we're gonna choke on it too

'We _can't_ see for miles and miles'

This is a little self-serving. I went for my first bike ride yesterday. My
allergies which had been in abeyance came back in full force. Not pollen,
not animal dander, but from air pollution. Billions of people driving
billions of autos.

I fear our future is death by choking.

Just call me the canary in the coal mine.


************
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/iyh/e...d_traffic.html

'The following is a summary of the main pollutants produced by road traffic
and the way they may affect your health:

Nitrogen oxides: These are created when vehicle engines burn nitrogen that
is present in the air and nitrogen compounds found in fossil fuels. Nitrogen
oxides can irritate airways, especially your lungs.

Carbon monoxide: This gas is produced by incomplete combustion of gasoline
and diesel fuel. All engine exhaust contains a certain amount of carbon
monoxide, but the amount will increase if your vehicle engine is poorly
maintained. Carbon monoxide decreases the ability of your blood to carry
oxygen.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs): These are a large family of
carbon-containing compounds that evaporate easily. Engine exhaust contains a
number of different VOCs. Some of them, such as benzene and 1,3-butadiene,
are cancer-causing agents, although the risk at current levels in the
environment is small.

Fine particulate matter: These tiny particles contain many substances,
including metals, acids, carbon, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Some
of these particles are emitted in vehicle exhaust, while others are formed
in the atmosphere through chemical reactions between the various pollutants
found in exhaust. Particulates are known to aggravate symptoms in
individuals who already suffer from respiratory or cardiovascular diseases.

Ground-level ozone: This is not emitted directly by vehicle engines, but is
formed by chemical reactions between nitrogen oxides and VOCs. These
reactions are stimulated by sunlight, and this is why concentrations of
ground-level ozone are higher during the summer months. Ground-level ozone
irritates airways and can trigger reactions in people who have asthma.

Ground-level ozone should not be confused with the ozone layer in the
stratosphere, which provides protection from the sun's ultraviolet rays.

The air pollution from road traffic causes two types of effects on health:

Acute Effects: These effects occur rapidly (in a few hours or days)
following exposure to high levels of pollutants. In certain cases, air
pollution may worsen symptoms for people with existing heart and lung
conditions. Scientific research carried out in Canada and in other countries
has shown that the number of deaths and hospitalizations related to
respiratory and cardiac conditions increases when the levels of ground-level
ozone or fine particulate matter increase.

Chronic Effects: These occur over time following extended exposures (months
or years). Scientific studies in Europe have shown that children living in
areas with higher traffic density have more respiratory symptoms than other
children.'

*********
http://aje.oupjournals.org/cgi/conte...ract/160/2/173

'Traffic Air Pollution and Mortality Rate Advancement Periods

Murray M. Finkelstein1,2 , Michael Jerrett2,3 and Malcolm R. Sears4

1 Program in Occupational Health and Environmental Medicine, McMaster
University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

2 Institute of Environment and Health, McMaster University, Hamilton,
Ontario, Canada.

3 School of Geography and Geology, Health Studies Program, McMaster
University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

4 Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University,
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Chronic exposure to air pollution is associated with increased mortality
rates. The impact of air pollution relative to other causes of death in a
population is of public health importance and has not been well established.
In this study, the rate advancement periods associated with traffic
pollution exposures were estimated. Study subjects underwent pulmonary
function testing at a clinic in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, between 1985 and
1999. Cox regression was used to model mortality from all natural causes
during 1992-2001 in relation to lung function, body mass index, a diagnosis
of chronic pulmonary disease, chronic ischemic heart disease, or diabetes
mellitus, household income, and residence within 50 m of a major urban road
or within 100 m of a highway. Subjects living close to a major road had an
increased risk of mortality (relative risk = 1.18, 95% confidence interval:
1.02, 1.38). The mortality rate advancement period associated with residence
near a major road was 2.5 years (95% confidence interval: 0.2, 4.8). By
comparison, the rate advancement periods attributable to chronic pulmonary
disease, chronic ischemic heart disease, and diabetes were 3.4 years, 3.1
years, and 4.4 years, respectively. '

***********
http://www.medaus.com/p/300,6586,,40.html

'Where Kids Live Determines Cancer Risk

August 20, 2004 - Where you live could play a role in your child's risk for
leukemia. A new study shows living close to an auto repair garage or gas
station could quadruple the risk of acute childhood leukemia.

About four in every 100,000 children are diagnosed with leukemia. It is the
most common type of childhood cancer in developed countries. Researchers say
not many risk factors have been determined for this disease in children,
however, benzene exposure has been identified as a risk factor for leukemia
in adults. Gas stations and commercial garages are a source of benzene
emissions.

Researchers in France conducted a study to look at benzene exposure and the
risk for leukemia. They included 280 children with leukemia and 285 healthy
children. All of the children were between 2 and 6 years old.'
***********

--
'Oh lord!
Won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?
My friends all drive Porsches as sung by:
I must make amends.' - Janis Joplin

Deleted as obvious pron Sapm.

"S o r n i" wrote in message
news
Deleted as obvious pron Sapm.

It is a wake-up call

Bonehenge wrote:
On Sun, 27 Mar 2005 15:10:13 GMT, "S o r n i"
wrote:

Deleted as obvious pron Sapm.



