Air pollution now ranks in the "Top 10" disease causes and health risks.
It kills more than 2 MILLION people each year and sickens countless others who will die from its effects at some point in the future.
In 2011, air pollution was recorded at record highs, air quality at historical lows, people were literally dying from a lack of clean, breathable air....and that has NOT changed!
In 2008, there were an estimated 1.34 million premature deaths due to air pollution in cities. Of these deaths, 1.09 million lives could have been saved had the air quality guidelines been met.
[Read more at: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2011/air_pollution_20110926/en/index.html]
Air pollution is caused by a wide variety of things. The earth is great at cleaning the air on its own. However, air pollution has grown so much, the earth can no longer clean all of it. This is starting to have adverse effects on the environment such as causing acid rain, smog and a wide variety of health problems.
Apr 02, 2013
‘Airpocalypse’ in China: Air Pollution Kills Over a Million People Each Year
http://www.medicaldaily.com/articles/14504/20130402/airpocalypse-china-air-pollution-kills-over-million.htm#PKZOYcj3tdm8uJHu.99
<<The "airpocalypse" in China has become so severe in recent years, with outdoor air pollution levels 25 times higher than what is deemed safe in the United States, that its annual death toll is over one million.
A new summary of Chinese data from the massive 2010 Global Burden of Disease Study, which was published last December by the medical journal The Lancet, calculated a whopping 1.2 million premature deaths related to outdoor air pollution in the year 2010 alone, reported the New York Times.>>
CHINA IS NOT THE ONLY NATION UNDER TOXIC SMOG.
January 31, 2013
New Delhi air pollution worse than Beijing's
Unlike Beijing, New Delhi’s government has not responded to their blast of toxic smog with any emergency actions.
January 23, 2013
Toxic fog settles over Salt Lake City, doctors warn
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57565487/toxic-fog-settles-over-salt-lake-city-doctors-warn/
<<More than 100 Utah doctors are declaring a health emergency over the Salt Lake City area's lingering air pollution problem.
They suggest lowering highway speed limits, making mass transit free for the winter and curbing industrial activities. They also call for a permanent ban on wood-burning, and want large employees to let people work from home.
Doctors say the microscopic soot - a shower of combustion particles from tailpipe and other emissions - can tax the lungs of even healthy people.
"If you can see it, you don't want to breathe it. Think about what's going into your body," Salt Lake City pediatrician Ellie Brownstein said. "It's essentially like smoking. Instead of breathing clean air, you're breathing particles that make it harder for your lungs to function and get oxygen."
"People think the health implications are limited to asthma - that's only a drop in the bucket," Moench said. "For every pregnant woman breathing this stuff, this is a threat to her fetus through chromosome damage. It sets people up for a lifelong propensity for all sorts of diseases."
But by U.S. standards, Utah's pollution index is off the charts with readings routinely exceeding a scale that tops out at 70 micrograms a cubic meter. The EPA sets a standard for clean air at no more than 35 micrograms.>>
THE EPA SETS A STANDARD OF 35 MICROGRAMS EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE WELL AWARE THAT IS STILL TOO HIGH! THEY SET IT TOO HIGH BECAUSE THEY ARE TOLD TO AND THEY OBVIOUSLY CARE MORE FOR THE POLLUTERS THAN THEY DO FOR OUR HEALTH! THE EPA COMPLETELY SOLD OUT DURING THE BUSH2 REGIME AND OBAMA IS APPARENTLY NOT INTERESTED IN HOW TOXIC OUR AIR IS EITHER!
LOS ANGELES, HOUSTON, NEW YORK CITY, ATLANTA, PHILADELPHIA, PORTLAND (OREGON), DETROIT, CHICAGO, CLEVELAND ARE ALL IN THE TOP 10 OF POOREST AIR QUALITY/HIGHEST LEVELS OF AIR POLLUTION... PEOPLE HAVE DROPPED DEAD FROM THE AIR THERE!
DON'T TAKE A DEEP BREATH!
http://environment.about.com/od/healthenvironment/a/stateofair.htm
More Than Half of U.S. Population Lives in Counties with Unsafe Air
According to the State of the Air 2005 report, despite pro-environmental sentiment and strong regulations, more than half of the U.S. population lives in counties with unsafe levels of either smog or particle pollution. Smog is the worst offender and is often directly responsible for cases of decreased lung function, respiratory infection, lung inflammation and aggravation of respiratory illness. Some 142.7 million Americans live in counties rated with failing grades by the ALA for this airborne pollutant.
THE EPA REWARDS THE BIGGEST INDUSTRIAL POLLUTERS AND PROTECTS THEM FROM HEAVY FINES!
http://environment.about.com/od/environmentallawpolicy/a/epaoversight.htm
<< For the past two months, Eric Schaeffer, former enforcement chief at the EPA and now director of the Environmental Integrity Project, has been digging into publicly available pollution records on the factories of 20 of the biggest industry members in the Performance Track program, which has 371 participating facilities in all. His comprehensive analysis will be released next week. Schaeffer will not yet confirm which companies he is investigating, but they likely include 3M, BMW, DuPont, International Paper, Monsanto, and Union Carbide. He offers this sneak preview: "The data seems clear that emissions are higher today at some of these plants than before they joined the program."
Says Natural Resources Defense Council senior attorney John Walke, "You have to wonder why on earth these companies are getting special treatment, especially those that broke the law before and after becoming members. Why aren't they being kicked out?"
HOW BAD ARE THINGS IN YOUR STATE?
http://www.lung.org/healthy-air/outdoor/air-quality-index.html
To the left of the main page, in yellow, is a drop-down menu where you can check on the state of your air and see the problems for your area.
"Report Card: What's the grade for your air?" Just select your state.
STATEMENT OF DR. ROBERT D. BULLARD ON EPA OZONE STANDARD
http://www.ejrc.cau.edu/RDBOzoneTest2007.htm
<<"Air pollution, including ground level ozone, claims 70,000 lives a year, nearly twice the number killed in traffic accidents. More than half of U.S. population lives in counties with unsafe air. Ground-level ozone affects more than 158 million Americans in ten of the eleven most populous states (California, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas). Public health costs due to air pollution account for over three-quarters of the total pollution-related public health costs and could be as high as $182 billion annually. An estimated 50,000 to 120,000 premature deaths are associated with exposure to air pollutants. People with asthma experience more than 100 million days of restrictive activity annually, costing $4 billion a year.
Under the Clean Air Act, air quality standards must be set at levels that protect public health, including that of vulnerable and sensitive populations. The current ozone standard is .080. EPA is proposing tightening the standards between .070 and .075 parts per million. Clearly, this is inadequate. EPA’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) unanimously recommended setting a new tougher standard in the range of .060 to .070 per million. EPA should come clean and set the ozone standards at the lowest level to protect public health. The agency should not cave in to industry pressure to keep the status quo.
Studies show ozone has adverse lung function effects and increases cardiovascular and respiratory deaths even at 0.06 ppm. Vulnerable populations such as children are at special risk from ozone.
One of every four American child lives in areas that regularly exceed the U.S. EPA’s ozone standards. Over 27 million children under age 13 live in areas with ozone levels above the EPA standard. And half the pediatric asthma population, two million children, live in these areas. More than 61.3 percent of African American children, 69.2 percent of Hispanic children and 67.7 percent of Asian-American children live in areas that exceed the 0.080 ppm ozone standard, while 50.8 percent of white children live in such areas.">>
The most polluted air you breathe could very well be the air inside your house, car, or office, so I begin with those known contaminants that are cause the most health issues and even death.
Most people are not aware that RADON, CARBON MONOXIDE, FORMALDEHYDE, VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (propellants in hairsprays, perfumes, and spray cleaners, adhesives and pressed woods, but also found in the scented element of detergents, air fresheners, and cleaning gels), and OVERUSE OF BLEACH AND PESTICIDES can all be silent killers.
1~CARBON MONOXIDE, ONE OF THE MOST SUBTLE KILLERS
Carbon monoxide is formed by the incomplete combustion of materials containing carbon and can be produced by virtually anything that burns.
Carbon monoxide is a common by-product of fuels that burn such as gasoline, diesel, propane, natural gas, kerosene, wood, coal, charcoal, alcohol, and others.
In addition to carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulates, and other toxins are also produced during combustion.
Building and house fires produce a significant amounts of carbon monoxide along with a massive number of other airborne toxins (from plastics and building materials).
Internal combustion engines produce carbon monoxide - much more during the start-up of a cold engine or when an engine is not properly maintained/out of tune.
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO READ:
Sources of carbon monoxide (CO) that caused multiple low-level poisonings (chronic CO poisoning)
http://www.carbon-monoxide-survivor.com/sources-of-carbon-monoxide-multiple-low-level-poisonings.html
Sources of carbon monoxide are everywhere. So are the circumstances that can cause carbon monoxide levels to rise.
There are massively more chronic carbon monoxide poisonings than are recognized or diagnosed.
Furnaces and gas appliances, fireplaces, an idling car with blocked exhaust, CO buildup in a poorly vented garage, leaks from one apartment or duplex into the neighboring unit have all been sources of FATAL carbon monoxide poisoning.
Please read how everyday, simple things can lead to people dying from CO. The life you save by learning the facts may truly be your own!
SYMPTOMS OF CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING
Potential carbon monoxide poisoning signs can look like all kinds of commonly known health problems and disorders.
Carbon monoxide has long been called the "great imitator" as carbon monoxide poisoning(s) can cause or worsen many disorders.
Carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms from one time exposure (acute CO poisoning) can range from not feeling any symptoms at all to feeling major symptoms (but not knowing what's causing them) to death in minutes.
Carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms depend on the level of CO in the air, how long it is breathed, and a persons level of activity.
Low level carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms
Flu like symptoms
Food poisoning like symptoms
Headache
Problems focusing
Brain fog and difficulty thinking
Throbbing in temples
Shortness of breath
Feeling of tightness across forehead
Unexplained panic, anxiety, or sense of dread
Irritability/mood swings
Mild nausea
Unexplained claustrophobia
Unexplained sense that there is a presence or something is watching (many "ghost houses" have been found to have had carbon monoxide leaks)
Moderate carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms
Strong headache (sometimes described as different than a migraine, tension, or dehydration headache)
Dizziness
Nausea
Disorientation/confusion
Hallucinations
Increased rate of breathing
High level carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms
Shouting and incoherent behavior
Vomiting
Seriously low blood pressure
Abnormal heart beat
Heart and respiratory failure
Convulsions/seizures
Lower body temperature
Collapse
Coma
Death
At a mere 0%-10% of red blood cells (RBCs) carrying carbon monoxide (CO), people may experience a loss of coordination, tiredness, dizziness, and difficulty focusing. This is compounded in sensitive people.
