FT Tech Tonic Introducing Untold: Toxic Legacy
5 snips
Oct 23, 2025 A hidden health crisis unfolds as lead poisoning quietly impacts lives across the UK. The host reveals how the toxic substance often goes unnoticed, accumulating in our bodies and escaping detection by standard tests. Listeners learn about the alarming scale of this epidemic and the extensive long-term consequences of exposure. This eye-opening exploration invites you to reconsider your own environment and raises awareness about a problem that many might not even realize exists.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Invisible, Gradual Symptoms
- Lead poisoning often starts with vague, easily dismissed symptoms like tiredness and forgetfulness.
- Laura Hughes reveals that these small signs can accumulate into serious, hard-to-detect harm.
Tests Can Miss Lead
- Standard medical tests can miss lead poisoning, leaving sufferers undiagnosed and unsupported.
- Laura Hughes argues this creates a hidden public-health problem that accumulates damage over time.
Reporter’s Personal Investigation
- Laura Hughes recounts her two-year investigation into the UK's relationship with lead and its shocking findings.
- She says once damage occurs there is no easy route out and reporting can feel personally risky.