Thursday, July 8, 2010

Drop in the ocean

The broken BP rig is leaking about 8,820 tons of crude oil into the Gulf every day. It is sickening the ocean and killing marine life. Believe me, I grieve. However, what worries me even more is what we don’t see. A little over half that amount gets burned and released as auto emissions into the skies of Los Angeles every day. That’s somewhere in the vicinity of 4,740 tons of hydrocarbons a day. It is sickening the air we breathe and causing debilitating respiratory problems. Sustained exposure to hydrocarbons compromises the body’s defense system resulting in ailments such as chronic bronchitis and pneumonia. If you don’t believe me, check out an emergency room in L.A on a smoggy summer day. What is even more insidious is what crosses the mother’s placenta, and gets absorbed by the human fetus. Toxins related to hydrocarbons are known to impair prenatal development. This accounts for a higher incidence of developmental disorders such as autism, attention deficit, hyperactivity and dyslexia. Sometimes impairment doesn’t show up until later in life when it becomes visible as signs of depression or schizophrenia. I believe the human suffering caused by addiction to fossil fuel is immeasurable. It makes the Gulf oil spill seem like a drop in the ocean.

4 comments:

Eduardo Cantoral said...

Bill,

LA is heaven compared to Mexico City:

http://www.jmcs.org.mx/PDFS/V52/4/05-Javier%20Audry%20Sanchez.pdf

Bill Robertson said...

Eduardo,

I know ..I was there at a time they had no emission controls.

Eduardo Cantoral said...

That paper I linked has data showing it has been going down. But still it is bad.
You are one of the few Americans I know courageous enough to go.
My wife is American also. We lived in Puebla.

Bill Robertson said...

That's ironic, my wife is from Mexico City ..a true act of courage would be for me to get behind the wheel of an automobile ..