When 10-20% of our RBCs carry CO, we may have mild frontal headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, loss of coordination, difficulty focusing.
At 30-40% of red blood cells carrying CO, we will collapse,
At 40-50% of our RBCs carrying CO, we will seizure.
As more than half (50-60%) of our RBCs become infected with CO molecules, we will lapse into coma, and after more than 60% of our RBCs pick up CO, death will certainly come in as little as a few short minutes, but certainly within 2 hours.
Carbon monoxide levels in the air:
What is normal? What is dangerous?
http://www.carbon-monoxide-survivor.com/carbon-monoxide-levels-in-the-air.html
This site provides a chart of safe and toxic levels in humans.
At 400 PPM (Parts Per Million) death will come in about 3 hours.
Carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms vary widely from person to person.
BUT BE ADVISED: A person with relatively low carbon monoxide levels and mild symptoms can actually be SERIOUSLY POISONED and only laboratory tests of blood can tell us how poisoned we are. Long-term buildup in human systems can cause death
as a DELAYED REACTION, with additional [new] symptoms occurring in the weeks and even months after exposure.
This is especially true in children and the elderly!
THE KEYS TO NOT FALLING VICTIM TO CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING IS TO MAKE SURE YOUR HOME IS WELL-VENTED, YOUR AUTOMOBILES' EXHAUSTS ARE NOT FAULTY, YOUR HEATING/COOLING SYSTEMS ARE FUNCTIONING PROPERLY, AND THAT NOTHING IS LEAKING INTO YOUR SURROUNDINGS FROM NEARBY SOURCES.
THERE ARE CO DETECTORS AND ALARMS ON THE MARKET. DO NOT SPARE EXPENSE WHEN PURCHASING THESE AS THEY CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE!
2~ RADON
This killer is a radioactive, colorless, tasteless and odorless gas, but causes an estimated 20,000 deaths from lung cancer each year. Radon is emitted from the ground and enters a home through cracks in walls, basements, floors and other openings. ONLY SMOKING CAUSES MORE LUNG CANCER THAN RADON.
Radon is one of the densest substances that remains a gas under normal conditions. It is also the only gas that has radioactive isotopes, and is considered a health hazard due to its radioactivity. Its intense radioactivity has also hindered chemical studies and only a few compounds are known.
Radon is produced by the radioactive decay of radium-226, which is found in uranium ores; phosphate rock; shales; igneous and metamorphic rocks such as granite, gneiss, and schist; and, to a lesser degree, in common rocks such as limestone.
Every square mile of surface soil, to a depth of 6 inches (2.6 km2 to a depth of 15 cm), contains approximately 1 gram of radium, which releases radon in small amounts to the atmosphere. On a global scale, it is estimated that 2,400 million curies (90 TBq) of radon are released from soil annually.
One of the most comprehensive radon studies performed in the United States by Dr. R. William Field and colleagues found a 50% increased lung cancer risk even at the protracted exposures at the EPA's action level of 4 pCi/L. North American and European pooled analyses further support these findings. [SEE: Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk – What We Can Do Now. US Department of Health and Human Services. 2008–2009 Annual Report]
Radon can build up in ANY BUILDING – old or new – and performing a radon test is the only way to find out if your home or office has unsafe levels.
Homeowners can use do-it-yourself radon testing kits. To find out where to buy a kit, call
1-800-SOS RADON (1-800-767-7236), or visit the EPA website at http://www.epa.gov/radon/index.html.
3~ FORMALDEHYDE...IT'S IN THINGS YOU MAY NOT BELIEVE AND IT IS ANOTHER SILENT KILLER!
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is a colorless, flammable, strong-smelling chemical that is used in building materials and to produce many household products.
Formaldehyde sources in the home include cigarette smoke, and fuel-burning appliances. It is used in pressed-wood products, such as particleboard, plywood, and fiberboard; glues and adhesives; permanent-press fabrics; paper product coatings; and certain insulation materials. In addition, formaldehyde is commonly used as an industrial fungicide, germicide, and disinfectant, and as a preservative in mortuaries and medical laboratories. Formaldehyde also occurs naturally in the environment. It is produced in small amounts by most living organisms as part of normal metabolic processes.
Formaldehyde has been classified as a known human carcinogen (cancer-causing substance) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and as a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Research studies of workers exposed to formaldehyde have suggested an association between formaldehyde exposure and several cancers, including nasopharyngeal cancer and leukemia.
During the 1970s, urea-formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI) was used in many homes. However, few homes are now insulated with UFFI. Homes in which UFFI was installed many years ago are not likely to have high formaldehyde levels now. Pressed-wood products containing formaldehyde resins are often a significant source of formaldehyde in homes. Other potential indoor sources of formaldehyde include cigarette smoke and the use of unvented fuel-burning appliances, such as gas stoves, wood-burning stoves, and kerosene heaters.
Industrial workers who produce formaldehyde or formaldehyde-containing products, laboratory technicians, certain health care professionals, and mortuary employees may be exposed to higher levels of formaldehyde than the general public. Exposure occurs primarily by inhaling formaldehyde gas or vapor from the air or by absorbing liquids containing formaldehyde through the skin.
What are the short-term health effects of formaldehyde exposure?
When formaldehyde is present in the air at levels exceeding 0.1 ppm, some individuals may experience adverse effects such as watery eyes; burning sensations in the eyes, nose, and throat; coughing; wheezing; nausea; and skin irritation. Some people are very sensitive to formaldehyde.
[AND BABIES WHO MAY CRAWL ON THE FLOOR, OR PETS, SMALL CHILDREN WHO ARE NEARER THE CARPETS OR WOOD FLOORS ARE ALL FAR MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO FORMALDEHYDE'S EFFECTS!]
How can people limit formaldehyde exposure in their homes?
ALWAYS READ LABELS AND ASK ABOUT FORMALDEHYDE IN THINGS YOU BUY FOR YOUR HOME OR YOUR FAMILY.
The EPA recommends the use of “exterior-grade” pressed-wood products to limit formaldehyde exposure in the home. These products emit less formaldehyde because they contain phenol resins, not urea resins. (Pressed-wood products include plywood, paneling, particleboard, and fiberboard and are not the same as pressure-treated wood products, which contain chemical preservatives and are intended for outdoor use.) Before purchasing pressed-wood products, including building materials, cabinetry, and furniture, buyers should ask about the formaldehyde content of these products. Formaldehyde levels in homes can also be reduced by ensuring adequate ventilation, moderate temperatures, and reduced humidity levels through the use of air conditioners and dehumidifiers.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has information about occupational exposure limits for formaldehyde. http://www.osha.gov/
ALSO SEE: National Toxicology Program (June 2011). Report on Carcinogens, Twelfth Edition. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Toxicology Program. Retrieved June 10, 2011, from: http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/roc12.
AND: Coggon D, Harris EC, Poole J, Palmer KT. Extended follow-up of a cohort of British chemical workers exposed to formaldehyde. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2003; 95(21):1608–1615. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14600093
[A PubMed Abstract]
4~ VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (VOCs)
VOCs are chemicals that easily enter the air as gases from some solids or liquids. They are ingredients in many commonly used products and are in the air of just about every indoor setting. Products containing VOCs can release these chemicals when they are used and when they are stored. Many times you'll notice an odor when using these products.
Chemicals can enter the body through three major pathways (breathing, touching or swallowing). This is referred to as exposure.
The high vapor pressure of VOCs results from a low boiling point, which causes large numbers of molecules to evaporate or sublimate from the liquid or solid form of the compound and enter the surrounding air.
Respiratory, allergic, or immune effects in infants or children are associated with man-made VOCs and other indoor or outdoor air pollutants.
IF YOUR CHILD SUFFERS FROM ALLERGIES OR ASTHMA YOU MUST FIND OUT IF YOUR HOME IS COMPLICATING OR CAUSING THESE THINGS, PLEASE!
Whether or not a person will have serious health effects after breathing in VOCs depends on:
1~The toxicity of the chemical (the amount of harm that can be caused by contact with the chemical).
2~How much of the chemical is in the air.
3~How long and how often the air is breathed.
4~Differences in age, health condition, gender and exposure to other chemicals also can affect whether or not a person will have health effects.
SYMPTOMS OF EXPOSURE:
Short-term exposure to high levels of some VOCs can cause headaches, dizziness, light-headedness, drowsiness, nausea, and eye and respiratory irritation. These effects usually go away after the exposure stops. In laboratory animals, longterm exposure to high levels of some VOCs has caused CANCER and affected the LIVER, KIDNEYS, AND NERVOUS SYSTEM.
[I DO NOT PERSONALLY KNOW OF ONE STUDY THAT FOUND ANIMALS AFFECTED IN THESE WAYS THAT DID NOT LATER PROVE TO BE ALSO TRUE FOR HUMAN BEINGS! NEVER SHRUG-OFF ANIMAL STUDIES! WHAT KILLS THEM WILL ALSO KILL US!]
EACH OF THE FOLLOWING CLASSES OF PRODUCTS CONTAIN KNOWN CARCINOGENS, AND SOME CONTAIN MANY!
~Fuel containers or devices using gasoline, kerosene, fuel oil and products with petroleum distillates: paint thinner, oil-based stains and paint, aerosol or liquid insect pest products, mineral spirits, furniture polishes,
~Personal care products: nail polish, nail polish remover, colognes, perfumes, rubbing alcohol, hair spray
~Dry cleaned clothes, spot removers, fabric/ leather cleaners
~Citrus (orange) oil or pine oil cleaners, solvents and some odor masking products
~PVC cement and primer, various adhesives, contact cement, model cement
~Paint stripper, adhesive (glue) removers
~Degreasers, aerosol penetrating oils, brake cleaner, carburetor cleaner, commercial solvents, electronics cleaners, spray lubricants
~Moth balls, moth flakes, deodorizers, air fresheners
~Refrigerant from air conditioners, freezers, refrigerators, dehumidifiers
~Aerosol spray products for some paints, cosmetics, automotive products, leather treatments, pesticides
[SEE THE SITE THIS INFORMATION WAS TAKEN FROM FOR SPECIFIC CHEMICALS IN EACH GROUP: http://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/indoors/voc.htm]
Product labels often list VOC ingredients and recommend that they should be used in well ventilated areas. IT WOULD BE BEST NOT TO USE THEM AT ALL!
