The Role of Dioxins and Radioactive Waste in 21st Century Assassinations
Posted on April 15, 2009
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The Role of Dioxins and Radioactive Waste in 21st Century Assassinations
There was once a time when political assassinations were carried out with botanical poisons. However, many, if not most, of the poisons that were once successfully used are now well known to science and detectable in a postmortem examination. Taking a page out of the James Bond play book, some of the most high profile assassinations (and assassination attempts) have utilized the most toxic chemicals on Earth including dioxins and radioactive isotopes.
Most famous, perhaps, was the attack on the Ukrainian presidential hopeful in 2004. In this instance, it is theorized that dioxins were placed in a bowl of soup. Though he survived the attack, the once handsome man lives in constant pain with wrecked skin and a poor prognosis.
Even more troubling perhaps is the case of a Russian spy who was apparently murdered while in London in 2006 with radioactive isotopes. While no one has even been implicated in either of these attempts, the ability of anyone to use these pollutants aggressively is worrying, to say the least.
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Just How Much PCB is in the Food Supply?
Posted on April 9, 2009
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Just How Much PCB is in the Food Supply?
In just a few years, between their creation in 1930 and when they were banned in the late 1970s, highly toxic PCBs (also known as Polychlorinated biphenyls) were used in countless products and dumped into soil and water all over the world. In the North America, the Monsanto company (the very same one that brought the world GMO crops) was responsible for most of the PCB production several million tons of it. While also used as an insulating oil and lubricant, PCBs were also widely used as a pesticide. In one instance, PCB-laden sludge from another company was given to local farmers as a fertilizer in an effort to get rid of it.
Unfortunately, the highly stable and non-reactive characteristics that made PCBs useful to industry also makes them persistent in the environment. They are also lipophilic (attracted to fats) and are very likely to bio-accumulate in any organism higher up the food chain, such as meat animals or the people who consume them.
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When Mold Attacks: Household Fungus Isn’t Just Ugly
Posted on April 3, 2009
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When Mold Attacks: Household Fungus Isn\’t Just Ugly
There is far more to household mold than a bit of stain. Molds are also capable of triggering severe allergic reactions and may even contribute to the early onset of asthma symptoms. It can actually eat right through building materials and emit powerful mycotoxins that can cause respiratory, sensory and nervous system problems.
Of course, not all household molds are so dangerous. The majority are not. However, since most homes have been very tightly sealed up in an effort to save on heating and cooling costs, the amount of fresh air that circulates through the average home in North America has dwindled by a factor of 10 over the last three decades. Add to this the large amount of synthetic materials that unwittingly provide plenty of surface and food for these organisms, ans some very unusual molds have begun to appear, indeed.
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Where Does All the Old Carpet Go?
Posted on March 28, 2009
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Where Does All the Old Carpet Go?
Carpets are not only home to a great many allergens and pests, but they are also very likely to continue to off-gas volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can be a powerful indoor pollutant. Many people are tearing out their old carpets and carpet pads in favor of bare floors and smaller rugs that can be more thoroughly cleaned. But, what happens to it all? A large proportion of the carpet installed in the US after 1940 is wholly or partly synthetic and incapable of decomposition.
It is estimated that by 2012, nearly 7 billion pounds of old carpet will be discarded in the US alone. There is currently no infrastructure in place to recycle old carpet. This is complicated by the complicated nature of most carpets, with several different types of complicated materials that can be hard to separate from one another for further processing. Some carpets are able to be recycled into a large number of far more inert construction and home decorating items including synthetic lumber and roof tiles.
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Painting the Living room and Other Ways to Huff the Tailpipe of Design
Posted on March 22, 2009
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Painting the Living room and Other Ways to Huff the Tailpipe of Design
Just because you want your home to look good doesn\’t mean you have to subject yourself to toxic fumes, as is commonly thought. However, you may have to look hard to find a company that offers a reasonably priced paint and varnishes that don\’t off-gas toxic chemicals to contaminate your indoor environment. By some estimates, indoor air in North America is, on average, three to five times as polluted as the nearby outdoor environment.
Some of the more common contaminants found in paint and other household remodeling supplies include the wide range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are known to break down into powerfully toxic by-products such as formaldehyde. Harmful VOCs are found in a shocking array of home and office furnishings, common household chemicals and carpets. It is likely that these and other similar chemicals are responsible for many instances of the sick building syndrome that can plague especially sensitive individuals.
