Aneirin
Posts: 6121
Joined: 3/18/2006 From: Tamaris Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: RealityLicks As an ex-smoker, I sympathise with much of the above. However, it took ages for me to jack it in, simply because I couldn't get away from the smell. So, just for the sake of argument: bearing in mind that 70-80% of smokers want to stop, maybe nanny is right sometimes? I've known four people who died of lung cancer and it's a particularly nasty end, watching someone literally shrink. In pain. The problem is, I never had that at the front of my mind when I was smoking. I thought about being social; sharing; posing like a film star etc... But cig smoke is a toxic substance, containing ammonia and all sorts of crap, so surely it's wise to have rules governing where it can be released? You don't have to stop - just go outside. Also, as far as traffic fumes are concerned, all cars have catalytic convertors by law and I can hardly remember using leaded petrol. This lung cancer thing, people have to remember, smoking is not the only cause of lung cancer and by being a smoker it does not mean that you are going to get lung cancer. Until shit happens, if it happens, one is in more danger of getting wiped out by any other means before lung cancer has a chance to develop. It is a risk, much like any other pastime we enjoy, motorcycling, pot holing, hang gliding, sailing, whatever, it all carries the risk of death, we are aware of the risks but just get on with it and enjoy life. I agree there are statistics to suggest smoking and lung cancer are linked, but then there are also people who have never smoked in their life, nor been around a smoker who get lung cancer. As to vehicles, I am not sure about the change to unleaded fuel, as to whether that was a good thing or not. I had an old air cooled vehicle and the mechanic who looked after it on questioning about what fuel I could use now leaded fuel was banned told me that he is seeing more cars now which fail emission tests, and they run on unleaded.Something about the reason why lead was in fuel, it was to lubricate the upper cylinder and valve gear. Take the lubricant away and wear is accelerated thus leading to premature engine wear and there more pollutants exhausted. Plus the fact unleaded engines ran hotter. When I finally made the reluctant change to unleaded, by old van ran better, more mpg and better performance, but cracked cylinder heads. Also, lead in exhaust fumes, by there being lead there, the pollutant gases headed downwards onto the road, unleaded gases having no lead hang about in the air. As far as I am aware, Diesel engined vehicles do not have catalytic converters, and in the case of buses, they I believe are exempt the stringent emission checks private motor vehicles are subjected to. Ever seen a diesel engined bus when it has to rev it's engine to either speed up or climb a hill, the dirty black soot that is blasted out of the exhaust, not to mention the rime of black soot around the exhaust opening.
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Everything we are is the result of what we have thought, the mind is everything, what we think, we become - Guatama Buddha Conservatism is distrust of people tempered by fear - William Gladstone
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