Benzene Exposure Alters Endocrine Activity • Hacker News Board

Re: Benzene Exposure Alters Endocrine Activity

#161

Post by hilbert42 » Fri, Jun 23, 2023, 9:05 AM UTC

reddit_refugee3 wrote: post #160

hilbert42 wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sorry you missed my point that regulation lags the tech and can do so for a very long time—usually because commercial and vested interests block safety regulations. Where would you like me to start? Perhaps asbestos, it's well known and well documented. 2000+ years ago the Romans were well aware of its dangers and called is effects 'the wasting disease', that's why they only sent slaves and prisoners to asbestos…

Well I'm not sure that's the point I would have taken away from your comment, but oh well... What it comes down to (which is what it always comes down to in capitalism), is capital. Accruing (and facilitating the accrual of) and protecting capital is the main function of the state, so it's only natural that regulations to protect regular people at the cost of a fraction of profits of the bourgeoisie, would take decad…

Right, that hairy unmentionable and his mate. It's not surprising that 'those in charge of the means of production' and a fucked revolution in the hands of ruthless opportunists have made their names mud.

What truly grates me in this centuries-long battle is that those to whom you refer always end up on top. Capital is like a bobbing cork, no matter how far you sink it, it always has the power to resurface.

Re: Benzene Exposure Alters Endocrine Activity

#162

Post by mschuster91 » Fri, Jun 23, 2023, 11:03 PM UTC

peteradio wrote: post #122

toss1 wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That well is probably contaminated still. Bought a new house in a semi-rural area, had only ever been farms, zero petrol stations ever existed within at least a 4-mile radius, and mostly downhill. Yet the water test found MTBE [0], Methyl tert-butyl ether, a gasoline additive. Had to maintain and replace an activated carbon filter in the water system ever since. The only possibility is some farmer decades ago dumping…

How deep are your wells there? It seems difficult for serious contamination to happen where I live outside of an poorly maintained well letting surface water down.

Contamination of watersheds is easy - depending on which source you believe, a single drop can contaminate 100 to 600 liters of water. A single cigarette butt can contaminate 500 liters.

And once the stuff is in the watershed/groundwater, it can be really really hard to get out of there, especially if the watershed is enclosed or doesn't have much outflow.

Re: Benzene Exposure Alters Endocrine Activity

#163

Post by toss1 » Sat, Jun 24, 2023, 3:15 PM UTC

peteradio wrote: post #122

toss1 wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That well is probably contaminated still. Bought a new house in a semi-rural area, had only ever been farms, zero petrol stations ever existed within at least a 4-mile radius, and mostly downhill. Yet the water test found MTBE [0], Methyl tert-butyl ether, a gasoline additive. Had to maintain and replace an activated carbon filter in the water system ever since. The only possibility is some farmer decades ago dumping…

How deep are your wells there? It seems difficult for serious contamination to happen where I live outside of an poorly maintained well letting surface water down.

My well is 528 feet deep, and freshly drilled - this pollutant was in the first water test set and in every test set since for 15+ years, and there has been zero spills and good maintenance ever since.

I agree that in this situation it seems very difficult and it is surprising that the pollutant would travel not only that far laterally but also that far down. Yet, there it is.

"Water flowing underground ...." - it moves a lot more than we think!

Re: Benzene Exposure Alters Endocrine Activity

#164

Post by thsksbd » Sun, Jun 25, 2023, 9:17 PM UTC

reddit_refugee3 wrote: post #153

hilbert42 wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I’ve heard that they as a group tended to die in their 60’s." Why then was my experience so different back then? We treated benzene and CCl4 with great care, a fume cupboard was esential. See my other post.

Perhaps "back in the day" means something different to you than it does to the person you're replying to.

Presumably the "42" refers to the birth year.

Re: Benzene Exposure Alters Endocrine Activity

#165

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Jun 26, 2023, 7:03 PM UTC

tormeh wrote: post #106

asdff wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Old books with chemical information would often have things like odor or taste written down for a lot of surprising things.

Chemistry used to be a scientific spin on the Jackass franchise. Although to be fair often it was the assistants doing the taste tests - not the chief chemist at the lab.

[deleted]