a simplified version: http://past.thenation.com/issue/000320/0320kitman.shtml
j
-- jeff fisher dilettante -- er, that's 'intellectual nomad'
"When in our age we hear these words: It will be judged by the result--then we know at once with whom we have the honor of speaking. Those who talk this way are a numerous type whom I shall designate under the common name of assistant professors." - Kierkegaard
> From: Jeffrey Fisher <jfisher at igc.org>
> Reply-To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
> Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 22:00:17 -0600
> To: <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com>
> Subject: I am sick of cars, too, but lead is fun
>
>
> james heartfield says
>
>>
>> Jeffrey Fisher <jfisher at igc.org> writes
>>
>> "i may have missed something. if we all want a nil emission car, then
>> presumably we agree that auto emissions are sufficiently bad that they
>> ought to be done away with altogether, and then i wonder, why are we
>> fighting about this?"
>>
>> No, I am looking forward to the nil emission car because it will put the
>> 'global warming' case against cars finally to bed. (I'm assuming
>> incidentally that it will not put the case against cars to bed, because
>> ultimately its not about global warming). Lead in petrol, on the other
>> hand, was a well-established menace that was rightly dealt with.
>>
>
>
> on this point i was only saying that if we all want a nil emission car, does
> it really matter why? and there are plenty of things to worry about from
> auto emissions besides global warming and suffocation in garages, lead
> poisoning being only one.
>
> incidentally, with respect to lead, it might be interesting to read up on
> the fight to get tetraethyl lead removed from gasoline, which required
> taking on standard oil, dupont, and GM. one of the highlights of the debate
> included a leading lead proponent washing his hands in the stuff in front of
> cameras to "prove" that it wasn't dangerous. "see! nothing happens!"
>
> lots of junk science to go around.
>
> remember, it was only thirty-ish years ago that we started phasing lead out,
> and that lead was only banned for highway vehicles in this country in 1996.
> indeed, it is still being used in gasoline in most of the world, africa
> being the worst, but malaysia and indonesia are also not good.
>
> there's probably better out there, but this is a piece i recall reading a
> couple of years ago:
>
> http://past.thenation.com/cgi-bin/framizer.cgi?url=http://past.thenation.com
> /issue/000320/0320kitman.shtml
>
> if you want numbers on the above, i'll pass along the links i've got.
>
> cheers,
>
> jeff
>