This week we’re looking at inventions gone horribly wrong. Olivia tells the story of the “one-man climate disaster,” aka the wildly successful 20th-century inventor Thomas Midgley Jr., whose creations caused widespread lead-induced madness and the near destruction of the ozone layer. Thanks to a bit of showmanship and barely any regulations, his inventions ended up in everyday vehicles and homes for decades after his untimely death. Then, Elise digs into “forever chemicals” in period underwear, the little-known class-action lawsuit against Thinx underwear, and how to advocate for safer products. Other topics include ethical inventing, the lead-crime hypothesis, and what we’re listening to.
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