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Originally Posted by euromodder
Sure, that's why it shouldn't get spilled ...
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Shouldn't, but does... relatively often.
Quote:
Originally Posted by euromodder
Diesel exhaust falls in the range of asbestos.
... but we can easily move away from diesels.
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I believe it will be about as easy to move away from diesels as it has been to move away from tobacco... is tobacco gone yet?
Quote:
Originally Posted by euromodder
And not start to make gas engines that produce PM (as with direct injection).
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Since gasoline engine exhaust was put on the list of "CHEMICALS KNOWN TO THE STATE TO CAUSE CANCER OR REPRODUCTIVE TOXICITY" in 1990, I don't believe they were only referring to gas engines which have direct injection.
We live in a dangerous world, where our own advances in technology expose us on a daily basis to chemicals and products which increase the risk of cancer or birth defects or other many other illnesses that we'd not encountered before the technologies were developed. I'm not saying any of that is good for us, but I am saying the risk of cancer or birth defects due to radiation is not higher than the risk from what we encounter daily. I know that having a nuclear plant in my town would not be more risky (and probably much less risky) than having a oil refinery or an oil rig in my town. Heck, speaking of asbestos, a few years back our asbestos exposure skyrocketed when it was discovered that the earth movers preparing a housing development had uncovered a vein containing friable asbestos, causing quite a bit to become airborne...
Of course, prior to the technology, the world was still a dangerous place to live, but that was due to a whole different set of risks...
It all boils down to numbers, folks. Even though radiation exposure sounds more scary than diesel or gasoline exhaust exposure, the fact is you are more likely to be exposed to diesel or gasoline exhaust on a regular basis than you are to be exposed to above-normal radiation on a regular basis.