what kind of poisons would be found in remodeling homes in the 1950s that would cause neurologic problems?
Lead paint. Wear a dust mask when scrapeing.
Lead is the only toxin that I can think of. It will be found in the paint as well as in the solder joints of the plumbing. Lead damages a particular kind of brain cell which then produces free radicals due to the damage making its mitochondria less efficient and more polluting. These free radicals then kill off nearby motorneurons which result in the kind of disease Michael J. Fox has. Dementia, on the other hand, is caused more by aluminum, which is helped across the blood/brain barrier by fluoride which is itself a potent neurotoxin. Depression and Anxiety are more often caused by hormonal problems. Specifically when certain toxins usurp iodine from the thyroid and force it to make substitute hormones that don't have the same effect, then this can result in mania, depression, and anxiety, but the precise results vary depending on what element is substituted for the iodine as well as the genetic makeup of the individual. While toxins can accumulate slowly over a lifetime, not showing any noticeable symptoms until the body's tolerance is exceeded, more often than not symptoms are not noticed simply because the onset is so gradual due to the slow buildup. The LD50 of a substance is where 50% of the subjects died from exposure to the substance. The first subject may have died from much less. Some people are more susceptible to toxins than others for a variety of reasons. The only assuredly safe dose is zero. Nevertheless, people continue to cook their food in aluminum cookware using fluoridated water and increasing the amount of aluminum in their brain every day. Some people will show symptoms sooner than others.