Find out if products used or stored in your home contain VOCs. Information about the chemicals in many household products are listed on the front of this fact sheet and a larger list is on the National Institute of Health's website at http://hpd.nlm.nih.gov/products.htm .
Volatile Organic Compounds Master List
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/base/voc_master_list.html
This website lists the compounds you should be aware of when reaing labels and eciding whether or not to use such products.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in Commonly Used Products
http://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/indoors/voc.htm
People spend most of their time indoors - at home, school and work. This makes the quality of the indoor air you breathe important. This fact sheet focuses on certain kinds of chemicals called volatile organic compounds or VOCs that are found in many products that we commonly use. It is designed to help you think about what VOCs may be present in your indoor air and steps you can take to reduce them.
WE SPEND SO MUCH TIME INSIDE THAT WE NEED TO CAREFULLY ASSESS WHAT WE ARE CONSTANTLY BREATHING IN, OR ABSORBING THROUGH OUR SKIN, ESPECIALLY IF WE HAVE HEALTH ISSUES THAT APPEAR TO BE "MYSTERY AILMENTS", "UNDIAGNOSABLE" AILMENTS, OR ARE FACING CANCER.
WE MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND ACTION TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE THE BEST POSSIBLE INDOOR ENVIRONMENTS. THIS IS ONE OF A FEW THINGS WE CAN ALL CLOSELY MONITOR AND CHANGE.
SUCH IS NOT THE CASE WHEN IT COMES TO OUTDOOR AIR QUALITY.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS "FRESH AIR" ANYMORE.
ARE TOXINS IN OUR AIR KILLING US? YES!
WHAT ARE THE MOST DANGEROUS AIR POLLUTANTS?
1~ NANOTOXINS
April 20, 2011
Death by Nanotoxins: A New Threat To Your Family?
http://child-safety-news.blogspot.com/2011/04/death-by-nanotoxins-new-threat-to-your.html
<<A nanometer is a unit of measurement, and it's extremely small. How small? Well, if you were to take a typical human hair and slice it up into 100 slices of its original width, you would have the measurement of a micron. (One-millionth of a meter.) And if you were to take that micron and divide it again by 1,000, you'd have something measuring one nanometer.
More than 1,000 consumer products containing nanotechnology are already on the market and available to consumers in the United states. Yet some scientists are raising concerns about the safety of this technology.
Yet another more immediate, and more likely concern may be that the materials created are just plain toxic to humans (or the environment). It's a familiar story: The potential dangers of chemicals such as BPA or Phthalates or lead or asbestos are either downplayed or just plain ignored. Each time, the public is exposed for many years before the government recognizes that we are being poisoned. Then we backtrack. The same concerns and then some exist for nanotechnology. With nanotechnology, we're not only creating new chemicals; but we're actually building entirely new molecular structures that don't exist in nature, and extremely small ones at that.
Even naturally occurring nanoparticles can be harmful to human health, because their sheer size makes it easy for them to invade areas of the body where larger particles of matter can't go. For example, when it comes to air pollution, it's been found that fine particles seem to pose the greatest health risk, particularly those 2.5 micrometers indiameter or smaller. Nanotechnology works on a scale hundreds or even thousands of times smaller than this.>>
Carbon nanotubes, characterized by their microscopic size and incredible tensile strength, are frequently likened to asbestos!
ASBESTOS, WE KNOW, IS A KILLER!
Exposure to carbon nanoparticles easily leads to pleural abnormalities such as mesothelioma (cancer of the lining of the lungs), which is almost always fatal.
AND YET, WITHOUT LONG-TERM HUMAN STUDIES, OUR GOVERNMENTS HAVE ALLOWED THESE NANOTOXINS TO FLOW FREELY INTO AND WITH THE VERY AIR WE BREATHE! WHY?
What are called “nano-toxins” have alarming health implications, causing serious autoimmune diseases like cancer. Research has shown this time and time again, but mega-corporations and mainstream media downplay and often ridicule the overwhelming scientific and common sense evidence anyone can see around them every day.
One may try to ignore an elephant in a dining room, but the elephant won't disappear from being ignored!
Ignoring our ever-increasing bad air won't make that go away either!
The smaller the particles that we breathe in each day, the more harm is done to our human bodies. We just can't filter out most of these tiny air pollutants as quickly as they enter our human systems.
Because of quantum size effects and large surface area to volume ratio, nanomaterials have unique properties compared with their larger counterparts.
The Healthy Facilities Institute have an archived document that explores the last 63 years of aerosol nanoparticle evaluation at their website: http://www.healthyfacilitiesinstitute.com/a_253-Commentary_What_You_Cant_See_Can_Still_Hurt_You
The Royal Society has identified the potential for nanoparticles to penetrate the skin, and recommends that the use of nanoparticles be assessed by the relevant European Commission safety advisory committee. Andrew Maynard has also reported that ‘certain nanoparticles may move easily into sensitive lung tissues after inhalation, and cause damage that can lead to chronic breathing problems’.
Stakeholders, concerned by the lack of a regulatory framework to assess and control risks associated with the release of nanoparticles and nanotubes, have drawn parallels with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (‘mad cow’s disease'), thalidomide, genetically modified food, nuclear energy, reproductive technologies, biotechnology, and asbestosis. In light of such concerns, the Canadian based ETC Group has called for a moratorium on nano-related products until comprehensive regulatory frameworks are developed that will ensure workplace/environmental safety.
BUT AMERICA HAS NOT DONE SO! WHY?
WHY SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED WITH NANOTOXINS? BECAUSE WE HELP PRODUCE THEM EVERY TIME WE BURN CARBON...OIL, GASOLINE, COAL, WOOD, ANYTGHING MADE OF CARBON PRODUCES NANOTOXINS, THAT'S WHY!
[Ultrafine particulate pollutants induce oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage.
Li N, Sioutas C, Cho A, Schmitz D, Misra C, Sempf J, Wang M, Oberley T, Froines J, Nel A.
Department of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.]
OUR DNA IS BEING CHANGED, OUR CELLS ARE BEING KILLED BY SLOW BUT SURE POISONS CALLED NANOPARTICLES.
can cause any sort of health problem.
This may contribute to oxidative stress. Our studies demonstrate that the increased biological potency of UFPs is related to the content of redox cycling organic chemicals and their ability to damage mitochondria.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMNMP3wJ-3c
Since 2005, a peer reviewed paper, cited by 1058 different organizations, websites, and publications, has stated that silver nanoparticles are a bactericide and that this property is "only" size dependent.
Tiny particles of silver designed to kill germs are being put into socks to control odor. But as this ScienCentral News video explains, what happens to that nanosilver later is concerning some scientists. http://www.sciencentral.com/video/
SEE ALSO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdYf-UQ_hd8
MANUFACTURERS ARE GETTING AROUND THE LAW BY NO LONGER CLAIMING THE BACTERICIDE EFFECTS AND ADDING THE SILVER NANOPARTICLES TO EVERYDAY PRODUCTS! IF THEY DON'T CLAIM THIS QUALITY THEN THERY CAN FREELY ADD IT TO ANYTHING THEY PLEASE!
I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH THAT NO HUMAN STUDIES HAVE EVER BEEN DONE TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS ON OUR BODIES FROM NANOPARTICLES.
WE REALLY SHOULD DO ALL WE CAN TO FORCE SUCH STUDIES BY INDEPENDENT RESEARCHERS WHO ARE NOT ATTACHED TO WALL STREET.
2~ COMBUSTION ENGINE EXHAUSTS
BEFORE YOU SIGH AND ROLL YOUR EYES, REMEMBER THE STATISTICS ON CARBON MONOXIDE FROM THE BEGINNING OF THIS POST?
WOULD YOU REALLY WANT TO BREATHE THE AIR ALL DAY FROM THE BACK END OF YOUR CAR?
Exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine whose fuel includes nitromethane will contain nitric acid vapour, which when inhaled causes a muscular reaction making it impossible to breathe. People exposed to it should wear a gas mask.
A car's exhaust is by no means a simple thing to study. Motor fuel is obtained from crude oil produced predominantly by the decay of marine organisms1. It therefore contains the elements carbon (C), hydrogen (H), oxygen (O) and nitrogen (N), along with some amounts of sulphur (S), all of which are found in protein. Motor fuel contains hydrocarbons and organic compounds containing nitrogen and sulphur. When these are burned in air the products are water, carbon di- and monoxide and oxides of nitrogen. Nitrogen gas in the atmosphere can also react with oxygen at the high temperatures in the combustion chamber to form oxides.
Also, while the internal combustion engine is more efficient than the external, it is by no means as efficient as we could wish. Much of the hydrocarbon fuel passes through the process unconsumed and is expelled into the atmosphere along with other exhaust fumes like C6H6 — Benzene and its derivatives. Benzene is, of course, a hydrocarbon, but is sufficiently different from straight-chain hydrocarbons to merit a separate discussion.
Benzene (C6H6), and also many of its derivatives such as toluene (PhCH3) and phenol (PhOH), is carcinogenic (the level of toxicity varies). Benzene rings may also be fused to form polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. These are particularly prevalent in diesel exhaust.
Reactive pollutant hydrocarbons in the presence of NOx and under certain atmospheric conditions can produce a brown haze known as photochemical smog. It is given this name because it is formed by photochemical reactions (that is, reactions catalysed by light) between NOx and hydrocarbons.
BOTTOM LINE...WOULD YOU PLACE YOUR INFANT OR TODDLER BEHIND YOUR CAR'S EXHAUST AND HAVE THEM SIT THERE AND BREATHE THAT IN?
IF NOT, THEN REALIZE THAT IS WHAT'S HAPPENING EVERY DAY.
IF YOU CARE, DO SOMETHING!
START BY WATCHING THE VIDEO AND READING THE FACTS HERE: http://www.stateoftheair.org/2012/health-risks/health-risks-particle.html
3~ FACTORIES, POWER PLANTS AND MILLS
August 9, 2010, CHINA ANNOUNCE IT WAS CLOSING OVER 2000 FACTORIES.
[SEE: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/10/business/energy-environment/10yuan.html]
CHINA'S MAJOR CITIES HAVE SOME OF THE WORST POLLUTION PROBLEMS ON THIS PLANET, BUT THEY HAVE OBVIOUSLY RECOGNIZED ONE MAJOR THING THAT IS THE CAUSE OF IT....FACTORIES.
