Lead's affects were well known, just ignored.

Aspartame is no different to any other food or substance we're exposed to. You can't buy anything in California that's doesn't have the 'Known to cause cancer' label on it.

Honestly, the rise in the diagnosis of cancer in industrial humans is a result of living longer and not being killed by something else.

Basically, what I'm saying is that as long as you live in moderation and overall healthy, a couple of pints of Diet Cola a day or a bottle of wine on a weekend isn't going to kill you.

From annectdotal experience, the people who get the most knotted up about this stuff probably sit down all day and eat absolute crap. The aspartame is not the thing to worry about in that equation.