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Douglas_Knight comments on Experiences in applying "The Biodeterminist's Guide to Parenting" - Less Wrong Discussion

64 Post author: juliawise 17 July 2015 07:19PM

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Comment author: Douglas_Knight 18 July 2015 03:46:00AM 0 points [-]

But it’s not something you can observe on a small scale

But you can observe that pyrethrins are used on large scale as food. That is why they are so popular as insecticides. I'll take that thousand year observational study over a single fishing expedition.

Comment author: juliawise 18 July 2015 12:44:24PM 6 points [-]

People also spent a very long time using lead water pipes and drinking vessels made with lead, and apparently didn't notice a problem.

It doesn't surprise me that ant poison isn't great for children.

Comment author: Douglas_Knight 18 July 2015 06:46:34PM -1 points [-]

No, the Romans were aware of the toxicity of lead.

Comment author: juliawise 18 July 2015 09:21:25PM *  5 points [-]

Yet it was used for water pipes into the 20th century. My understanding is that they knew high doses were toxic, but didn't see a problem with low doses.

Comment author: Lumifer 18 July 2015 04:24:26AM 3 points [-]

But you can observe that pyrethrins are used on large scale as food.

No, you can not. Pyrethrins are basically insoluble in water and people don't eat chrysanthemums from their tea.

I'll take that thousand year observational study

Be careful about that. For example,

The species Aristolochia clematitis was highly regarded as a medicinal plant since the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, and on to until the Early Modern era; it also plays a role in traditional Chinese medicine.

You actually have more than a thousand years of observational studies, and across different cultures, too. There is only one little problem -- "Aristolochia has been shown to be both a potent carcinogen and kidney toxin."

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