<<China’s energy consumption rose so sharply last winter that it produced the biggest surge ever of greenhouse gases by a single country. Power plants burned more coal to generate enough electricity to meet demand. >>
I ASK YOU, IF FACTORIES, MILLS, AND POWER PLANTS ARE JUST FINE, NO WORRIES, NO PROBLEMS, WHY DON'T WE LIKE TO LIVE NEXT DOOR TO THEM?
WHY IS IT THAT THOSE WHO DO LIVE NEAR THEM ARE SICKER THAN THE REST OF US, SEE A COATING OF POLLUTANTS ON THEIR OUTDOOR FURNITURE, AUTOS, POOLS AND PONDS, AND YARDS EVERY DAY? WHY DOES WILDLIFE AVOID THESE AREAS? WHY DO WE SEE MUTANT PLANTS AND ANIMALS NEAR THESE BASTIONS OF INDUSTRY? WHY SO MANY LAWSUITS BY PEOPLE WHO ARE CHOKING ON EMISSIONS FROM THE WONDERFUL FACTORIES, MILLS, AND POWER PLANTS?
LAND IS ALWAYS CHEAPER NEAR THESE PLACES...AND DO WE WONDER WHY?
THE LAND IS SICK THERE, THAT'S WHY!
IT'S CALLED "PARTICLE POLLUTION", AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE "GIFT" TO THE AIR BY FACTORIES, MILLS AND POWER PLANTS.
Researchers from Harvard University recently tripled the estimated risk of premature death following a review of the newer evidence from fine particle monitors (PM2.5) in 27 U.S. cities.[Franklin M, Zeka A, Schwartz J. Association between PM 2.5 and all-cause and specific-cause mortality in 27 US communities. J Expo Sci Envin Epidemiol 2007; 17:279-287.]
Particle pollution also diminishes lung function, causes greater use of asthma medications and increased rates of school absenteeism, emergency room visits and hospital admissions. Other adverse effects can be coughing, wheezing, cardiac arrhythmias and heart attacks. According to the findings from some of the latest studies, short-term increases in particle pollution have been linked to:
~ death from respiratory and cardiovascular causes, including strokes;52, 53, 54, 55
~ increased mortality in infants and young children;56
~ increased numbers of heart attacks, especially among the elderly and in people with heart conditions;57
~ inflammation of lung tissue in young, healthy adults;
~ increased hospitalization for cardiovascular disease, including strokes and congestive heart failure;
~ increased emergency room visits for patients suffering from acute respiratory ailments;62
~ increased hospitalization for asthma among children
~ increased severity of asthma attacks in children
Again, the impact of even short-term exposure to particle pollution on healthy adults showed up in the Galveston lifeguard study, in addition to the harmful effects of ozone pollution. Lifeguards had reduced lung volume at the end of the day when fine particle levels were high.[Thaller et al., 2008]
Breathing high levels of particle pollution day in and day out also can be deadly, as landmark studies in the 1990s conclusively showed.
[Dockery DW, Pope CA III, Xu X, Spengler JD, Ware JH, Fay ME, Ferris BG, Speizer FE. An Association Between Air Pollution and Mortality in Six U.S. Cities. N ENGL J MED 1993; 329:1753-1759. Pope CA, Thun MJ, Namboodiri MM, Dockery DW, Evans JS, Speizer FE, Heath CW. Particulate Air Pollution as a Predictor of Mortality in a Prospective Study of U.S. Adults. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1995; 151:669-674]
Chronic exposure to particle pollution can shorten life by one to three years. [ Pope CA III. Epidemiology of Fine Particulate Air Pollution and Human Health: biological mechanisms and who’s at risk? Environ Health Perspect 2000;108: 713-723]
Other impacts range from premature births to serious respiratory disorders, even when the particle levels are very low.
"'EVEN WHEN THE PARTICLE LEVELS ARE LOW'"!
WE HAVE KNOWN THESE FACTS FOR DECADES!
WE HAVE DONE VERY LITTLE TO CHANGE THINGS!
AIR POLLUTERS TURN Water Polluters, Near You: Coal-Fired Power Plants
May 22, 2012
http://projects.nytimes.com/toxic-waters/polluters/power-plants
As coal-burning power plants have reduced their air emissions, many have created another problem: water pollution. While some regulators have used laws like the Clean Water Act to combat pollution, many plants have repeatedly violated that law without incurring fines. The New York Times has compiled data from the Environmental Protection Agency on coal-fired plants with permits to discharge pollutants, including factories that generate their own power.
THERE IS A MAP ON THAT PAGE, FULL STORY HERE: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/us/13water.html
NOW, WHILE THE ARTICLE STATES THAT THE AIR IS A BIT CLEANER NOW THAT THE DUMPING INTO THE WATER IS HAPPENING,THAT SIMPLY ISN'T TRUE...ASK THE RESIDENTS WHO LIVE NEAR THESE THINGS! ASK THE PEOPLE WHO SEE NO BETTER AIR QUALITY THAN BEFORE, WHO ARE STILL SICKENED BY THESE PLANTS, WHO ARE STILL SLOWLY DYING.
BETTER YET, GRAB A METER OR TWO AND GO CONDUCT YOUR OWN TESTS! LOCAL COLLEGES AND CONCERNED CITIZENS HAVE AND THEY CAN SHOW YOU PROOF THAT THINGS ARE SELDOM AS REPORTED.
YOU SEE, TO REPORT THE FULL TRUTH MIGHT CAUSE A NATION-WIDE OUTCRY FOR CHANGE, FOR CLEANER ENERGY, MAYBE THINGS LIKE SOLAR, WATER OR WIND POWER, MAGNETIC ENGINE POWER, OR <GASP!> THINGS NO ONE CAN CHARGE US FOR.
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THE OIL, GAS, COAL INDUSTRIES? WHAT WOULD WALL STREET DO WITHOUT THOSE LUCRATIVE STOCKS ON THE BIG BOARD? WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THE STOCK PORTFOLIOS OF OUR CONGRESSMEN AND PRESIDENT? WHAT WOULD AMERICA BECOME IF WE WEREN'T CHARGED FOR ENERGY THAT KILLS US AND HAD ACTUAL CHOICES OF LOW-COST, CLEAN ENERGY OR HIGH-COST KILLERS?
WHAT IF EVERY AMERICAN FAMILY COULD CHEAPLY GENERATE ENOUGH POWER TO FUEL THEIR NEEDS RIGHT FROM THEIR OWN BACK YARDS?
WHAT IF WE NO LONGER NEED TO BOW AND SCRAPE TO OPEC NATIONS FOR OIL?
WHAT IF WE NEVER HAD TO IMPORT A SINGLE BARREL OF OIL OR GO FIGHT FOR ACCESS TO A FEW MIDDLE EAST OIL WELLS?
WHAT IF, INDEED!
GERMANY IS ANOTHER NATION LEADING THE WAY TO ENERGY INDEPENDENCE.
An entire German village gets completely energy-independent
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3Xs0VvIhoU
This may contribute to oxidative stress. Our studies demonstrate that the increased biological potency of UFPs is related to the content of redox cycling organic chemicals and their ability to damage mitochondria.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMNMP3wJ-3c
Since 2005, a peer reviewed paper, cited by 1058 different organizations, websites, and publications, has stated that silver nanoparticles are a bactericide and that this property is "only" size dependent.
Tiny particles of silver designed to kill germs are being put into socks to control odor. But as this ScienCentral News video explains, what happens to that nanosilver later is concerning some scientists. http://www.sciencentral.com/video/
SEE ALSO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdYf-UQ_hd8
MANUFACTURERS ARE GETTING AROUND THE LAW BY NO LONGER CLAIMING THE BACTERICIDE EFFECTS AND ADDING THE SILVER NANOPARTICLES TO EVERYDAY PRODUCTS! IF THEY DON'T CLAIM THIS QUALITY THEN THERY CAN FREELY ADD IT TO ANYTHING THEY PLEASE!
I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH THAT NO HUMAN STUDIES HAVE EVER BEEN DONE TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS ON OUR BODIES FROM NANOPARTICLES.
WE REALLY SHOULD DO ALL WE CAN TO FORCE SUCH STUDIES BY INDEPENDENT RESEARCHERS WHO ARE NOT ATTACHED TO WALL STREET.
2~ COMBUSTION ENGINE EXHAUSTS
BEFORE YOU SIGH AND ROLL YOUR EYES, REMEMBER THE STATISTICS ON CARBON MONOXIDE FROM THE BEGINNING OF THIS POST?
WOULD YOU REALLY WANT TO BREATHE THE AIR ALL DAY FROM THE BACK END OF YOUR CAR?
Exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine whose fuel includes nitromethane will contain nitric acid vapour, which when inhaled causes a muscular reaction making it impossible to breathe. People exposed to it should wear a gas mask.
A car's exhaust is by no means a simple thing to study. Motor fuel is obtained from crude oil produced predominantly by the decay of marine organisms1. It therefore contains the elements carbon (C), hydrogen (H), oxygen (O) and nitrogen (N), along with some amounts of sulphur (S), all of which are found in protein. Motor fuel contains hydrocarbons and organic compounds containing nitrogen and sulphur. When these are burned in air the products are water, carbon di- and monoxide and oxides of nitrogen. Nitrogen gas in the atmosphere can also react with oxygen at the high temperatures in the combustion chamber to form oxides.
Also, while the internal combustion engine is more efficient than the external, it is by no means as efficient as we could wish. Much of the hydrocarbon fuel passes through the process unconsumed and is expelled into the atmosphere along with other exhaust fumes like C6H6 — Benzene and its derivatives. Benzene is, of course, a hydrocarbon, but is sufficiently different from straight-chain hydrocarbons to merit a separate discussion.
Benzene (C6H6), and also many of its derivatives such as toluene (PhCH3) and phenol (PhOH), is carcinogenic (the level of toxicity varies). Benzene rings may also be fused to form polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. These are particularly prevalent in diesel exhaust.
Reactive pollutant hydrocarbons in the presence of NOx and under certain atmospheric conditions can produce a brown haze known as photochemical smog. It is given this name because it is formed by photochemical reactions (that is, reactions catalysed by light) between NOx and hydrocarbons.
BOTTOM LINE...WOULD YOU PLACE YOUR INFANT OR TODDLER BEHIND YOUR CAR'S EXHAUST AND HAVE THEM SIT THERE AND BREATHE THAT IN?
IF NOT, THEN REALIZE THAT IS WHAT'S HAPPENING EVERY DAY.
IF YOU CARE, DO SOMETHING!