Wouldn't Sapim be on topic? G

Barry

Can someone give me the cliff notes for the OP.
All Good Things,
Maggie

And all of those things are airbourne, so if you live in an area with
relatively no wind to push the pollutants away and they keep being added to
the air it compounds the problem. I live in Florida and we have almost
contant wind from one direction or another to keep the toxins from building
up in the air. But when I lived in the Roanoke Virgina valley area I noticed
the build up and found that my breathing improved when I moved to Florida.

Ken

Ken Marcet wrote:
And all of those things are airbourne, so if you live in an area with
relatively no wind to push the pollutants away and they keep being added to
the air it compounds the problem. I live in Florida and we have almost
contant wind from one direction or another to keep the toxins from building
up in the air. But when I lived in the Roanoke Virgina valley area I noticed
the build up and found that my breathing improved when I moved to Florida.

Ken

I have seen a lot of references to this along the lines of the lunch
time joggers who are doing more damage than good to themselves in the
city. If I work in the city I make it a point to 'NOT' exercise in that
air but defer it to when I get home to cleaner air. This forces me to
move farther from work and shopping so it is a trade off, city dweller
building up home equity to retire in comfort, or country bike bum who
will live to enjoy it. Next subject, deep relaxing breath of country
air, yeah.
Bill Baka

"bbaka" wrote in message
...
Ken Marcet wrote:
And all of those things are airbourne, so if you live in an area with
relatively no wind to push the pollutants away and they keep being added
to
the air it compounds the problem. I live in Florida and we have almost
contant wind from one direction or another to keep the toxins from
building
up in the air. But when I lived in the Roanoke Virgina valley area I
noticed
the build up and found that my breathing improved when I moved to
Florida.

Ken

I have seen a lot of references to this along the lines of the lunch time
joggers who are doing more damage than good to themselves in the city. If
I work in the city I make it a point to 'NOT' exercise in that air but
defer it to when I get home to cleaner air. This forces me to move farther
from work and shopping so it is a trade off, city dweller building up home
equity to retire in comfort, or country bike bum who will live to enjoy
it. Next subject, deep relaxing breath of country air, yeah.

Are sure your home is in 'clean' air country? Emissions can be from distant
sources.

http://www.healthgoods.com/Education...pollutants.htm

'Scientific studies conducted over the past 30 years consistently indicate
that toxic air pollutants can be deposited at locations far from their
sources. For example, a number of toxic air pollutants persist in the
environment and concentrate through the food web, including toxaphene, a
pesticide used primarily in the cotton belt, and have been found in fatty
tissues of polar bears and other Arctic animals thousands of miles from any
possible source. Lead and other trace metals have been measured in the air
and rainfall at remote locations over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, great
distances from likely sources. Core samples from peat bogs in the Great
Lakes region show deposition of new releases of DDT. Since DDT is used only
under special conditions in the U.S., this toxic compound may be originating
from sources as far away as Mexico or Central America.'

"1oki" wrote in message
...

"bbaka" wrote in message
...
Ken Marcet wrote:
And all of those things are airbourne, so if you live in an area with
relatively no wind to push the pollutants away and they keep being
added
to
the air it compounds the problem. I live in Florida and we have almost
contant wind from one direction or another to keep the toxins from
building
up in the air. But when I lived in the Roanoke Virgina valley area I
noticed
the build up and found that my breathing improved when I moved to
Florida.

Ken

I have seen a lot of references to this along the lines of the lunch
time
joggers who are doing more damage than good to themselves in the city.
If
I work in the city I make it a point to 'NOT' exercise in that air but
defer it to when I get home to cleaner air. This forces me to move
farther
from work and shopping so it is a trade off, city dweller building up
home
equity to retire in comfort, or country bike bum who will live to enjoy
it. Next subject, deep relaxing breath of country air, yeah.

Are sure your home is in 'clean' air country? Emissions can be from
distant
sources.

Yeah I know about that, but my lungs tell me that the air here is cleaner
than in the Roanoke valley area.


http://www.healthgoods.com/Education...pollutants.htm

'Scientific studies conducted over the past 30 years consistently
indicate
that toxic air pollutants can be deposited at locations far from their
sources. For example, a number of toxic air pollutants persist in the
environment and concentrate through the food web, including toxaphene, a
pesticide used primarily in the cotton belt, and have been found in fatty
tissues of polar bears and other Arctic animals thousands of miles from
any
possible source. Lead and other trace metals have been measured in the air
and rainfall at remote locations over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans,
great
distances from likely sources. Core samples from peat bogs in the Great
Lakes region show deposition of new releases of DDT. Since DDT is used
only
under special conditions in the U.S., this toxic compound may be
originating
from sources as far away as Mexico or Central America.'

"Maggie" wrote in message
oups.com...

Bonehenge wrote:
On Sun, 27 Mar 2005 15:10:13 GMT, "S o r n i"
wrote:

Deleted as obvious pron Sapm.



Wouldn't Sapim be on topic? G

Barry

Can someone give me the cliff notes for the OP.
All Good Things,

The Original Post was by me. What do you wish to know?


--
'They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot.' -joni mitchell

SNIP!
Speaking as someone who commutes thru a LAKE of Diesel exhaust every
morning (thanks to Slegg Bro's Construction!) I am reminded of the phrase:
"what does not kill me makes me stronger"...

....of course, that cuts BOTH ways.