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How the Other Half Lives: Indoor Air Pollution and Womens’ Health
Posted on March 16, 2009
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How the Other Half Lives: Indoor Air Pollution and Womens\’ Health
Pollution isn\’t just something that occurs outdoors and to wildlife. There are real impacts on human health that not only can contribute to sickness and morbidity, but also cause early deaths and economic disparity. Given the social impacts of pollution inequity, it is no wonder that the women of the world tend to suffer disproportionately harsh consequences from environmental and household pollution.
In the home (and especially in most developing nations), women are more often than not responsible for cooking meals and feeding the children. In about half the homes on Earth, that means a wood fire for heating and cooking. While some are lucky enough to have stoves for this, more often the fire is an unprotected pit in the middle of the floor. These set-ups are very often poorly ventilated and quite dangerous, resulting in untold respiratory stress and even a very real burn danger.
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You’d Think the Human Race Had a Grudge Against Coral
Posted on March 12, 2009
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You\’d Think the Human Race Had a Grudge Against Coral
Corals are an entire class of animals that are among the most threatened creatures on Earth. While you may think an organism that more closely resembles rock would be immune from pollution, these creatures are not only immobile but reside in some of the most commonly polluted areas: warm, shallow seas.
Growing very slowly, corals were once primarily threatened by collection and the occasional nuclear test. One of the most ancient forms of true animal life, corals have existed for over half a billion years though numerous climatological shifts. However, the effects of various types of pollution will likely destroy half the coral reefs on Earth by 2030. Most modern corals rely upon constant temperatures, salinity and pH. When these requirements are not met, or they\’re stressed, the symbiotic algaes that help them digest food leave. The corals starve and only their bones are left behind in what is known as coral bleaching.
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Not Our Fault This Time: What Volcanic Pollution Events Tell Us About Pollution
Posted on March 12, 2009
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Not Our Fault This Time: What Volcanic Pollution Events Tell Us About Pollution
Not all air pollution is caused by human beings. Sometimes it\’ the Earth itself that causes it. This is most dramatically seen in the aftermath of a volcanic eruption. This vog (aka volcanic smog) is just as thick as petrochemical smog and often has many of the same elements. In addition, there are very often toxic elements and even radiation that can be released.
Vog isn\’t\’ always an isolated incident that happens very irregularly. In the case of Mt. Klauea in the Hawaiian Islands, a continuous eruption state has caused vog to cover the island to some degree since 1993. particularly large events, such as Krakatoa can blanket the entire Earth for decades. In both cases, the impact of vog on human health and the larger climate both serve as models for how petrochemical smog may behave.
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You’d Think the Human Race Had a Grudge Against Coral
Posted on March 12, 2009
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You\’d Think the Human Race Had a Grudge Against Coral
Corals are an entire class of animals that are among the most threatened creatures on Earth. While you may think an organism that more closely resembles rock would be immune from pollution, these creatures are not only immobile but reside in some of the most commonly polluted areas: warm, shallow seas.
Growing very slowly, corals were once primarily threatened by collection and the occasional nuclear test. One of the most ancient forms of true animal life, corals have existed for over half a billion years though numerous climatological shifts. However, the effects of various types of pollution will likely destroy half the coral reefs on Earth by 2030. Most modern corals rely upon constant temperatures, salinity and pH. When these requirements are not met, or they\’re stressed, the symbiotic algaes that help them digest food leave. The corals starve and only their bones are left behind in what is known as coral bleaching.
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Different Cities and Different Types of Smog
Posted on March 12, 2009
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Different Cities and Different Types of Smog
Not all smog is created equal. Just like any type of soup, it\’s all in what you put in it. Smog is a low-level atmospheric mixture of several different kinds of air pollution. In some areas, such as those near coal-fired power plants, the main constituents of smog are the byproducts of fossil-fuel burning such as sulfur dioxide, ground level ozone and carbon monoxide. Massive smog events can also be caused by residential coal burning, as in the case of the Great London Smog of 1952 that killed thousands in a few weeks.
Cities that are near active volcanoes (such as Mt. Etna in Sicily and many others) are especially likely to suffer from infrequent but very traumatic smog events. In this case, though entirely natural, many of the chemical components of this vog are the same as what might be seen with petrochemical smog. Sulfur dioxide and very harmful, tiny, caustic particles are also a concern.
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