What disturbs me is that things of this same sort certainly happen today, and we as consumers are likely just as blind to it as they were then

When you're concerned about BPAs, so you put a lead lining on all your Tupperware.

Did they get double cancer or did the 2 cancers cancel each other out?

"Modern day problems need modern day solutions!" -- Kent, 1952

Try our new death sticks! Now with 50% extra death!

Hell yeah, asbestos cigarette filters.

Pretty sure this is unironically what killed my paternal grandpa.

Probably better than the microplastics from modern filters...

They tried to reduce the health effects of smoking asbest as they could.

We knew in 1918 that asbestos workers died at a high frequency, and in 1924 Asbestosis was described.

They used blue asbestos, which is most likely to cause mesothelioma. So technically, at least, it did indeed accomplish the goal.

Depending on the state of science at that point, that may actually have been a good idea.

Thank you for smoking (2005)

Source? Yeah, I could use a web search, but I’d expect a source for a claim that would be even mildly interesting.

Might still make it slightly less unhealthy overall