Well, I'm in my early sixties and I remember all the plumbing in our school being wrapped in asbestos. I also remember asbestos hot pads for kitchens and asbestos oven gloves. I remember the fancier shoe stores had X-ray machines. We'd beg to be taken there so we could see our feet on the screen when the shoe salesman was X-raying them to make sure that the shoes fit properly. Our water mains had lead sections. Coal tars were used in shampoos, and coal derivative dyes in hair rinses. Most of our homes had lead paint in them. And the high schools had sections cordoned off for the student smokers. Pregnant women were sometimes told to take a glass of wine after meals. Cars didn't have seat belts, either. All of our watches had radium dials. And we sprayed our screens with DDT, and stuffed vicks salve up our noses when we had colds. And you could buy perigoric acid or codiene cough medicine at the pharmacy without a prescription.

My father was an octogenarian when he died, and my mother a nonagenarian. Somehow they survived all those dangers. It was also rare to find children with allergies and autism was rare. I think we sort of just changed one sort of danger for another over the years.

That ad reminds me of an article in a 1930s House and Garden magazine I have around. It is about the house of the future. They are talking about a new discovery that they call "black rays". These rays can heat a home easily. They show pictures of a "future" home with no walls that is being heated with these rays. Even mention a display at some worlds fair where you can stick your hand in and feel the warmth of the rays.

They only call them black rays but reading the article, it's obvious that this is what we now call microwaves. Whoops. Luckily they figured out the dangers before they tried heating houses with them. Still, I'm glad I wasn't around to stick my hand in that demonstration box!

That's some "leading edge" design, as we would call it today! "Hot" with early adapters, I bet.

I vividly remember fluroroscopic shoe fitting machines in the 1950s. And how our father, an M.D., forbade us from using them at all. He had an X-Ray machine in his office in a small room with lead-lined walls. We couldn't play with it either!

"Step right up kids and Moms. Be the first ones
on you block with skin and breast cancer."
And it's free!"
Oak Ridge Associated Universities Collection

How about those water jars from the 1920s or before with the glaze that was absolutely chock full of radium?

Here is a link that might be useful: Radium Water Jar

The EPA decided that to 'avoid confusing the public' it would NOT attempt to explain that not all asbestos is dangerous.

Asbestos is still used in a number of applications, and the more expensive (and safe) type is now the 'standard' were the high temperature properties of asbestos are needed.