I do not like smelling of exhausts because it makes me dizzy and stifling. I know a little bit of the hazard of exhausts from auto which tends to be more pertaining to environment pollution, such as increasing exhaust of CO2, SO2, and so on. After I learned physical harm about lead from chapter 4th, “Why Our Children Are Smarter Than We Are” (In David Michaels book entitled, Doubt Is Their Product, 2008). The first example was a typical event, conflicting between paint companies which produced lead-based paints and government policy. According to early twentieth century, some foreseeing experts proofed those children who were exposures to contaminated household dust or ate relatively dose paint chips would occur physical or mental diseases.
As an old Chinese phrase narrates those company that “不是什么省油的灯 (they would not just give up from fighting back)”, those paints company rejected claims and defended their products from attention raised by articles in the JAMA and the American Journal of Disease in Children in public. In the end, the top dog showed up and those paint companies were dealt with by restricted the lead content in paint used in housing built with federal money in the Lead- Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act (1971, 1973-1975). Even the old house which existed before the law enacted were required to rebuilt.
Don’t worry, everything’s under control. But does it real all difficulties are being dealt with? Industries always can earn money from environment, people, and countries. “Ethyl” is what we commonly know, actually mean a tetraethyl lead used in gasoline. It kills workers who work with raw oil and refinery of gasoline. Previously, Du Point and GM forced Bureau of Mines to conduct a study on “leaded gasoline was a good idea” and run to manufacture immediately before the New York Times revealed “the insane workers were reduced by ethyl gas” in 1924.
The industries were a prefect schemer. They could deal with every bomb threw by media, people and governments. They (alliance of gasoline industries and Bureau of Mines) denied car exhaust would poison people, concealing scandal by”a clean bill of health”. They did their best to eliminate attention of public in the workers who poisoned by manufacturing gasoline but the car exhausts. Anyway, they succeed in 1960s. Gasoline consumption were keeping high rate, nevertheless, “Silent Spring” as a nightmare coming to those greedy schemer’s dreams. Clair Cameron Patterson, who was a geochemist with his colleague, announced that lead which industrial used had presented in the polar ice cap. Clair Cameron Patterson had not stop researching on lead poison since 1940s. In addition, He devised the uranium-lead dating method into lead-lead dating, and by using lead isotopic data from the Canyon Diablo meteorite and implicated that lead had been a serious environmental and human being’s prisoner. The righteously scientific conclusion persuaded media and government to have advanced research and legislations on lead using. No matter how fabulous these schemers (gasoline industries) did for conceal their wrong.
Relevant policies and organizations recognize lead using in special groups of people (the EPA and the Food and Drug Administration recommended pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children avoid certain fish), identify lead as a poison and containment in society (the Clean Air Act signed by President Nixon), restrict using of lead and ban the use of lead in gasoline (EPA proposed, the Clean Air Act Amendment of 1990, outlawed leaded gas in the United States as of Dec 31nd, 1995). Lots of researches (CDC and experts) methodologically evaluate emissions and control equipment is for the development of new pollutant source performance standards. The Aerometric and Emissions Reporting System is comprised of input forms, files, programs and reports. Dr. Herbert Needleman also claimed the connection of lead exposure and lower IQ children and lower blood level in youth.
From 1976 to 1991, lead essentially disappeared from gasoline. Does it really disappear? How did it happen for those schemers? How do these chemical procedures happen in raw oil refine industries? What is index of lead in gasoline safety for the whole world? The environment is shared with human being. The polar is our polar, who can fix it up? Are the new generation who born after 90 s’ smarter than 70s’ for this only this reason? The industries have been perishing for over 100 years. We are using the mask and thank for industrial contribution of convenience in life. Fixing up after using out is very stupid action which we are keeping on. The Copenhagen Climate Conference failed in compromise which appeared “we are smarter than the older generation”…
After the last few shapter, and then this one, I found myself wondering if these companies REALY asve/made any money by promoting and defending that there was no problem. They sure did not save any dignity. I could see the tobacco companies, because that was there only product (chapter 7), and we are asking for it to be eliminated. However, these other products, we are just asking that they are safe for us to use.
ReplyDeleteIt is clear our society is dependent on gasoline, but let us make it as sage as possible to use, just take the lead out. The, the paint, and what ever analyst made the comment about inattentive parents!!!! Clearly did not have children, no matter how attentive or inattentive a parent is, kids are going to put stuff in their mouths! The industry mentioned that, "irresponsible parent who would allow their children to ear the paint peeling from the walls of poorly maintained homes (p.39)." So it is clear that parents are not allowing this behavior! Every parent I know say, about hundred times a day, "Don't put that in your mouth." Most of the time when people are having babies, all their money is going ito supporting that child's well being, not remolding the cracked corner that seems to just re-chip as soon as someone bumbs into it.