START BY WATCHING THE VIDEO AND READING THE FACTS HERE: http://www.stateoftheair.org/2012/health-risks/health-risks-particle.html
3~ FACTORIES, POWER PLANTS AND MILLS
August 9, 2010, CHINA ANNOUNCE IT WAS CLOSING OVER 2000 FACTORIES.
[SEE: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/10/business/energy-environment/10yuan.html]
CHINA'S MAJOR CITIES HAVE SOME OF THE WORST POLLUTION PROBLEMS ON THIS PLANET, BUT THEY HAVE OBVIOUSLY RECOGNIZED ONE MAJOR THING THAT IS THE CAUSE OF IT....FACTORIES.
<<China’s energy consumption rose so sharply last winter that it produced the biggest surge ever of greenhouse gases by a single country. Power plants burned more coal to generate enough electricity to meet demand. >>
I ASK YOU, IF FACTORIES, MILLS, AND POWER PLANTS ARE JUST FINE, NO WORRIES, NO PROBLEMS, WHY DON'T WE LIKE TO LIVE NEXT DOOR TO THEM?
WHY IS IT THAT THOSE WHO DO LIVE NEAR THEM ARE SICKER THAN THE REST OF US, SEE A COATING OF POLLUTANTS ON THEIR OUTDOOR FURNITURE, AUTOS, POOLS AND PONDS, AND YARDS EVERY DAY? WHY DOES WILDLIFE AVOID THESE AREAS? WHY DO WE SEE MUTANT PLANTS AND ANIMALS NEAR THESE BASTIONS OF INDUSTRY? WHY SO MANY LAWSUITS BY PEOPLE WHO ARE CHOKING ON EMISSIONS FROM THE WONDERFUL FACTORIES, MILLS, AND POWER PLANTS?
LAND IS ALWAYS CHEAPER NEAR THESE PLACES...AND DO WE WONDER WHY?
THE LAND IS SICK THERE, THAT'S WHY!
IT'S CALLED "PARTICLE POLLUTION", AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE "GIFT" TO THE AIR BY FACTORIES, MILLS AND POWER PLANTS.
Researchers from Harvard University recently tripled the estimated risk of premature death following a review of the newer evidence from fine particle monitors (PM2.5) in 27 U.S. cities.[Franklin M, Zeka A, Schwartz J. Association between PM 2.5 and all-cause and specific-cause mortality in 27 US communities. J Expo Sci Envin Epidemiol 2007; 17:279-287.]
Particle pollution also diminishes lung function, causes greater use of asthma medications and increased rates of school absenteeism, emergency room visits and hospital admissions. Other adverse effects can be coughing, wheezing, cardiac arrhythmias and heart attacks. According to the findings from some of the latest studies, short-term increases in particle pollution have been linked to:
~ death from respiratory and cardiovascular causes, including strokes;52, 53, 54, 55
~ increased mortality in infants and young children;56
~ increased numbers of heart attacks, especially among the elderly and in people with heart conditions;57
~ inflammation of lung tissue in young, healthy adults;
~ increased hospitalization for cardiovascular disease, including strokes and congestive heart failure;
~ increased emergency room visits for patients suffering from acute respiratory ailments;62
~ increased hospitalization for asthma among children
~ increased severity of asthma attacks in children
Again, the impact of even short-term exposure to particle pollution on healthy adults showed up in the Galveston lifeguard study, in addition to the harmful effects of ozone pollution. Lifeguards had reduced lung volume at the end of the day when fine particle levels were high.[Thaller et al., 2008]
Breathing high levels of particle pollution day in and day out also can be deadly, as landmark studies in the 1990s conclusively showed.
[Dockery DW, Pope CA III, Xu X, Spengler JD, Ware JH, Fay ME, Ferris BG, Speizer FE. An Association Between Air Pollution and Mortality in Six U.S. Cities. N ENGL J MED 1993; 329:1753-1759. Pope CA, Thun MJ, Namboodiri MM, Dockery DW, Evans JS, Speizer FE, Heath CW. Particulate Air Pollution as a Predictor of Mortality in a Prospective Study of U.S. Adults. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1995; 151:669-674]
Chronic exposure to particle pollution can shorten life by one to three years. [ Pope CA III. Epidemiology of Fine Particulate Air Pollution and Human Health: biological mechanisms and who’s at risk? Environ Health Perspect 2000;108: 713-723]
Other impacts range from premature births to serious respiratory disorders, even when the particle levels are very low.
"'EVEN WHEN THE PARTICLE LEVELS ARE LOW'"!
WE HAVE KNOWN THESE FACTS FOR DECADES!
WE HAVE DONE VERY LITTLE TO CHANGE THINGS!
AIR POLLUTERS TURN Water Polluters, Near You: Coal-Fired Power Plants
May 22, 2012
http://projects.nytimes.com/toxic-waters/polluters/power-plants
As coal-burning power plants have reduced their air emissions, many have created another problem: water pollution. While some regulators have used laws like the Clean Water Act to combat pollution, many plants have repeatedly violated that law without incurring fines. The New York Times has compiled data from the Environmental Protection Agency on coal-fired plants with permits to discharge pollutants, including factories that generate their own power.
THERE IS A MAP ON THAT PAGE, FULL STORY HERE: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/us/13water.html
NOW, WHILE THE ARTICLE STATES THAT THE AIR IS A BIT CLEANER NOW THAT THE DUMPING INTO THE WATER IS HAPPENING,THAT SIMPLY ISN'T TRUE...ASK THE RESIDENTS WHO LIVE NEAR THESE THINGS! ASK THE PEOPLE WHO SEE NO BETTER AIR QUALITY THAN BEFORE, WHO ARE STILL SICKENED BY THESE PLANTS, WHO ARE STILL SLOWLY DYING.
BETTER YET, GRAB A METER OR TWO AND GO CONDUCT YOUR OWN TESTS! LOCAL COLLEGES AND CONCERNED CITIZENS HAVE AND THEY CAN SHOW YOU PROOF THAT THINGS ARE SELDOM AS REPORTED.
YOU SEE, TO REPORT THE FULL TRUTH MIGHT CAUSE A NATION-WIDE OUTCRY FOR CHANGE, FOR CLEANER ENERGY, MAYBE THINGS LIKE SOLAR, WATER OR WIND POWER, MAGNETIC ENGINE POWER, OR <GASP!> THINGS NO ONE CAN CHARGE US FOR.
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THE OIL, GAS, COAL INDUSTRIES? WHAT WOULD WALL STREET DO WITHOUT THOSE LUCRATIVE STOCKS ON THE BIG BOARD? WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THE STOCK PORTFOLIOS OF OUR CONGRESSMEN AND PRESIDENT? WHAT WOULD AMERICA BECOME IF WE WEREN'T CHARGED FOR ENERGY THAT KILLS US AND HAD ACTUAL CHOICES OF LOW-COST, CLEAN ENERGY OR HIGH-COST KILLERS?
WHAT IF EVERY AMERICAN FAMILY COULD CHEAPLY GENERATE ENOUGH POWER TO FUEL THEIR NEEDS RIGHT FROM THEIR OWN BACK YARDS?
WHAT IF WE NO LONGER NEED TO BOW AND SCRAPE TO OPEC NATIONS FOR OIL?
WHAT IF WE NEVER HAD TO IMPORT A SINGLE BARREL OF OIL OR GO FIGHT FOR ACCESS TO A FEW MIDDLE EAST OIL WELLS?
WHAT IF, INDEED!
GERMANY IS ANOTHER NATION LEADING THE WAY TO ENERGY INDEPENDENCE.
An entire German village gets completely energy-independent
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3Xs0VvIhoU
Renewable energy on the Canary Islands | Global Ideas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX_Y4qdL8no
<<Within Europe, Spain is one of the leading nations when it comes to the use of renewable energy. One of the government's goals is for the El Hierro, one of the Canary Islands, to soon become 100 percent reliant on clean energy from wind and hydro power. If it were to reach that goal, El Hierro would be the first island in the world to meet its energy needs without burning any fossil fuels. >>
EL HIERRO IN THE CANARY ISLAND CHAIN WENT FULLY SUSTAINABLE ENERGY IN JUST ABOUT 9 YEARS, IS NOW TOTALLY ENERGY SELF-SUFFICIENT! AN ENTIRE ISLAND NOW LIVES ON SUSTAINABLE, CHEAP ENERGY! AND THE AIR IS BREATHABLE THERE!
http://news.thomasnet.com/green_clean/2011/07/18/el-hierro-how-an-island-can-serve-as-a-model-for-renewable-energy/
<<The island as a whole can serve as an experiment not only for this particular energy combination, but also for other types of energy-related issues like mobility, like efficient transport solutions. Examples like El Hierro will prove technologically that this is possible. El Hierro is going to be replicable in other islands first and as the system improves its application will expand to other systems. Many clichés about renewable energy will be broken once this is proven, as costs fall and large-scale application increases.>>
Offshore wind power resources in Europe
THE U.K. IS STARTING TO TAP OFFSHORE WINDS FOR ENERGY.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6hHIyZ5x5g
Do you think all this is too expensive?
NO! IT IS VERY CHEAP TO ACCOMPLISH!
MAKE YOUR OWN!
Easiest Homemade Windmill Plans for Wind Power
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0tiiA52ec8
IT'S ENTIRELY POSSIBLE TO LIVE "OFF-GRID", MY FRIENDS. PEOPLE ARE DOING SO ALL OVER THE WORLD! PEOPLE ARE LIKELY DOING SO IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS, OR VERY NEARBY. THEY HAVE DISCONNECTED FROM THE TIRED OLD POLLUTING ENERGY SOURCES WE'VE ALL BEEN TOLD ARE THE "ONLY WAY".
A GOOGLE SEARCH OF "OFF-GRID LIVING" WILL SHOW YOU JUST HOW EASY IT CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED, AND A CRUISE OF YOUTUBE WILL FIND THOUSANDS TO MILLIONS OF VIDEOS SHOWING HOW TO DO SO! DID YOU KNOW A SOLAR PANEL CAN BE MADE FROM EMPTY SODA CANS PAINTED BLACK? DID YOU KNOW THAT IT WOULD COST ONLY ABOUT $200 TO BUILD A PORTABLE SOLAR GENERATOR?
NO, WE DON'T KNOW THESE THINGS BECAUSE BIG BUSINESS WANTS US TO CONTINUE AS SLAVES TO THE TYPES OF ENERGY THAT SICKENS US AND KILLS US, THAT'S JUST THE BOTTOM LINE.
