European countries seeking greenhouse gases reduction

Greenhouse gases, such as methane and carbon dioxide are produced during burning of fossil fuel such as coal. The major contributing industry is thermal power plants, where train loads of coal is burnt on daily basis. The developing countries like China and India seem to be contributing significantly to the world total. As we all know, the result of greenhouse gases is the depletion of ozone layer and the climate change is the end result.

European countries are seeking a reduction in the emission of these gases from China and India to the tune of 30% by 2020.

Let us first look at the history. The so called developed western countries have enough power to provide enough electricity to their citizens. They have caused enough pollution. India and China are fast developing economies need electricity to cater to the developments. The countries need power of all types and are in no position to go slow on their development plan just because the developed countries are putting restrictions.

The only ways to ensure sufficient power without adding to the inventory of the greenhouse gases are:

1. Use of more and more of non-polluting electricity generating systems such as solar, wind and nuclear. Go for nuclear in a big way.
2. The cost of pollution control measures of the existing power plants, which are polluting should be borne by the developed countries in some way.
3. The developed counties should also reduce the pollution at their power plants, so as to compensate for the pollution caused by the developmental efforts of the developing countries.

All should sacrifice to keep our environment clean and reduce generation of greenhouse gases. This was we can postpone the calamity which is bound to happen due to climate changes worldwide.

Nicotine in cigarettes

It is reported that nicotine in cigarettes smokers typically inhale rose by 11% since 1998 as per the analysis carried out by a Harvard study. Truth can be that the companies must be deliberately increasing the nicotine content to make it more addictive, which is a dangerous from the public health point of view. It is high time that the nicotine content in cigarettes should be regulated by fixing a limit on the total content by world health organization. Sooner it take place is better for the potential smokers.

NITHARI KILLINGS, NOIDA, INDIA

The brutal killings and suspected cannibalism by an industrialist and his servant proves beyond doubt the fact that “Man can be the cruelest animal”. I will only add “cruelest man-eating animal”. One more case of cannibalism is also reported in the press.

It is time that to realize by one and all that public surveillance apparatus need to be made high tech in suspected areas. Any complaint, how so ever small against persons, particularly against those enjoying high profile lifestyle, should be noted and investigated at depth without any bias. Number of dual personalities and sex perverts seems to increasing. The corrupt officials should be dismissed from the service and should be tried in fast track courts and punished. Trade in the organs should be made more transparent and any receipt of organs should be recorded in the hospitals and the records, particularly, the donor details should be verified.

ADAM AIR’S PLANE CRASH

First, a ferry carrying more than 600 people sank off the Indonesia’s main island of Java. 239 rescued. 400 more are unaccounted for. After three days Adam Air’s 17 year old plane with 102 people (including foreign nationals) on board went missing. The government officials made a false statement saying that the plane has been spotted near Sulawesi and 12 passengers had survived. In fact, the wreckage of the plane is not traced in-spite of the efforts.

Every one is disturbed by the news. One can’t imagine the plight of the relatives with such uncertainty and not finding the wreckage, still (forth day)! Realizing the lack of good governance in the system, the President rightly ordered full investigation and assessment of the nation’s transportation system. It is better late than never.

HOW SAFE IS FRAGRANCE AVAILABE IN THE MARKET?

This has reference to the small item appeared in the Times Trend (Times of India, Mumbai, January 5, 2007).

Definitely, the news item deserves much more publicity as it involves millions of persons, young and old, who lavishly spray themselves with the perfumes/fragrances, being sold everywhere, in the big malls, in the shops and on the roadsides. The public in general should be educated as to the origin and the possible health hazards (particularly to the central nervous system) of the present day perfumes.

The perfumes/fragrance sold these days appear to be a mixture of hundreds or thousands of organic chemicals derived from petroleum. Some of the chemicals used are known to be carcinogenic and a few are potentially carcinogenic chemicals.

It is time that government should take note of these developments and take the necessary steps to regulate the manufacture, marketing and use of these synthetic perfumes/fragrances.

COUPLE OF PEGS A DAY KEEPS B.P. IN CHECK

It is reported in the media that 1 or 2 pegs of alcohol a day keeps BP under check. These types of half baked, so called research items need not be given so much publicity. The report also states that 3 pegs a day can increase the BP and can cause increase in the risk of heart attack!

It is reported that the study was carried out at the Wageningen University in Netherlands.

My comments are:

1. Can some body comment on the basis for 2 pegs are OK and 3 are bad? How to control the
intake so critically?
2. Alcohol content-wise, the drinks used in the study, i.e., beer, red wine or spirits are not
same.
3. How the daily tipple can have same effects as exercise as reported?
4. We are only helping (?) young children to get into the habit of drinking alcohol. They will
have an excuse.