I just think it is silly how many years and decase are wasted on these issues, when it possibly may be cheeper to just fix the problems up front. Showing some compassion for the fellow human race. Lets face it if the products one is making starts killing us off or leaving us so mentally disadvantaged that we can not afford to buy the their products, they are going to go out of business any way!
Wow..what an interesting side to the lead issue! What I am so surprised with is the length of time that it took to actually start to take action against lead and to produce siginificant reasearch of its effect on people and the great amount of harm that it causes. Also, I agree with Hui, can the lead actually be taken out as a whole? I have a hard time believeing some of that...do they take amounts of lead out of products to an low degree that it will not cause harm? With the new products that are out on the market, are other considerations taken into account for the effects that they could cause, as much as lead has caused controversy? On that note...I am glad that I was not raised in a crib with lead-based paint!!
ReplyDeleteIf you have ever seen the movie Tommy Boy, you probably remember the various business owners asking Tommy if he ever ate paint chips as a kid. Watching that movie when I was younger I never understood that phrase, until learning about lead based paints. Probably due to the fact the I did not grow up in this country, and when I did arrive most of the areas my family lived in were brand new and lead free. Obviously for health reasons I am glad to hear that lead was removed from paint products. But how long it take, with all these various topics I am starting see a trend of the length of time for something to be done is just unacceptable.
ReplyDeleteSo the removal of lead from paint was somewhat of a success. Now we have to try to reduce emissions from cars because that also contains lead. If one thought that taken on the paint companies was a problem, think again. The car manufacturers are a different type of ball game. I personally would not know where to start when trying to take on an industry of such caliber, I would almost want to say that they are bigger than Big Tobacco companies and they probably are. When lead was replaced what was it replaced with?
Things are changing and industries are seeing that consumers are looking at healthier greener forms of whatever. By doing that they create a bigger market appeal and possibly have consumers looking at new products and not looking at the companies track history or looking at existing products on the line, which are still harmful to people’s health. Does making things greener or healthier really that mush more beneficial for us? Do quality standards with these new goods remain the same?
Gracjan, that is funny you mention Tommy Boy, because whenever hear of paint chips, that is exactly what I think of, and what is meant by eating paint chips in the movie- (having some mental disability or negative effect from that). Paula had mentioned how insane of an attack towards parents was made by saying it was the irresponsible parents' fault that kids were eating paint chips. That really should have nothing to do with that danger. I found it silly, because really that doesn't do anything to solve the problem, rather affixing blame to someone else, moving it on down the line. Just a curious thought-why was lead in paint in the beginning? I don't know the chemical nature behind it, but again, what did they replace that with? And for what purpose?
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting in the 3rd to last paragraph on pg. 44 of how easy it is to "create doubt" in the public, and how often it happens. However, I can somewhat see where they are coming from as they may not be able to single out a single cause of harmful side effects. It's like what Dr. Jecklin was talking about with the cataracts and asthma medication. It very well could have been a cause of it, but there is no way to be certain, and I think especially in doctor's offices, anything the doctor says seems to be "gold" to people, so even though some are educated enough to know that yes, it may have a correlation but isn't the cause, many conversely will take that as a cause and effect and I think that is where many doctors and others don't even want to make that statement so it isn't taken the wrong way. That's not to say that many people don't "create doubt" just to do it, even if there is a true cause and effect relationship. Does this make sense?
http://www.lacrossetribune.com/news/state-and-regional/mn/article_b3a0468a-1607-11df-b2ff-001cc4c002e0.html
ReplyDeleteSorry. Couldn't resist. This was in the paper today. We're STILL dealing with toxic levels of lead! Just last summer/fall we had a huge recall of toys with lead made in China. Interestingly, these are the stories we HAVE heard of. What about all the other products that include dangerous levels of lead and other carcinogenic chemicals that we DON'T know about?! These days I feel like recalls are made only if a company is caught and forced to make a statement. The only thing worse than recalling a product is bad PR--because they're apparently not being fined--remember OSHA "compromises" now. This issue seams to be so large and all encompassing, how do we deal with it? The people who are supposed to be regulating these issues are not. We cannot trust that our government will make the right decision on our behalf. How do we stop this as consumers, as public health agents/educators?