4~ PESTICIDES AND FERTILIZERS
Pesticides and the Environment © 2004
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB4ezMiopAM
THEY BOTH MOVE WITH THE AIR CURRENTS AND WE BREATHE THEM IN EVERY DAY.
PESTICIDES
The World Health Organization conservatively estimates that pesticides are responsible annually for 20,000 deaths worldwide. They are carcinogenic (cause cancer), tetragenic (cause birth defects), mutagenic (cause genetic defects), neurotoxic (damage the nervous system), and immunotoxic (damage the immune system). More than 50 pesticides in common usage are known to be estrogenic, disrupting the hormone or endocrine system by mimicking the female hormone estrogen, and causing problems ranging from decreased sperm count to cancers of the reproductive organs. Pesticides are also hazardous to our agricultural systems, creating resistant pest populations, contributing to declining crop yields, undermining local and global food security and threatening agricultural biodiversity. And they are hazardous to the environment in general.
Many people believe that we have government agencies in place, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state pesticide control boards, that safeguard us from dangerous pesticides, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Even pesticides which the EPA knows to be dangerous human carcinogens, (such as the fungicide Captan, widely used on blueberries in Maine, with about 18 million pounds applied annually in the United States), have, because of industry pressure, proven impossible to remove from the market. The pesticide industry is politically and economically a very powerful one and is not hesitant to use its political muscle and money to get its way, be it with regulatory agencies, Congress, state legislatures, or in the courts. The legal bribery of our campaign finance system makes it that much easier for the pesticide corporations to prevail.
The tests that are conducted on pesticides are performed only on the "active" ingredients of the products, the ingredients designed to do the killing, not on the complete formulations. The complete formulations of most pesticides typically contain 90 to 99 percent of so-called "inert" ingredients, and any pesticide formulation may contain dozens of "inert" substances. Contrary to their misleading name, many of these "inert" ingredients are biologically and chemically active and are as toxic or more toxic to humans than the active ingredients of the pesticides.
Despite their potential danger to humans and the environment, even the identity of all but a few of these "inert" ingredients is kept from the public, protected as "trade secrets" by the Environmental Protection Agency. Some 2300 chemicals have been approved by the EPA for use as "inerts" including such dangerous substances as carbon tetrachloride, methylene chloride (the active ingredient in many paint strippers), pentachlorophenol, carbon disulfide, toluene, perchloroethylene, n-hexane, xylene, and other petroleum distillates, cadmium and lead compounds. However, to find out which of these 2300 "inert" ingredients might be included in any given pesticide requires the filing of a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This can take many months, and can still be denied by the EPA. Some environmental groups have had to take the next step of filing a lawsuit against the EPA to get this information, taking many more months, and incurring great expense, with still no guarantee of receiving a complete "inert" list for a product. These FOIA requests are dealt with one pesticide at a time and there are 25,000 pesticides out there to worry about.
A loophole in our hazardous waste law also actually allows the "recycling" of hazardous wastes as "inerts" in pesticides. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency press officer Al Hire was quoted as stating that allowing recycled hazardous waste in pesticides as "inert" is "a way of disposing of hazardous materials." Some of the hazardous wastes "disposed of" in this way are chromium, mercury, thallium, zinc, naphthalene, chlorinated phenols and dioxins. These linguistically detoxified hazardous wastes then end up being sprayed onto our forests, agricultural crops, gardens, and lawns.
The widespread use and disposal of pesticides by farmers, institutions and the general public provide many possible sources of pesticides in the environment. Following release into the environment, pesticides may have many different fates. Pesticides which are sprayed can move through the air and may eventually end up in other parts of the environment, such as in soil or water. Pesticides which are applied directly to the soil may be washed off the soil into nearby bodies of surface water or may percolate through the soil to lower soil layers and groundwater. Pesticides which are injected into the soil may also be subject to the latter two fates. The application of pesticides directly to bodies of water for weed control, or indirectly as a result of leaching from boat paint, runoff from soil or other routes, may lead not only to build up of pesticides in water, but also may contribute to air levels through evaporation.
The release of pesticides into the environment may be followed by a very complex series of events which can transport the pesticide through the air or water, into the ground or even into living organisms. The most important route of distribution and the extent of distribution will be different for each pesticide. It will depend on the formulation of the pesticide (what it is combined with) and how and when it is released. Despite this complexity, it is possible to identify situations that can pose concern and to try to minimize them. However, there are significant gaps in the knowledge of pesticide movement and fate in the environment and so it is best to minimize unnecessary release of pesticides into the environment. The fewer pesticides that are unnecessarily released, the safer our environment will be.
If we are not buying organic produce, do we know what pesticides are on the foods we feed our children, and what effect those pesticides will have on their growing bodies?
When the active ingredients of pesticides are tested, they are tested one at time, not in combinations. We, on the other hand, are exposed to pesticides in combinations. The EPA has found traces of 20 pesticides just on apples, and on an average trip to the supermarket we come back with traces of 60 to 80 pesticides on our food. Hormone system-disrupting pesticides that by themselves have been linked to breast cancer and male birth defects have been found to be up to 1,000 times more potent when just two of them are combined. What happens when you combine 60 or 80 of these pesticides? Small, seemingly insignificant quantities of individual chemicals can have a major cumulative effect.
If all that isn't enough, it turns out that the majority of pesticides are contaminated with dioxins, the extremely toxic by-products of chlorine chemistry. The chlorine industry has stated that 96 percent of all synthetic organic pesticides contain chlorine or are manufactured using chlorine intermediates. As a consequence, dioxins appear to occur as by-products in the manufacture of virtually all synthetic pesticides.
FERTILIZERS
Chemical Fertilizers Destroying the Environment & Killing Ocean Life
http://www.organicconsumers.org/corp/oceans101104.cfm
<<Scientists have spent the past three years piecing together data from
thousands of studies. Their official report will be published early next
year, but a first draft shows a number of alarming trends.
A major concern is the increase in nitrogen emissions because of fertiliser
use.
"In the past 100 years, emissions have risen from around 20m tonnes a year
to more than 150m tonnes a year," said Robert Watson, the project leader and
the World Bank's chief scientist. "We're emitting more than seven times more
nitrogen and that is going to have incredible implications for ecological
systems.">>
ONE OF THE MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH FERTILIZERS IS THE FACT THAT THEY HANG IN THE AIR AFTER APPLICATION AND THEN ARE SWEPT UP BY THE WIND AS THEY LIE IN/ON THE SOIL. BY SIMPLY APPLYING FERTILIZERS WE INJECT THEM INTO OUR AIR. AFTERWARDS, THEY LEACH INTO OUR WATER SUPPLIES AND ARE FIXED INTO OUR FOOD CROPS. OUR BODIES ARE NOT DESIGNED TO INGEST SUCH CHEMICALS!
WE DON'T NEED THEM TO GROW FOOD! THE ORGANIC FOOD GROWERS ACROSS THE GLOBE ARE PROOF THAT CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS ARE JUST NOT NECESSARY!
Harmful Effects of Fertilizers
May 10, 2010
http://www.livestrong.com/article/119955-harmful-effects-fertilizers/
<<According to the EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs, 12 of the most popular pesticides in the United States have ingredients known to cause cancer. Organic fertilizers are guaranteed to be safe for the environment, the body and free of pesticides.
Many people do not realize that some fertilizers are made from the residuals of waste water treatment facilities or recycled from other areas that cause them to test positive for toxic waste. According to the federation of Public Interest Research Groups (PIRG), 29 popular fertilizers tested positive for 22 toxic heavy metals, including silver, nickel, selenium, thallium and vanadium. All of the metals found are linked directly to human health hazards.>>
Health Effects of Synthetic Fertilizer
http://www.turfprousa.com/health_effects_of_synthetic_fertilizer_3006a.html
<<Synthetic fertilizers can seriously deplete the nutritional content of foods, and direct contact or exposure to synthetic chemical fertilizers can kill infants or cause health problems in many adults. Studies show exposure to artificial lawn chemicals to an increased risk of cancer and other health problems in pets. Remember this the next time you pick up a bag at our local hardware store.
Also, if you have any type of urinary, kidney, or liver health difficulties, you should especially avoid any type of exposure. The adverse effects of synthetic chemical fertilizers are often underplayed and ignored despite their damage being far reaching. Synthetic fertilizers can cause a vast array of symptoms, some immediate, some signs showing up later, some effects on people and animals are direct, and some effects are indirect.
Children who live in homes that use pesticides and/or synthetic fertilizers on their lawn have over six times a greater rate of leukemia. Groundskeepers at golf clubs, and golfers themselves suffer from a long list of health problems related to landscapers' toxic chemicals, the most common being non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. SOURCE: American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 29(5):501-506, 1996
Working as a Golf Course Superintendent has been found to significantly increase the risk of dying of four cancer types including - brain cancer, lymphoma (non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, NHL), prostate and large intestine cancer. A study was conducted of 686 deceased members of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America from all U.S. states who died between 1970 and 1992. Brain cancer rates for the Superintendents was found to occur at over twice the national average, while non-Hodgkin's lymphoma also occurred at over twice the national average. Prostate cancer occurred at nearly 3 times the national average and large intestinal cancer occurred at 1.75 times the national average. The researchers stated that a similar pattern of elevated NHL, brain and prostate cancer mortality along with excess deaths from diseases of the nervous system has been noted previously among other occupational groups exposed to pesticides.
SOURCE: Drs. Kross, B.C., Burneister, L.F., Ogilvie, L.K., Fuortes, L.J.,
Department of Preventive Medicine Health, University of Iowa SOURCE: American Journal of Public Health, 86(9): 1289-96, 1996
Ammonium nitrate (NH3NO3): Ammonia, a base, is extremely toxic to humans. It has a sharp penetrating odor. Nitric acid is mixed with ammonia to form a salt, ammonium nitrate. Ammonium nitrate can easily have reactions if exposed to a variety of metals (e.g. iron, zinc, copper), acids, alkalies, solvents, oil, grease, etc. You will notice that bags of fertilizer are often plastic coated and sealed in order to keep contaminants out and gases in. Introduce heat to fertilizer and there will be further instability. The release of toxic fumes is one of the main hazards associated with the decomposition of Ammonium nitrate. Exposure to ammonium nitrate can cause eye and skin irritation and burns. Inhalation exposure can result in irritation of the nose, throat, and lungs. One can also experience nausea, vomiting, flushing of the face and neck, headache, nervousness, uncontrolled muscle movements, faintness and collapse. Because ammonia or nitrates combine rapidly with water, feeling dehydrated is common. Lips will become dry. The next time you handle or are exposed to chemical fertilizer, you will probably notice some of these symptoms. Because the accumulation of ammonia in the body can quickly lead to death, the urea cycle in humans is extremely important.>>
SO, YOU SEE THAT PESTICIDES AND FERTILIZERS GET INTO OUR AIR AND SICKEN US, SOMETIMES TO DEATH.
