I think you may be thinking about economics and progress at that time like you would at this time. Remember that at that time most innovations came from government funding.
During WW2 there was plenty of money spend on funding innovation and research. If a lab has the money to hire more researchers and help then they get to the invention faster. I don't disagree that some advancements would have happened, I just think we would be where we are now. We would be about 10 years back. The innovation was due to the funding. This pushed us farther than we would have at that time because there was a lot of incentive for more/better ways to win the war. In peace time there is less reason to fund as much research.
Private company's now have the money for R&D and can make the innovations because they are driven by profit. (lets push that discussion off, we need less ass hat people in charge) Back then they did not.
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/scientific-and-technological-advances-world-war-ii
I find it super interesting that the development of the microwave is a direct result of radar technology. I am not comparing it to the computer or cell phone but its is a common household item that is a direct result from wartime developments.
Also ENIAC was the first general purposes computer that could do thousands of calculations in a second. This was only developed due to a desire to get an edge in the war. It didn't get completed as soon as hoped so it was used for other reasons but it was still a huge advancement due to the war. It eventually was used for calculations on feasibility of an H-bomb and then later used to calculate artillery firing tables.
We still have medical cocaine. It makes sense to have a company who has long term experience processing it to still do the same as long as they keep up the proper permits and labs.
Set this aside and I agree with @reddig33@lemmy.world that i have much less worry about this than i do about all the plastic. I truly wish we could and would move back to glass bottles because those can truly be recycled. Plastic CAN be but most places anymore don't actually recycle it.