12 Breakthrough Scientific Discoveries That Went Disastrously Wrong
![12 Breakthrough Scientific Discoveries That Went Disastrously Wrong](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/4/0/4/893404_320x180.jpg)
Ah, the age of invention. It was a time of great progress and discovery, a time when people were eager to push the boundaries of science and technology. But along with the great leaps forward, there were also some missteps.
In this list, we'll be exploring some of the most dangerous inventions of all time, inventions whose consequences were not immediately apparent, but which have had far-reaching and devastating effects on the environment, our health, and our society. From Thomas Midgley's development of leaded gasoline and CFCs to the use of asbestos in the 1950s to the false hope of tobacco in the 1500s, these inventions have caused untold harm and suffering.
We'll also look at the use of radium in consumer products, the development of heroin as a cough suppressant, and the consumption of plastic in mussels in Belgium. So, let's take a look at some of the most dangerous inventions ever created and the consequences they have had on our world.
Goodbye, ineffective antibacterial ingredients.
![CRACKED KILLS 99.99% OF GERMS ХА #1 DOCTOR RECOMMENDED U NEW! Dial Soothin Dial Cucum COMPLETE. TopCare Ly FOAMING antibacterial ANTIBACTERIAL No- Hand Wash foaming РОССИЯ Spring Refi Water hand soap Antib Hand Scap with GENTLE ON SKIN Moisturizer Antibacterial soap In 2016, the FDA stopped 19 common antibacterial ingredients from being used in hand soaps and body washes, because they weren't doing anything to stop people from getting sick, and could even make antibiotics less effective.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/9/5/893095.jpg)
Fresh air, sure...right.
![CRACKED Ozone In 1882, ozone gas was mistakenly associated with fresh air and recuperative properties and was even used to promote the area's proximity to the tonic ocean in the newly developed Ozone Park in Queens, New York. It's actually deadly.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/9/4/893094.jpg)
Cough medicine gone wrong.
![CRACKED 10 20 40 DE 80 0g 90 09 it Heroin In the late 1800s, a German pharmaceutical company created a new version of morphine that was meant to be used as a cough medicine. Unfortunately, it turned out to be very addictive and dangerous. They called it heroin.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/9/1/893091.jpg)
Radium: Not So Rad.
![CRACKED ٥٥ مع Radium In the early 1900s, people used radium in a lot of everyday items like toothpaste, hair creams, and food. But it was discovered that it was bad for people's health, so governments around the world stopped allowing it.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/9/2/893092.jpg)
Health risks abound.
![CRACKED PFASs, AKA forever chemicals The CDC reported in 2018 that exposure to PFASs can cause a range of health problems, such as cancer, liver damage, decreased fertility, asthma, and thyroid disease. And we had thought they were OK, so we built them into everything.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/9/0/893090.jpg)
False hope in the 1500s, real danger today.
![CRACKED Tobacco In the 1500s, people thought tobacco could cure all kinds of things, like colds, toothaches, injuries, and even syphilis. But it wasn't until much later that we found out how bad smoking is for you.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/8/7/893087.jpg)
Disastrous 'cure'.
![CRACKED Thalidomide In the 1950s and 60s, thalidomide was given to pregnant women to help with morning sickness, but it ended up causing disabilities in the babies that were born.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/9/3/893093.jpg)
Mussels: now with extra plastic.
![CRACKED Microplastics Plastic was initially considered very safe, which we now know it's not, as it keeps shedding tiny particles. As just one example, in 2017, mussels eaters in Belgium were warned that they could be eating up to 11,000 tiny pieces of plastic per year.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/8/8/893088.jpg)
"Trustworthy" cigarettes? Yeah, right.
![CRACKED Cigarettes Before 1950, tobacco companies used doctors to make their cigarettes look more trustworthy, even saying that their cigarettes were less irritating to your throat and supposedly better for your health. A lifetime later, we know better.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/8/9/893089.jpg)
Unethical research leads to measles outbreaks.
![CRACKED 4 s des oreillo GlaxoSmith Priorix N6980 1844 V 169ال MMR vaccine and autism In 1998, a study was published in a super-prestigious journal that suggested the MMR vaccine could be linked to autism. It was later found out that the research was done unethically and the results were wrong, but retracting it took over a decade.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/8/5/893085.jpg)
Asbestos: A century of denial.
![CRACKED Asbestos In the '50s, the US Government realized the risks of asbestos. In the '70s, researchers discovered that asbestos even in car brakes could lead to cancer. It took decades to fully get rid of the damn thing, partly due to a global network of lobbyists.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/8/6/893086.jpg)
Leaded Gasoline
![CRACKED Leaded gasoline and CFCS Thomas Midgley is now considered one of history's most dangerous inventors due to his development of leaded gasoline and CFCs, which have been linked, years and years later, to lead poisoning and global warming. Helluva guy.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/8/4/893084.jpg)