WE DON'T HAVE TO HAVE THESE THINGS IN OUR LIVES!
HERE IS A VIDEO THAT JUST WON'T OPEN INSIDE THIS PAGE, BUT TRY TO WATCH IT FROM THE LINK PROVIDED:
Organic Weed Control Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n81inux0cts
THERE ARE SO MANY NATURAL WAYS TO CONTROL WEEDS AND EVEN UNDESIRABLE BRUSH AND TREES THAT IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO LIST THEM HERE. A SIMPLE INTERNET SEARCH WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH MORE RESOURCES AND IDEAS, RECIPES AND PRODUCTS YOU CAN MAKE YOURSELF THAT YOU WILL HAVE NO REASON TO USE POISONS FOR EITHER PESTICIDES, HERBICIDES OR FERTILIZERS.
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS BEFORE CHEMICAL COMPANIES APPEARED, NATIVE PEOPLE ON ALL CONTINENTS GREW FOOD AND DID NOT POLLUTE THEIR ENVIRONMENT.
WE CAN, TOO.
OTHER SOURCES FOR THIS POST
~Edelstein, Michael R., William J. Makofske. Radon's deadly daughters: science, environmental policy, and the politics of risk. Rowman & Littlefield, 1998, pp. 36–39 ISBN 0847683346.
~Health Risks". EPA. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
~ Radon Toxicity: Who is at Risk?, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 2000.
~"The Geology of Radon". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
~ http://www.ukradon.org/
~ http://www.pq.lung.ca/environment-environnement/radon/
~ Radon and radon publications at the United States Environmental Protection Agency, http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/index.html
~ Beane Freeman L, Blair A, Lubin JH, et al. Mortality from lymphohematopoietic malignancies among workers in formaldehyde industries: The National Cancer Institute Cohort. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2009; 101(10):751–761
~ International Agency for Research on Cancer (June 2004). IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans Volume 88 (2006): Formaldehyde, 2-Butoxyethanol and 1-tert-Butoxypropan-2-ol. Retrieved June 10, 2011, from: http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol88/index.php
~ Directive 2004/42/CE of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 on the limitation of emissions of volatile organic compounds due to the use of organic solvents in certain paints and varnishes and vehicle refinishing products EUR-Lex, European Union Publications Office. Retrieved on 2010-09-28.
~ Dieter Stoye "Paints and Coatings" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry 2006, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. doi:10.1002/14356007.a18_359.pub2
~ Mazzone, PJ (2008). "Analysis of volatile organic compounds in the exhaled breath for the diagnosis of lung cancer". Journal of thoracic oncology : official publication of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 3 (7): 774–80. doi:10.1097/JTO.0b013e31817c7439. PMID 18594325.
~Cristina Buzea, Ivan Pacheco, and Kevin Robbie "Nanomaterials and Nanoparticles: Sources and Toxicity" Biointerphases 2 (1007) MR17-MR71.
~ Woodrow Wilson Centre for International Scholars Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies
~ Geiser, Marianne; et al. (November 2005). "Ultrafine Particles Cross Cellular Membranes by Nonphagocytic Mechanisms in Lungs and in Cultured Cells". Environmental Health Perspectives 113 (11): 1555–60.
~ Oberdörster, Günter; et al. (July 2005). "Nanotoxicology: An Emerging Discipline Evolving from Studies of Ultrafine Particles". Environmental Health Perspectives 113 (7): 823–39. doi:10.1289/ehp.7339. PMC 1257642. PMID 16002369.
~Crouse DL, Peters PA, van Donkelaar A, Goldberg MS, Villeneuve PJ, Brion O, Khan S, Atari DO, Jerrett M, Pope III CA, Brauer M, Brook JR, Martin RV, Stieb D, Burnett RT. Risk of Non-accidental and Cardiovascular Mortality in Relation to Longterm Exposure to Low Concentrations of Fine Particulate Matter: A Canadian National-level Cohort Study. Environ Health Perspect 2012. Available In-Press online 7 February 2012. http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1104049.
~Dales R, Chen L, Frescura AM, Liu L, Villeneuve PJ. Acute effects of outdoor air pollution on forced expiratory volume in 1 s: a panel study of schoolchildren with asthma. Eur Respir J 2009; 34:316-323.
~Medina-Ramon M, Zanobetti A, Schwartz J. The effect of ozone and PM10 on hospital admissions for pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a national multicity study. Am J Epidemiol 2006; 163:579-588.
~Committee on Estimating Mortality Risk Reduction Benefits from Decreasing Tropospheric Ozone Exposure, National Research Council. Estimating Mortality Risk Reduction and Economic Benefits from Controlling Ozone Air Pollution, 2008. Available at www.nap.edu/catalog/12198.html.
~Bell ML, McDermott A, Zeger SL, Samet JM, Dominici F. Ozone and short-term mortality in 95 US urban communities, 1987-2000. JAMA 2004; 292:2372-2378.
~http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/TIB/movement.html
~http://www.pauldonahue.net/pesticides.html
THEY BOTH MOVE WITH THE AIR CURRENTS AND WE BREATHE THEM IN EVERY DAY.
PESTICIDES
The World Health Organization conservatively estimates that pesticides are responsible annually for 20,000 deaths worldwide. They are carcinogenic (cause cancer), tetragenic (cause birth defects), mutagenic (cause genetic defects), neurotoxic (damage the nervous system), and immunotoxic (damage the immune system). More than 50 pesticides in common usage are known to be estrogenic, disrupting the hormone or endocrine system by mimicking the female hormone estrogen, and causing problems ranging from decreased sperm count to cancers of the reproductive organs. Pesticides are also hazardous to our agricultural systems, creating resistant pest populations, contributing to declining crop yields, undermining local and global food security and threatening agricultural biodiversity. And they are hazardous to the environment in general.
Many people believe that we have government agencies in place, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state pesticide control boards, that safeguard us from dangerous pesticides, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Even pesticides which the EPA knows to be dangerous human carcinogens, (such as the fungicide Captan, widely used on blueberries in Maine, with about 18 million pounds applied annually in the United States), have, because of industry pressure, proven impossible to remove from the market. The pesticide industry is politically and economically a very powerful one and is not hesitant to use its political muscle and money to get its way, be it with regulatory agencies, Congress, state legislatures, or in the courts. The legal bribery of our campaign finance system makes it that much easier for the pesticide corporations to prevail.
The tests that are conducted on pesticides are performed only on the "active" ingredients of the products, the ingredients designed to do the killing, not on the complete formulations. The complete formulations of most pesticides typically contain 90 to 99 percent of so-called "inert" ingredients, and any pesticide formulation may contain dozens of "inert" substances. Contrary to their misleading name, many of these "inert" ingredients are biologically and chemically active and are as toxic or more toxic to humans than the active ingredients of the pesticides.
Despite their potential danger to humans and the environment, even the identity of all but a few of these "inert" ingredients is kept from the public, protected as "trade secrets" by the Environmental Protection Agency. Some 2300 chemicals have been approved by the EPA for use as "inerts" including such dangerous substances as carbon tetrachloride, methylene chloride (the active ingredient in many paint strippers), pentachlorophenol, carbon disulfide, toluene, perchloroethylene, n-hexane, xylene, and other petroleum distillates, cadmium and lead compounds. However, to find out which of these 2300 "inert" ingredients might be included in any given pesticide requires the filing of a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This can take many months, and can still be denied by the EPA. Some environmental groups have had to take the next step of filing a lawsuit against the EPA to get this information, taking many more months, and incurring great expense, with still no guarantee of receiving a complete "inert" list for a product. These FOIA requests are dealt with one pesticide at a time and there are 25,000 pesticides out there to worry about.
A loophole in our hazardous waste law also actually allows the "recycling" of hazardous wastes as "inerts" in pesticides. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency press officer Al Hire was quoted as stating that allowing recycled hazardous waste in pesticides as "inert" is "a way of disposing of hazardous materials." Some of the hazardous wastes "disposed of" in this way are chromium, mercury, thallium, zinc, naphthalene, chlorinated phenols and dioxins. These linguistically detoxified hazardous wastes then end up being sprayed onto our forests, agricultural crops, gardens, and lawns.
The widespread use and disposal of pesticides by farmers, institutions and the general public provide many possible sources of pesticides in the environment. Following release into the environment, pesticides may have many different fates. Pesticides which are sprayed can move through the air and may eventually end up in other parts of the environment, such as in soil or water. Pesticides which are applied directly to the soil may be washed off the soil into nearby bodies of surface water or may percolate through the soil to lower soil layers and groundwater. Pesticides which are injected into the soil may also be subject to the latter two fates. The application of pesticides directly to bodies of water for weed control, or indirectly as a result of leaching from boat paint, runoff from soil or other routes, may lead not only to build up of pesticides in water, but also may contribute to air levels through evaporation.
The release of pesticides into the environment may be followed by a very complex series of events which can transport the pesticide through the air or water, into the ground or even into living organisms. The most important route of distribution and the extent of distribution will be different for each pesticide. It will depend on the formulation of the pesticide (what it is combined with) and how and when it is released. Despite this complexity, it is possible to identify situations that can pose concern and to try to minimize them. However, there are significant gaps in the knowledge of pesticide movement and fate in the environment and so it is best to minimize unnecessary release of pesticides into the environment. The fewer pesticides that are unnecessarily released, the safer our environment will be.
If we are not buying organic produce, do we know what pesticides are on the foods we feed our children, and what effect those pesticides will have on their growing bodies?
When the active ingredients of pesticides are tested, they are tested one at time, not in combinations. We, on the other hand, are exposed to pesticides in combinations. The EPA has found traces of 20 pesticides just on apples, and on an average trip to the supermarket we come back with traces of 60 to 80 pesticides on our food. Hormone system-disrupting pesticides that by themselves have been linked to breast cancer and male birth defects have been found to be up to 1,000 times more potent when just two of them are combined. What happens when you combine 60 or 80 of these pesticides? Small, seemingly insignificant quantities of individual chemicals can have a major cumulative effect.
