In 30-50 years we will maybe say this about stunted emotional development due to endocrine disruption from microplastics, or maybe social-behavioral disruption thanks to dopamine gaming from social media especially for youth, constant digital stimulation, pfas, ultra fine air particulate pollution, or whatever.

The point is the harm is happening still but we don’t care because much like when tobacco was becoming clear as a public health crisis. Or using your example like how it was fairly clear leaded gas had neurotoxic effects in like the 1920s almost immediately after they started using it because it kept destroying the brains of the gas factory workers, then they spent like 30 years studying it and basically finding atmospheric lead pollution increases as well as blood level concentration increases from engine exhaust.

But in both cases regulators drug their feet for decades while people literally died because god forbid they harm profits of companies to protect the public health and safety. We have some very clear ideas of what needs to be acted on now but we don’t because god forbid google be valued at 2.7 trillion dollars instead of 2.98 trillion