Tag: pollution

The Toxicity of Tanneries During the French Revolution

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One of the largest contributors to pollution during the French Revolution was the work of tanneries, which converted what is essentially animal skin, into leather goods. First the hide was immersed in an alkaline lime and water solution for up to 3 weeks, then it was brought out and shaved for both the hair on one side of the hide and the dissolved fat referred to as “sinew” on the other side. Once this process had been complete, dog and bird feces were mixed with hot water and human urine to create a bacterial cocktail which would work together to soften the hide and help it absorb dye. All of these components were dumped into local water sources once they had served their purpose which made living around them nearly impossible, with many people developing ulcerative lesions upon their throats when around these ingredients for extended periods of time

The Link Between Dementia and Iron

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Measuring iron in the brain is the best known way to confirm dementia without performing an autopsy after death. The brain naturally creates tiny bits of iron referred to as “magnetite”. As a human being ages, more and more iron accumulates within the brain. Too much iron however, is a hallmark of dementia. It is theorized that this overproduction of iron is actually due to external factors like pollution rather than naturally occurring phenomena. Dr. Barbara Marr, a world renowned expert and authority in respect to the measurement of metal in incredibly small particles, took thin tissue sections of affected brains obtained during autopsy and observed them under a highly resolved transmission electronmicroscope to review the particles within the neurons of the brain and found 2 different shapes of particle. The magnetite particles are beautifully crystalline, regular and geometric, whilst the opposing particles were rounded in shape, referred to as “spherls” (pronounced “sfare-alls”) or “nanospheres”, rounded in shape because they were originally molten droplets. For every 1 biologically manufactured magnetite, 100 artificially implanted foreign particles of iron are found within the brains of those affected by this condition as confirmed by a study which took place in Mexico City, Mexico. Although not definitely proven, the shape of these secondary particles is remarkably similar to that of airborne pollution, which suggests to scientists that there is a discernible correlation between the 2 types

The Danger of Air Pollution Gaining Access to the Brain

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The reason pollution has a metallic taste and scent and that it burns the eyes when exposed to it is because the particles of air pollution are tiny enough that they can travel through nerve cells, and gain direct entry to the brain, where the olfactory bulbar meets the frontal cortex, as there is no blood-brain barrier at this point. The body protects itself through the blood-brain barrier, which means that particles within the bloodstream, cannot get directly into the brain. This system has a slight flaw however as the nose acts as a direct conduit for incredibly tiny particles to bypass this security mechanism

The Effect of Pollution Upon Nomura Jellyfish

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Pollution can trigger swarms of jellyfish production because it is carried into the oceans both by weather which carries it in as rain and as run off from sewage systems. Pollution stresses nomura jellyfish and causes them to repopulate as fast as they can as the environment is what triggers their reproductive cycles

The Fallacy of Recycling Plastics

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Recycling is less of a reasonable solution to the plastics problems and more of a myth, shrouded in uncertainty towards the general public in terms of how effective it truly is. Polyethylene terephthalate plastic labeled as a “number 1” plastic and high-density polyethylene labeled as “number 2” are the main recyclable plastics. Most plastic isn’t recycled as is the case with glass or metal which can be melted down and used over and over again, but instead downcycled, in that they are used to create lower grade plastics used in things like park benches and plastic decking. Most plastics destined to be recycled which are produced in North America and Europe are shipped to China for processing. Recycling will not offset the plastic pollution being produced currently, as the rate of recycled plastic is approximately 30% meaning that for every plastic item we use, 70% of it is newly manufactured plastic, a value which will continue to grow for as long as human beings decide to continue to dump their wasted plastics in areas which are not publicly viewed (e.g. the ocean). Most plastic waste comes from plastic bags and plastic bottles. Collectively the world consumes 1,000,000 (1 million) plastic bags per minute and 28,300,000 (28.3 million) plastic bottles per minute. The plastics industry is the 3rd largest industry in the U.S., behind steel and vehicles, and is responsible for more than $400,000,000,000 ($400 billion) in product shipments per year. It is estimated that the average North American uses 300 – 700 plastic bags per year. By 2050, worldwide plastic production is projected to quadruple, reaching nearly 2,000,000,000,000 (2 trillion) lbs. per year