If all that isn't enough, it turns out that the majority of pesticides are contaminated with dioxins, the extremely toxic by-products of chlorine chemistry. The chlorine industry has stated that 96 percent of all synthetic organic pesticides contain chlorine or are manufactured using chlorine intermediates. As a consequence, dioxins appear to occur as by-products in the manufacture of virtually all synthetic pesticides.
FERTILIZERS
Chemical Fertilizers Destroying the Environment & Killing Ocean Life
http://www.organicconsumers.org/corp/oceans101104.cfm
<<Scientists have spent the past three years piecing together data from
thousands of studies. Their official report will be published early next
year, but a first draft shows a number of alarming trends.
A major concern is the increase in nitrogen emissions because of fertiliser
use.
"In the past 100 years, emissions have risen from around 20m tonnes a year
to more than 150m tonnes a year," said Robert Watson, the project leader and
the World Bank's chief scientist. "We're emitting more than seven times more
nitrogen and that is going to have incredible implications for ecological
systems.">>
ONE OF THE MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH FERTILIZERS IS THE FACT THAT THEY HANG IN THE AIR AFTER APPLICATION AND THEN ARE SWEPT UP BY THE WIND AS THEY LIE IN/ON THE SOIL. BY SIMPLY APPLYING FERTILIZERS WE INJECT THEM INTO OUR AIR. AFTERWARDS, THEY LEACH INTO OUR WATER SUPPLIES AND ARE FIXED INTO OUR FOOD CROPS. OUR BODIES ARE NOT DESIGNED TO INGEST SUCH CHEMICALS!
WE DON'T NEED THEM TO GROW FOOD! THE ORGANIC FOOD GROWERS ACROSS THE GLOBE ARE PROOF THAT CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS ARE JUST NOT NECESSARY!
Harmful Effects of Fertilizers
May 10, 2010
http://www.livestrong.com/article/119955-harmful-effects-fertilizers/
<<According to the EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs, 12 of the most popular pesticides in the United States have ingredients known to cause cancer. Organic fertilizers are guaranteed to be safe for the environment, the body and free of pesticides.
Many people do not realize that some fertilizers are made from the residuals of waste water treatment facilities or recycled from other areas that cause them to test positive for toxic waste. According to the federation of Public Interest Research Groups (PIRG), 29 popular fertilizers tested positive for 22 toxic heavy metals, including silver, nickel, selenium, thallium and vanadium. All of the metals found are linked directly to human health hazards.>>
Health Effects of Synthetic Fertilizer
http://www.turfprousa.com/health_effects_of_synthetic_fertilizer_3006a.html
<<Synthetic fertilizers can seriously deplete the nutritional content of foods, and direct contact or exposure to synthetic chemical fertilizers can kill infants or cause health problems in many adults. Studies show exposure to artificial lawn chemicals to an increased risk of cancer and other health problems in pets. Remember this the next time you pick up a bag at our local hardware store.
Also, if you have any type of urinary, kidney, or liver health difficulties, you should especially avoid any type of exposure. The adverse effects of synthetic chemical fertilizers are often underplayed and ignored despite their damage being far reaching. Synthetic fertilizers can cause a vast array of symptoms, some immediate, some signs showing up later, some effects on people and animals are direct, and some effects are indirect.
Children who live in homes that use pesticides and/or synthetic fertilizers on their lawn have over six times a greater rate of leukemia. Groundskeepers at golf clubs, and golfers themselves suffer from a long list of health problems related to landscapers' toxic chemicals, the most common being non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. SOURCE: American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 29(5):501-506, 1996
Working as a Golf Course Superintendent has been found to significantly increase the risk of dying of four cancer types including - brain cancer, lymphoma (non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, NHL), prostate and large intestine cancer. A study was conducted of 686 deceased members of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America from all U.S. states who died between 1970 and 1992. Brain cancer rates for the Superintendents was found to occur at over twice the national average, while non-Hodgkin's lymphoma also occurred at over twice the national average. Prostate cancer occurred at nearly 3 times the national average and large intestinal cancer occurred at 1.75 times the national average. The researchers stated that a similar pattern of elevated NHL, brain and prostate cancer mortality along with excess deaths from diseases of the nervous system has been noted previously among other occupational groups exposed to pesticides.
SOURCE: Drs. Kross, B.C., Burneister, L.F., Ogilvie, L.K., Fuortes, L.J.,
Department of Preventive Medicine Health, University of Iowa SOURCE: American Journal of Public Health, 86(9): 1289-96, 1996
Ammonium nitrate (NH3NO3): Ammonia, a base, is extremely toxic to humans. It has a sharp penetrating odor. Nitric acid is mixed with ammonia to form a salt, ammonium nitrate. Ammonium nitrate can easily have reactions if exposed to a variety of metals (e.g. iron, zinc, copper), acids, alkalies, solvents, oil, grease, etc. You will notice that bags of fertilizer are often plastic coated and sealed in order to keep contaminants out and gases in. Introduce heat to fertilizer and there will be further instability. The release of toxic fumes is one of the main hazards associated with the decomposition of Ammonium nitrate. Exposure to ammonium nitrate can cause eye and skin irritation and burns. Inhalation exposure can result in irritation of the nose, throat, and lungs. One can also experience nausea, vomiting, flushing of the face and neck, headache, nervousness, uncontrolled muscle movements, faintness and collapse. Because ammonia or nitrates combine rapidly with water, feeling dehydrated is common. Lips will become dry. The next time you handle or are exposed to chemical fertilizer, you will probably notice some of these symptoms. Because the accumulation of ammonia in the body can quickly lead to death, the urea cycle in humans is extremely important.>>
SO, YOU SEE THAT PESTICIDES AND FERTILIZERS GET INTO OUR AIR AND SICKEN US, SOMETIMES TO DEATH.
WE DON'T HAVE TO HAVE THESE THINGS IN OUR LIVES!
HERE IS A VIDEO THAT JUST WON'T OPEN INSIDE THIS PAGE, BUT TRY TO WATCH IT FROM THE LINK PROVIDED:
Organic Weed Control Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n81inux0cts
THERE ARE SO MANY NATURAL WAYS TO CONTROL WEEDS AND EVEN UNDESIRABLE BRUSH AND TREES THAT IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO LIST THEM HERE. A SIMPLE INTERNET SEARCH WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH MORE RESOURCES AND IDEAS, RECIPES AND PRODUCTS YOU CAN MAKE YOURSELF THAT YOU WILL HAVE NO REASON TO USE POISONS FOR EITHER PESTICIDES, HERBICIDES OR FERTILIZERS.
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS BEFORE CHEMICAL COMPANIES APPEARED, NATIVE PEOPLE ON ALL CONTINENTS GREW FOOD AND DID NOT POLLUTE THEIR ENVIRONMENT.
WE CAN, TOO.
OTHER SOURCES FOR THIS POST
~Edelstein, Michael R., William J. Makofske. Radon's deadly daughters: science, environmental policy, and the politics of risk. Rowman & Littlefield, 1998, pp. 36–39 ISBN 0847683346.
~Health Risks". EPA. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
~ Radon Toxicity: Who is at Risk?, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 2000.
~"The Geology of Radon". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
~ http://www.ukradon.org/
~ http://www.pq.lung.ca/environment-environnement/radon/
~ Radon and radon publications at the United States Environmental Protection Agency, http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/index.html
~ Beane Freeman L, Blair A, Lubin JH, et al. Mortality from lymphohematopoietic malignancies among workers in formaldehyde industries: The National Cancer Institute Cohort. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2009; 101(10):751–761
~ International Agency for Research on Cancer (June 2004). IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans Volume 88 (2006): Formaldehyde, 2-Butoxyethanol and 1-tert-Butoxypropan-2-ol. Retrieved June 10, 2011, from: http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol88/index.php
~ Directive 2004/42/CE of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 on the limitation of emissions of volatile organic compounds due to the use of organic solvents in certain paints and varnishes and vehicle refinishing products EUR-Lex, European Union Publications Office. Retrieved on 2010-09-28.
~ Dieter Stoye "Paints and Coatings" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry 2006, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. doi:10.1002/14356007.a18_359.pub2
~ Mazzone, PJ (2008). "Analysis of volatile organic compounds in the exhaled breath for the diagnosis of lung cancer". Journal of thoracic oncology : official publication of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 3 (7): 774–80. doi:10.1097/JTO.0b013e31817c7439. PMID 18594325.
~Cristina Buzea, Ivan Pacheco, and Kevin Robbie "Nanomaterials and Nanoparticles: Sources and Toxicity" Biointerphases 2 (1007) MR17-MR71.
~ Woodrow Wilson Centre for International Scholars Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies
~ Geiser, Marianne; et al. (November 2005). "Ultrafine Particles Cross Cellular Membranes by Nonphagocytic Mechanisms in Lungs and in Cultured Cells". Environmental Health Perspectives 113 (11): 1555–60.
~ Oberdörster, Günter; et al. (July 2005). "Nanotoxicology: An Emerging Discipline Evolving from Studies of Ultrafine Particles". Environmental Health Perspectives 113 (7): 823–39. doi:10.1289/ehp.7339. PMC 1257642. PMID 16002369.
~Crouse DL, Peters PA, van Donkelaar A, Goldberg MS, Villeneuve PJ, Brion O, Khan S, Atari DO, Jerrett M, Pope III CA, Brauer M, Brook JR, Martin RV, Stieb D, Burnett RT. Risk of Non-accidental and Cardiovascular Mortality in Relation to Longterm Exposure to Low Concentrations of Fine Particulate Matter: A Canadian National-level Cohort Study. Environ Health Perspect 2012. Available In-Press online 7 February 2012. http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1104049.
~Dales R, Chen L, Frescura AM, Liu L, Villeneuve PJ. Acute effects of outdoor air pollution on forced expiratory volume in 1 s: a panel study of schoolchildren with asthma. Eur Respir J 2009; 34:316-323.
~Medina-Ramon M, Zanobetti A, Schwartz J. The effect of ozone and PM10 on hospital admissions for pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a national multicity study. Am J Epidemiol 2006; 163:579-588.
~Committee on Estimating Mortality Risk Reduction Benefits from Decreasing Tropospheric Ozone Exposure, National Research Council. Estimating Mortality Risk Reduction and Economic Benefits from Controlling Ozone Air Pollution, 2008. Available at www.nap.edu/catalog/12198.html.
~Bell ML, McDermott A, Zeger SL, Samet JM, Dominici F. Ozone and short-term mortality in 95 US urban communities, 1987-2000. JAMA 2004; 292:2372-2378.
~http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/TIB/movement.html
~http://www.pauldonahue.net/pesticides.html
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