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Chemists detect toxic emissions linked

Discussion in 'Environmental Discussion' started by Tideland Prius, Dec 8, 2005.

  1. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Boston, Massachusetts – According to a study that will be published in the journal of the American Chemical Society, scientists have detected toxic metals emitted from automotive catalytic converters in urban air in the United States.

    The research was done by Swedish scientists, working in collaboration with researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. High concentrations of platinum, palladium, rhodium and osmium were found in the air over metropolitan Boston. Although these particles are not yet considered a serious health risk, it is suggested they could potentially pose a future danger as worldwide car sales increase. It is anticipated that there will be more than 140 million vehicles in 2050.

    Scientists have also detected elevated concentrations of these elements in Europe, Japan, Australia, Ghana, China and Greenland.

    Source: CanadianDriver
     
    #1 Tideland Prius, Dec 8, 2005
  2. brandon

    brandon Member

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    Not a very informative article. Why not just wait for the study to be published so they can actually have something to report?
     
    #2 brandon, Dec 8, 2005
  3. fshagan

    fshagan Senior Member

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    "Detected" always is a warning flag to me. We can detect things so well that we sometimes forget to do the old sanity check, and determine if the level of contaminate poses any health hazard. I'm always reminded of the sensational news reports that show a reporter going into a 5 star hotel with equipment to look for evidence of semen or urine stains. Its a sensational story ... and totally worthless. In fact, it does harm, because no where in the story do they tell the public that the residual of the stain poses no health risk whatsoever, but people worry needlessly about it. Needless worry leads to stress, and stress, of course, can kill you. (How's that for sensational?)
     
    #3 fshagan, Dec 9, 2005
  4. tripp

    tripp Which it's a 'ybrid, ain't it?

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    I completely agree. There's so much fear mongering going on these days. I think that the media thrives on fear and spreading fear. Look at the news on any given night. At least half of every "episode" is about violence. People treating each other badly. The obsession with some guy who offed his whole family (or some lady, that's even more marketable). What am I supposed to do about it? How can I use that knowledge in my daily life? While it's sad or tragic there's not much relevance to me or other citizens. It is, however, sensational and likely to increase advertising dollars. <_<
     
    #4 tripp, Dec 9, 2005
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