Comment by cjflog
I don't know, but I do know there is room for improvement from where we are now, and I think we should strive to do better.
I don't know, but I do know there is room for improvement from where we are now, and I think we should strive to do better.
For sure! Turnabout for the goose etc.:
My instinct is that things have largely gotten better over time. At a super-macro level, in 1900 we had directly adulterated food that e.g. the soldiers receiving Chicago meat called "embalmed". In the mid-20th century we had waterways that caught fire and leaded gas.
By the late 20th we had clean(er) air (this is all from a U.S. perspective) and largely safe food. I think if we were to claim a regression, the high point would have to be around 2000, but I can't point to anything specific going on now that wasn't also going on then -- e.g. I think microplastics were a thing then as well, we just weren't paying attention.