Arstechnica somewhat bridges this gap at the end with quotes including "at these intake levels", "A single serving", "from time to time", "indulging during holidays".
Arstechnica is really understating the risks here. While global chocolate consumption is 7.2 million metric tons that isn’t split evenly among 8 billion people resulting in 1.8kg/person per year instead the majority of the global population is 0-0.5kg/person and the rest is increasingly concentrated.
It’s not that uncommon to find someone eating a 1.6oz Hershey chocolate bar per day or the equivalent amount in whatever brand they prefer. If they happen to like an unusually high concentration brand the amount on its own might not seem concerning but it combines with every other source in their life and their lifetime accumulation from other sources.
I'm one of these ones. Sometimes eating two bars of 98% chocolate per day. Sometimes more.
The fats in it are not unhealthy, and the sugar amount is also very low.
In Switzerland the average person is consuming 8.8kg/year (22lb), and the country is quite healthy by international standards. They have the lowest obesity rate in Europe and and half that of America which averages significantly lower levels of chocolate consumption.
Count me closer to that 0 number. I can't think of the last time I ate any chocolate. Never was much into sweets or snacking.
> It’s not that uncommon to find someone eating a 1.6oz Hershey chocolate bar per day
I can think of two acquaintances who consume at least that a day.
All of them being lead poisoned effects you, even if “well hurr durr I don’t eat chocolate so I’m fine”
Which is the vibe your comment is radiating
I was simply agreeing with the statistics and analysis of the average chocolate consumption.
Not all chocolate is sweet. I would claim that none of the good stuff is. The bars I used to eat, before stopping for the heavy metals, had 7 grams of sugar.
Glad to see my Ars ban in 2015 was ahead of the curve, and sad they are still churning out the same garbage that got them blacklisted in the first place.
My new goal is to figure out how to get all this heavy metal accumulation out of me (I've been eating heavy dark chocolate regularly for years), and find ways I can keep eating chocolate without absorbing more. Some studies I've read mention that tomatoes might help prevent heavy metal absorption when consumed with the source.
The only good news about that is levels are constantly dropped as it gets "used up".
However this is only a portion, in many places arsenic is just there in the ground.