Many people were under the misconception that gold never changed color.
When gold fused with mercury to form an amalgam, its brilliant golden color faded. When people saw white spots on gold jewelry, their first thought was that they had bought fake gold; few realized that the mercury had come from their cosmetics.
It was already the twenty-first century. Cosmetics had all passed quality inspections, some were even famous brands—how could they possibly contain mercury?
Lead and mercury had been used for whitening since ancient times, and they worked far faster than other "natural" ingredients. Cosmetics containing lead and mercury made the skin immediately pale and bright. At that point, merchants did not care whether consumers lived or died.
The former Pope John Paul II had said, "Societies interested only in material goods and the short-lived life of the market often marginalize those who are of no use to their goals. This is a true human tragedy. Some choose to close their eyes, using indifference to protect themselves."
Their attitude was like Cain's: "Am I my brother's keeper?"
Even though God had solemnly warned him, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground."
If too much pesticide was sprayed, it was not only insects that would stop eating it—people who ate it would be poisoned as well. Not to mention all those bizarre chemicals and hormones.
After sewers became the conscience of a city, food safety also became a standard by which conscience was measured. Even when some people knew that others would suffer from eating food with excessive contaminants, they still chose indifference.
That was why ancient alchemists did not make their knowledge public. Handing the sword of knowledge to the wrong people caused more harm than leaving it with the illiterate.