unpleasant surprise behind wallpaper

[The Natural Philosopher]

I would say so yes..except for one thing. I do smoke but when I gave up for ten years I found secondhand smoke exceptionally likely to instigate asthma.

So I have sympathy.

BUT I get similar effects from many people wearing deodorants.

Can I have my deodorant free area?

Not a chance..

These things are at the whim of fashion and politics: there is no real cost benefit analysis done..

Has the banning of handguns had an appreciable effect on the use of weapons in crime? No.

Has there been a reduction in the number of mauled babies as a result of the dangerous Dogs act? No.

The list it seems is endless of politically motivated legislation that essentially does nothing, or makes things worse.

There are a few exceptions: yes, lead free petrol probably has saved urban kids from being more brain dead than they are already. Maybe. Its hard to tell.

Yes, we dont have holes in the ozone layer anymore since CFCs were banned.

Yes, raptors are back after DDT was taken off the market. So is malaria. You takes yer choice there.

[Steve Walker]

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behind wallpaper)

18:16:39 BST)

I was very glad that the smoking ban came in. Although I have asthma and sarcoidosis affecting my lungs, I've never had a problem in that respect and was not overly concerned about the health effects of passive smoking. I did however hate coming home with stinging eyes, a sore throat and stinking clothes.

No smoking areas were of little help, as smoke does tend to drift around and more of a problem is that many smokers can be very selfish - if we went out as a group, even though only a small proportion smoked, they would insist on us being in the smoking areas or they'd sulk and ruin the evening.

SteveW

[Fredxx]

There is a thought that the consequent aromatic content of fuel, ie benzene and similar compounds, with it's carcinogenic properties has run counter to any improvement in health from the removal of lead in petrol.

I wasn't aware that the use of DDT reduced the incidence of malaria!

[Andy Champ]

About the only time I've ever heard of lead based paint being a problem was kids toys. They chew them... so you're right to be careful.

Andy

[Steve Walker]

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Unfortunately the replacements aren't always better or even as good when the original is banned, although they may become so later.

Although I have heard that there may be some difficulty in determining if there has been much of an improvement since leaded petrol was banned, as any improvement may have been swamped by the removal of lead pipes (and/or the addition of chemical to stop soft water absorbing the lead in remaining pipes).

This is one of the reasons given for us having higher taxation on diesel than the rest of Europe does. Although I do remember a Green Party spokesman declaring that particulates from diesel engined cars were not really a problem and it was the particulates from lorries and buses that needed to be controlled.

Unfortunately amplified by the sensationalist press.

It *is* my perception, but there again, I am an engineer and am used to factoring potential effects against likelihood and have done a small amount of design work for the nuclear industry. I've also looked at reports of Chernobyl (back in my student days) and the design and operations faults that would not be permitted here. Much of the emotion around nuclear power is driven by Chernobyl and the problems of Windscale/Sellafied, but Windscale was an early system, rushed into operation primarily for the military and has very little relationship to modern design and practice for civil use.

SteveW

[The Natural Philosopher]

It wouldn't surprise me ...if all the girls in Plaistow were laid end to end..

Gaps! you didnt know that global malaria was about 2 years from TOTAL eradication as the malarial swamps were being taken down with DDT..

Then on account of European concerns, it was banned in AFRICA!!

[The Medway Handyman]

Oi! I were born & raised in Plaistow.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Steve Walker wrote: .

And yet even Chernobyl is peanuts compared to - say Bhopal, or what global warming would do, or indeed what having to rely on renewables would do, in terms of removing great slices of population..

In the same way that UK combat deaths in afghanistan now exceed 'al qaeda' inspired UK terrorist deaths..

And the car still remains the greatest killer, along with alcohol..

[Man at B&Q]

On Jul 14, 11:17=A0pm, "The Medway Handyman"

Unfortunately, it's what we get when we vote in a party riddled with spite and class envy that want to pull the drawbridge up after themselves.

I'm not saying the other lot are neccessarily any better...;-)

MBQ

[Roger Chapman]

snip

I don't know the death rate for alcohol but in recent years hospital acquired infections have resulted in substantially more deaths than RTAs (some of which can't be blamed on the car).

[The Natural Philosopher]

Well there you go., That's what the government wants with all this 'investment' into the NHS.

YouthinAsia Innit?