SO as far is interior decor is concerned, I can't think of anything else off the top of my head that I have first hand experience with. Asbestos and mercury are the two big things that we look for where I work as a historical archaeologist, although I'm sure there are plenty that I can't remember right now.
However, a not toxic but fun fact is that bakelite, an early form of plastic:
Bakelite was used in lot of things like buttons and jewelry, but it was also used for two important things: typewriter and piano keys. This is significant because up to that point the preferred material for these keys had been whale bone, because of the way that it felt when the key was struck. Bakelite provided a much more environmentally friendly alternative that still felt good to type/play.
Because of its chemical composition, bakelite smells like ammonia when it gets hot. The very scientific way that we test for this in the field is by rubbing the object very fast on our pant leg so the friction heats it up. Then we smell it. Of course we verify everything in the lab later.
However, if you're looking for another morbid special interest like Paris Green, I would highly recommend The Poisoner's Handbook,
Deborah Blum, writing with the high style and skill for suspense that is characteristic of the very best mystery fiction, shares the unto...
The book documents the development of the study of toxicology in the United States. The book definitely has that macabre vibe to it, but, as @cloverchameleon so rightly pointed out in the reblogs of this post, the book also addresses how instances of poisoning disproportionally affect women and the poor/working class either through means of manufacture or the targeted demographics. This includes:
the United States prohibition of alcohol
the production of illegal alcohol as a result of the prohibition
Through individual case studies the author explains the scientific process of the development of procedures for the detection of different poisons. The narrative of class/racial inequality is strung through the book, connecting many of the cases.
If you really want to go down a rabbit hole with the whole medical toxicity thing, I would check out The Plutonium Files, a book length piece of investigative journalism on how our understanding of how radiation affects humans was gained at the expense of poor people, people of color, and the disabled. If you found yourself fascinated by The Radium Girls, this is one step darker.
Medical Apartheid is a more general expose on how specifically Black people have been used and abused by the United States healthcare system in order to develop techniques and tools we use now. It goes beyond both Henriette Lacks or the Tuskegee syphilis experiments.
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