[TheForge] Re: Alright I lied I still don't care

[Grant Marcoux]

Just as an aside, It has been claimed that chimney sweeps in England
suffered from much higher rates of testicular cancer than the general
population.  Some research oncologists have also claimed that the reason
people get lung cancer from smoking is the presence of polonium, a
radioactive element, in the smoke.  Polonium is present in plants in minute
amounts because of photosynthesis and becomes carcinogenic when inhaled over
many years.  Well, coal was originally plant matter to a large extent, and
underwnent photosynthesis. Unfortunately, I can't cite the specific source
for this information.  Grant

-----Original Message-----
From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net]On Behalf Of Mike Spencer
Sent: Saturday, February 04, 2006 11:35 AM
To: theforge at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [TheForge] Re: Alright i lied i still dont care



> How many of you wise sages have or know of someone who has or does
> anyone in fact have lung problems from using coal.The reason i ask
> is i was watching a video on blacksmithing from an ontario smith and
> he had an incessant hack that he referred to as a blacksmiths cough?

But he didn't say whether he was a 3 pack a day man or not, right?  I
met a blacksmith once who I'm sure would have referred to his gait as
Blacksmith's Wobble if he had made a video, omitting to mention the
pint of rum that he kept by the forge and replenished during the day as
needed. (He is, of course, dead now.)

I went to a week-long January workshop once, in NH where the temp was
0F and down.  Organizers had a beautiful exhaust system for 8 or 10
forges.  Which failed within the fist hour.  Room became opaque with
coal smoke.  A couple of guys over 50 just  packed it in for the day
but everybody else was too excited to show good sense and worked all
day in the smoke.

At dinner time, everybody was hacking and coughing.  Guys in their 30s
who had been smokers since 13 were coughing up blood specks.  Others
were  coughing up black gobs.

So there's a benchmark.  Don't do that. Always do better than that.

Don't breathe excessive amounts of coal smoke or coal dust.  If you're
chronically respiratorily compromised to begin with, always do much
much better than that.


- Mike

--
Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada       .~.
                                                           /V\
mspencer at tallships.ca                                     /( )\
http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/                        ^^-^^
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