Is lead and every other pollutant a unique battle? The Clear Air Act intended power to protect the air from many pollutants. Is there a way to attack the simple but effective use of doubt not for every health threat, but for all threats?
ReplyDeleteVery well and in depth presentation, it just makes me wonder that with the history that we have had with the awareness of the risks of lead and the damage it can cause, why is it still an issue? I feel that it shoud be resolved by now and not even something in the realm of public health anymore, however, the actions we have taken are good thus far. And, it makes me wonder if it will become a disease of lower socioeconomic status, with driving older vehicle and living in older homes, living by a means in which they can afford, it wil be interesting!
ReplyDeleteThank you for all your comments. Your questions about inequity, corruption, and utility are right on target. We would never think about treating one child at a time as an effective lead control measure; we instead go to the source. Given the similarities between the struggle to control lead and other threats, can we go after the means by which doubt is used to stall efforts to protect health and the environment? This is an emerging public health issue.
ReplyDeleteSo clearly I need to watch more TV/movies, because I have never seen Tommy Boy - Barett explained the scene to me:>)
ReplyDeleteSome how I think all of these silly problems would be sovled if people were just honest, and looking out the best enterest of all.
It would be an intesting prediction to find out how long it would take the world to right itself after humans no longer existed. For a nonrelated example, we need to limit our consumtion of fish due to mercury. So if these problems would have been remedied right away, if we would not have these same problems?
I am trilled to see that there are some of you who share my interest in the movie Tommy Boy, maybe I will bring the scene in. But on a more serious issue. PJ I do share your interest in having the entire population just be honest with each other. It makes sense and it feels good. But the reality is the most of society is pretty corrupt especially politics!!!!! I should know I;m from Illinois.
ReplyDeleteIts a sad subject to discuss all of these events, which have effected our families lives and possibly their futures. Like I sad in class its really up to us the citizens of this country to start standing up for our rights. And going against what is wrong and making it right. Overall well done on the presentation, plenty of info was presented, which I had no idea of. Cheers!
I enjoyed this presentation, as it is something we are all aware of, but honestly I knew little about. This wasn't a concern a few decades ago, and now obviously, it is a major health concern. I am interested and perhaps apprehensive to find what other issues we are dealing with today may end up being a major health concern such as the lead. We already went through this with the smoking hazard, was seen as normal and now deadly. Perhaps cell phones will be one of those...or mercury like Paula had mentioned. Fluoridation in the water? Who knows?
ReplyDeleteAs we discuss in class, the conflict among benefit of companies, public health issue, and policies making is always the barriers for us to go over. When I work on the project in the Health Department, we invited the policy makers around our community to promote health issue and encourage them to support the health advocacy policies, it's never an easy thing in the end. We are lucky that the lead ban is become a comment sense that our public will prevent using. However, there are tons of health issues waiting for this long process to accepted by the public, community and policies makers. I wish there will be not another 80 years.
ReplyDeleteI think about the exciting possibilities the next generation, the smarter generation, will present. Afterall, if their IQ's are higher, perhaps they will have the ability to formulate new, effective, non-health hazardous ways in which we can continue living our lives but in a better way??!!
ReplyDeleteWell as ladies might not get brighter...trying to be sexy may kill us.
ReplyDeleteCheck this out:
http://www.safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=223
Children in the US are still routinely screened for their lead levels during well child checks under age 3, and there are still children right in La Crosse County who have levels that are too high. Recently, the county health department was again doing education about the damages of lead exposure as well and how safely remove and /or contain lead paint on your home. Who should be responsible for the containing and controlling this lead paint? Where do the funds come from? Left to individuals, the job is often done improperly or not at all, and particle from the dust and paint chips can get into the soil and eventually our drinking water. When does the chemical company itself get held responsible for 'mistakes' (especially one that dragged on so long that a case can be made for intentionality) that poison our society, literally, and have to pay?
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Since I wasn't here for the presentation, I will include my statement after reading the other responses to the blog. The issue of lead, although slating a victory with it's ban in 1995, still continues in the US. As others have mentioned, it is in many of our products that are imported from countries that do not have such regulations on lead. Children's toys and make-ups were mentioned already, but after reviewing articles from the past year on the evirnmental working group website, there is also concern about lead found in household cleaners and in our water supply. Additionally, as I mentioned above, as long as we still have homes with lead paint, too, lead has not at all been 'phased out' quite yet and I think more effort (possibly via forced regulations) can be made on the part of chemical companies who produce chemicals that are in hindsight found to be toxic, like lead, to fund the efforts of removal from the public.