[TheForge] Interesting Article

[Keziah's Forge]

Of course. West Texas.  That explains so much.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Peter Fels & Phoebe Palmer" <artgawk at thegrid.net>
To: <mspencer at tallships.ca>; "Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA" 
<theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2009 1:41 AM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Interesting Article


> Maybe we need quantified warnings with the designated # rising with risk
> and frequency?
>
> Mike Spencer wrote:
>>> I found a more definitive set of warnings and cautions here: ...
>>
>> The problem with label warnings is that the manufactures of stuff are,
>> presumably on the advice of their lawyers, crying wolf.  So we don't
>> pay attention when a real and important safety warning is present.
>>
>> I have in front of me a bottle of hand cleaner.
>>
>>                       Heavy Duty
>>                      Hand Cleaner
>>
>>     DIRECTIONS: Apply hand cleaner to dry hands and rub well to
>>     dissolve all grease and grime....
>>
>>     CAUTION: May irritate eyes.  May irritate skin. Do not get
>>     in eyes.  Do not get on skin or clothing....
>>
>>
>> Yeah, yeah.  Once some idiot ditz coated his whole body with this or a
>> related product and then spent 3 hours tanning naked in the West Texas
>> sun in August.  After he was cleaned up and returned to his custodial
>> institution, numerous blisters were found on his body and he smelled
>> funny.  His family sued us for $100,000,000 for contributory
>> negligence and won.  So, like, you know, don't get this stuff on your
>> skin, eh?
>>
>> Enough of those scenarios and we don't find safety warning credible
>> even when they say, "Get this on your fingers and you will die in 10
>> minutes" or "breathe these fumes and your liver will turn to compost
>> before bedtime."
>>
>> There *are* frighteningly dangerous chemicals [1] and it would be real
>> nice if the scary warning labels warned us against them instead of
>> chiefly protecting corporations from law suits by people who might put
>> Drano on their Cheerios, wash their kid's hair with oven cleaner or
>> use SuperGlue for eyedrops.
>>
>>
>> - Mike
>>
>>
>> [1] E.g. dimethylmercury: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Wetterhahn
>>
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