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Widely used chemical strongly linked to Parkinson’s disease

science.org

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Re: Widely used chemical strongly linked to Parkinson’s disease

#231

>"But in the 20th century, TCE was used for many purposes, including making decaffeinated coffee" ... This is exactly the reason I never touched decaf coffee until I found Swiss water process (SWP) decaf. It never made sense to me to use hydrocarbon solvents in a food application

Coffee can also be decaffeinated by supercritical carbon dioxide, which was the first process I learned about (as an intro to supercritical fluids in a thermodynamics course).

Re: Widely used chemical strongly linked to Parkinson’s disease

#232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TCE is present at Lowry in Denver, an old air force base that is now a huge development of multi-million dollar homes and townhomes. This article is from 2000, before the housing development began. People knew TCE was there but the housing development happened anyway https://extras.denverpost.com/news/news1126.htm It’s also at Stapleton, another huge residential area, and previously Denver’s primary airport: “At the…

Its certainly in the soil and groundwater - but why would it be in the air?

If you read the TFA it says, "TCE is highly persistent in soil and groundwater; inhalation through vapor from these hidden sources is likely the prime route of exposure today."

Re: Widely used chemical strongly linked to Parkinson’s disease

#234
post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes but it’s not a lie to say it was phased out in the 70s. Your comment would be more substantial and useful if you made whatever nuance you’re trying to highlight clear.

> Yes but it’s not a lie to say it was phased out in the 70s I don't understand why you would write that, particularly after having read my comments and throwaway2037's comment on this thread. "This is a chemical that is currently produced in various forms by companies and used by people in 2023" and "it was phased out in the 1970s" would seem to be mutually contradictory facts. There's no "nuance" involved. I get th…

You're ignoring the modifier - "generally phased out" is not the same statement as "completely phased out".

For example: Generally people don't make their own clothes, is a true statement even though there's still plenty of people who make their own clothes.

Re: Widely used chemical strongly linked to Parkinson’s disease

#235

Widely used chemical *(that was generally phased out in the 70s) linked to Parkinson's. Still important, but you don't need to start searching product labels in 2023 for it.

It's used in dry cleaning in the USA, and their suppliers will deliver it to you by the gallon [0]. MSDS of course [1]. If you're in Australia and go to the dentist, there's this as well [2] although surely that container with its death's head and POISON label are kept well out of sight. Of course there's the lab supply chain, but that's usually more expensive. It's really easy and legal to get if you want it. I've k…

[deleted]

Re: Widely used chemical strongly linked to Parkinson’s disease

#236

Widely used chemical *(that was generally phased out in the 70s) linked to Parkinson's. Still important, but you don't need to start searching product labels in 2023 for it.

It's used in dry cleaning in the USA, and their suppliers will deliver it to you by the gallon [0]. MSDS of course [1]. If you're in Australia and go to the dentist, there's this as well [2] although surely that container with its death's head and POISON label are kept well out of sight. Of course there's the lab supply chain, but that's usually more expensive. It's really easy and legal to get if you want it. I've k…

> It's used in dry cleaning in the USA

Does it remain in the fabric after use? Is there danger to the wearer of dry-cleaned clothes or only to the people working at dry cleaner businesses?

Re: Widely used chemical strongly linked to Parkinson’s disease

#237
post #221

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Yes but it’s not a lie to say it was phased out in the 70s I don't understand why you would write that, particularly after having read my comments and throwaway2037's comment on this thread. "This is a chemical that is currently produced in various forms by companies and used by people in 2023" and "it was phased out in the 1970s" would seem to be mutually contradictory facts. There's no "nuance" involved. I get th…

Mass, widespread, unchecked use and subsequent dumping of the chemical was phased out because that practice was understood to be harmful to people and the environment. The fact that it is now used in a controlled and regulated manner is entirely different. You either missed this nuance, or you are deliberately being obtuse to make a point that "it's technically still used" which, obviously, is true, and also doesn't…

[deleted]

Re: Widely used chemical strongly linked to Parkinson’s disease

#238

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Yes but it’s not a lie to say it was phased out in the 70s I don't understand why you would write that, particularly after having read my comments and throwaway2037's comment on this thread. "This is a chemical that is currently produced in various forms by companies and used by people in 2023" and "it was phased out in the 1970s" would seem to be mutually contradictory facts. There's no "nuance" involved. I get th…

You're ignoring the modifier - "generally phased out" is not the same statement as "completely phased out". For example: Generally people don't make their own clothes, is a true statement even though there's still plenty of people who make their own clothes.

Indeed. Reading these replies I can see that the real issue is one of adverbs.

Re: Widely used chemical strongly linked to Parkinson’s disease

#239

Widely used chemical *(that was generally phased out in the 70s) linked to Parkinson's. Still important, but you don't need to start searching product labels in 2023 for it.

Anytime you see something unnecessarily and deliberately non-specific in a headline it's always some alarmist bullshit. "Famous actor is arrested for drunk driving" and they had one role in TV twenty years ago. "This everyday snack leads to kidney stones" and it's fish-butthole-flavored chips that were produced in Japan for six weeks in 1998.

Re: Widely used chemical strongly linked to Parkinson’s disease

#240
post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well one problem is that "Some of the most populated zones of" everywhere are superfund sites. Another, I learned long ago in the real estate business, is that superfund sites are just the sites they've taken the trouble to bother "cleaning up". As the article alludes to, it's not the documented TCE sites we need to worry about, it's the undocumented TCE sites that will likely get the average person. This same rule a…

I can't help but think we've gone too far in limiting liability Doing so may be an effective way to catalyze invention and economic activity but ignoring externalities becomes existentially risky as our capacities develop If we prefer human arbitration to nature's blind and brutal judgment, we had better put toothy disincentives in place Is it possible that occasionally punishing an honest mistake or absence of foret…

> Is it possible that occasionally punishing an honest mistake or absence of forethought may be the price we have to pay to prevent poisoning by diffusion of sociopathy?

It's not even about punishing. If you cause a car or home accident because of a mistake, your insurance rates will go up, and if the damage exceeds your coverage, you'll pay out of pocket. There's nothing punitive about it, you're just responsible because of fault.

That shouldn't feel wrong. It should evoke pity, but not a feeling of wrongness.

For the heirs of the stockholders of these polluting companies we need a special tax to clean up the "accidents" of those companies. These taxes could be limited to the maximum value of the company, or better yet the proportion of the total wealth of the heirs that the company stock represented at the time they sold or dissolved the company. That's still limiting liability, but in the original sense of the term (clawback of sold and wipeout of retained shares).

For the heirs of anyone who made a purposeful decision to pollute despite knowing the harms, then the limited liability should be pierced to allow taxation of the fraction of the total wealth of the heirs that derive from the polluter.

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