[@joerogan] Joe Rogan Experience #2360 - Caroline Fraser

Link: https://youtu.be/X-MwP-HotfE

Short Summary

Number One Action Item/Takeaway:

Be aware of and actively mitigate exposure to environmental toxins like lead, arsenic, and microplastics in your water, soil, food, and home, as even low levels can have significant negative impacts on cognitive function, behavior, and overall health.

Executive Summary:

Caroline Bleeke discusses her book, "Murderland," which explores a potential connection between lead pollution, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, and a rise in violent crime and serial killers. The discussion broadens to encompass the dangers of various environmental toxins like arsenic, microplastics, and fluoride, emphasizing their potential neurological and behavioral effects, the historical cover-ups by corporations, and the importance of individual and governmental action to address this widespread issue.

Key Quotes

Here are five insightful quotes from the Joe Rogan Experience podcast with Caroline:

1. "Yeah. And the the leaded gas is particularly tragic because that was essentially a kind of um horrific experiment that was conducted on generations of kids in this country."
2. "I think that that has to do with the fact that women deal with fear, you know, fear of um and it may be very, you know, nebulous. It may be kind of unclear what you know, but a lot of women have just had the experience of being afraid walking alone at night or walking through a parking lot, or you know, or they've had direct experience of, you know, some kind of of male violence or aggression, you know, at home, domestic violence. So I think there's a whole gamut of experiences that women uh have had uh to one extent or another that feed into that."
3. "You know, and in this case like in Idaho knowingly >> calculated "
4. "And so by the 70s the kids who had been you know born in the 50s they're starting to show the effects of lead poisoning."
5. "And it's like >> 150 years ago all that was pristine. It's a such a short amount of time. If you think about how long those lakes existed, how long these river systems existed, and in a couple of hundred years, >> we've ruined everything essentially forever >> for profit."

Detailed Summary

Okay, here is a detailed summary of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast with Caroline (author of "Murderland") using bullet points, excluding ads:

Key Topics

• Connection Between Lead Pollution and Violent Crime: The central premise explored is a potential link between historical lead pollution (from smelters and leaded gasoline) and increased rates of violent crime, including the emergence of serial killers, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.
• Environmental Toxins and Their Effects: The discussion extends beyond lead to consider other heavy metals like arsenic, cadmium, zinc, and manganese and their possible role in aggression, impulsivity, learning disabilities, and neurological issues.
• Corporate Negligence and Moral Failures: A significant portion of the conversation focuses on the historical actions of corporations (e.g., Standard Oil, DuPont, Asarco) that knowingly exposed populations to dangerous toxins for profit, often suppressing evidence of harm.
• Historical Context: The podcast delves into the historical context of leaded gasoline, smelting operations, wartime industrial production, and environmental regulations.
• Geographical Focus: The Pacific Northwest (Tacoma, Vashon Island), El Paso (Texas), and other specific locations with significant pollution are highlighted.
• Serial Killers as an Extreme Example: Serial killers are presented as an extreme manifestation of the potential impact of environmental toxins on behavior, but the primary focus is on broader trends of aggression and violent crime.
• The Role of Trauma and Brain Damage: The discussion also touches upon other factors that contribute to violent behavior, such as childhood trauma, abuse, poverty, and brain damage (including CTE).
• Environmental Racism: The interview also mentions that poor communities disproportionately suffered the health risks due to environmental toxins.
• The importance of awareness and testing: the guest recommends raising public awareness about industrial contamination in local areas.

Arguments and Information

• The "Murderland" Premise: The book explores the question of why the Pacific Northwest had so many serial killers and proposes that lead pollution could be a contributing factor.
• Smelters and Arsenic Pollution: The real estate ad mentioning arsenic remediation on Vashon Island led to research into the Asarco smelter in Tacoma and its impact on the surrounding area. GIS maps showing lead and arsenic levels in Tacoma neighborhoods were used to identify the house Ted Bundy grew up in.
• Lead and Its Effects: Lead exposure is linked to heightened aggression, violence, juvenile delinquency, learning problems, ADHD, and decreased IQ.
• Leaded Gasoline as a "Horrific Experiment": The introduction of leaded gasoline is characterized as a deliberate and harmful experiment conducted on generations of people.
• Corporate Knowledge of Harm: Companies like Standard Oil and DuPont were aware of the dangers of leaded gasoline but continued to produce it for profit.
• Nobel Prize and Whitewashing: The origins of the Nobel Prize are mentioned as a case of trying to rehabilitate a tarnished reputation.
• Thomas Midgley Jr.: The man who invented both leaded gasoline and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), both destructive substances to human and environmental health.
• Ted Bundy and Tacoma: Bundy grew up in Tacoma at the same time the Asarco smelter was operating, raising the question of potential lead exposure. Bundy worked at a rape crisis center.
• Ann Rule and Ted Bundy: The author mentions Ann Rule, who wrote a book about Ted Bundy, highlighting the fact that she knew him before he was identified as a serial killer because she worked with him at a rape crisis clinic.
• Increased Violent Crime in the 1970s: The podcast notes a general increase in violent crime across the country in the 1970s and discusses various factors that might have contributed to it (baby boom generation, economic uncertainty, Vietnam War).
• El Paso and Richard Ramirez: Richard Ramirez (the Night Stalker) grew up in El Paso, near another Asarco smelter, suggesting a potential link to lead exposure.
• Rick Nevin and Lucifer Curves: Economist Rick Nevin's research is cited, showing correlations between lead levels and violent crime rates, teen pregnancies, etc.
• Bunker Hill smelter disaster in Idaho: Mentions the lead poisoning that occurred in Kellogg Idaho.
• Superfund Program and Cleanup Efforts: The podcast discusses the Superfund program and its efforts to clean up contaminated sites, but also the challenges of completely removing pollutants.
• Tacoma Condos and Capped Contamination: Condos built on the site of the former Asarco smelter in Tacoma have a "hump" of contaminated material capped with plastic and soil nearby.
• Frank Herbert and Dune: Frank Herbert grew up in Tacoma and was inspired by the pollution from the smelter when writing his book Dune.
• Dissolving Illusions: The book is mentioned and the role of DDT in spraying the crops and their link to paralysis or polio like illnesses.
• Fluoride in Water: The dangers of using fluoride in the water supply and it's link to lowered IQ are also discussed.
• Red Zone in France: The area in France still too dangerous for human inhabitance due to munitions, explosives and leftover chemicals from World War 1.

This summary captures the main points, arguments, and information from the provided transcript.