more than over 10 year old minds, the younger the more and more greatly. It takes IQ away, decreases attention span and makes the victim tend towards violence.
Lead in gasoline fumes did that too until it got taken out. It disproportionately affected inner city kids. Who knows what the stuff in air pollution now does but the latest studies come up really bad.
Smoke from burning dirty coal has loads of heavy metals. Lead, mercury and cadmium have all been found in dust deposited downwind from coal-fired power plants. What a hoot when kids playing on lawns get their dose. Even more when it rains down on gardens and farms. Reports get out and then get quashed.
Of course with the crisis in Flint and subsequent checking of water systems across the country, getting your daily dose of lead seems to be historically traditional. But the HFC-mercury has been increasing steadily, it's been half or more of the stuff in the store since the 80's.
Water supplies have gotten more and more polluted. Regulation is a dirty word. Since the laws got to be too much for industry, we have the friends of big business party cut the EPA budget to where they don't get enforced... problem solved! Yay for Wall Street! Boo you the great majority! Win-win for the establishment and bidness us usual!
There was the Reagan Educational System Budget RAPE that only got worse since. The programs cut include nutrition. They've steadily cut civics classes and critical thinking in public schools. It's all tended towards making a public that is easier to manipulate but may have gone too far even for the wannabe rulers who were fine with GWB but can't seem to stop Trump.
This is how Rome fell. It took centuries back then but we're modern now. But otherwise it's the same old same old, anything for a buck. Don't sweat it, arms sales for the upcoming wars once sea levels really start to rise will ensure great market opportunities, right?
But what's wrong with kids today? Nah, nothing's ever changed.