David

You should be aware that the Barbadian attitude is that someone else would develop lung cancer and not them. So I hardly expect many of our people to lift a finger to protest what can only be termed attempted manslaughter by the continued use of the byproduct that is imported into Barbados as diesel.

What I would add..because of the poor poor quality of the fuel we are getting bout here…..is the reason we are occasioning so much black smoke….CHEAPER lesser quality stuff so that Chris n Jasper n BARNOC could sell us a HIGHER prices…..to load the treasury…..cancer for the society that is more than an economy…financial wickedness…I call it

Data is available and a study can be done, gps tagging can be used for cases but, unlike illness with acute exascerbations like asthma, any study of cancer would have to be on a long term, on going basis, as a cohort. It would be expensive, and what would we do if a study could conclusively demonstrates increased risk? Probably better off saving the money, switching to higher quality fuel, as a side note if the Government wasn’t fking the public on road tax some of these same vehicles would be serviced a little more often.( that is a big factor)

Black smoking diesel is essentially incomplete combustion, bad fuel hits the pumps and injectors really hard ( especially poor storage, moisture and “algae” ) All this talk about ultra low sulphur fuel is a double edge sword, sure it’ll be better for common rail engines, but the vast majority of diesel engines are still indirect injection and those pumps need the sulphur for lubricity. We could used ulsd but the older engines will need to use 2 cycle oil to restore lubricity. As for carcinogens, incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons, especially formation of derivative aromatic compounds is far more dangerous than sulphur. Which introduces the uncomfortable fact, unleaded gasoline produces for benzene derivatives than lead gasoline, and by that alone is more carcinogenic.

So back to a study of diesels effect on lung cancer rates….how do we control for the gasoline engines.

And as for cancer deaths, lung has been on a decline secondary to decreades tobacco use. We probably would do better focusing on colon cancer.

And in Barbados we are proud to pay top price for real estate located near the ABC Highway, which caters to a heavy volume of diesel powered vehicles. But black smoke does not occur due to the use of ‘cheap’ diesel fuel, but is primarily the result of incomplete combustion. This will occur when (a) the vehicle filtration system is not properly maintain, (b) when the diesel fuel injection equipment is tampered with in order to get an extra 2/3 MPH head start over the competition, and (c) when the fuel injection equipment is repaired by untrained person probably using uncalibrated test equipment. The source of the danger, in my opinion lies mainly with this partially burnt fuel, just as Carbon Monoxide poisoning is possible when one is in an enclosed space using fuel burning lamps and heaters , the wicks of which are not properly trimmed, and as a results the fuel is partially burnt.
I ‘ve worked with one on the biggest Transport Organisations in Europe ,using massive diesel engines in all types of locations, and I cannot recall any deaths or chronic diseases associated with diesel engines. The medical people regularly carried out various tests both in the field and in the workplaces, and personal as a matter of routine because of the nature of their core jobs were given regular medical check up. I myself has spent over 4 decades in close proximity to diesel engines and am still enjoying good health.

This was already mention by nation last year. In fact if you examine most diesel vehicle i would guess to prevent the black smoke they just need a proper engine overhaul and constant maintenance from them on. The mini bus and trucks don’t get maintenance as often as they should and this would clear up much of the problem. Low sulphur diesel would also clear up more of the problem. This would mean alot of overhauling of engine to make them compatible with it if they were to stop import high sulphur diesel. which isn’t going to happen unless our suppliers stop making it. Do like what we did when they were not going to sell leaded gas any more. Change the system people will complain and adapt for the better of everyone

Now here is one possible answer to the deiesel problem, but are we willing to give up our motor vehicles (and our clothes?)

World Naked Bike Ride: Toronto cyclists bare down
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1212606–world-naked-bike-ride-toronto-cyclists-bare-down?bn=1
Nobody should have been taken aback on Saturday to see some 150 stripped loins wheeling past Exhibition Place.

It was at Coronation Park, just outside the Princes’ Gates, where Toronto participants in the eighth annual World Naked Bike Ride bared down and headed downtown to protest automobile pollution and the dangers cars pose to cyclists everyday…“We’re on the City of Toronto website… describing the poster for this year’s event, a city archival photo of a naked ride in the Don Valley … in 1912…“It’s our 100th anniversary,”

David

I think that it has something to do with the fact that I write things that are relevant and interesting. If you remember the one about water rates, I am happy to report that a lawyer approached me and offered his services for free to sue BWA. Unfortunately, I am not a customer.

@Onions

What I would add..because of the poor poor quality of the fuel we are getting bout here…..is the reason we are occasioning so much black smoke….CHEAPER lesser quality stuff so that Chris n Jasper n BARNOC could sell us a HIGHER prices…..to load the treasury…..cancer for the society that is more than an

economy…financial wickedness…I call it
*********************
You are so full of it…… As someone who doesn’t live there but returns as often as possible I notice many things that may not be apparent or are ignored by many full time residents and one thing that has not changed over the years is the quality of the emissions coming from many vehicles especially the Public Service vehicles e.g. ZR’s and the like. Whether the BLP or DLP running things it is always the same, don’t get me started on the noise emanating from some vehicles, people seem to take pride in driving their noisy cycles and cars driving through the neighbourhood at 3.00 am.
Barbados is one noisy place, I wonder what the statistics are on the number of people who are hard of hearing or have gone deaf.

Man Sarge
You ain’t know what going on down here…that BLACK SMOKE is poor poor quality 4347 diesel kerosene blend… I should know affa spending 5 yrs at the Garrison in a first job…..so hush ..and try and find some gud souse…when the Saturdays come …lol…..Onions D chemical engineer of past …even naptha would burn a better mix ..ask AOD.

@ Sarge
LOL……Barbados got the best souse…..and we all know the unscrupulous lot are making a mint selling us motorist low quality petrols at high high prices…..its scandalous….its called Govt Capitalism unleashed on the poor subjects and clowns like clone can’t tell the difference…you on the other hand …LOL

David (10:25 am)

I am not saying that. I would not have submitted them if I thought otherwise but it is not my judgment call to make.

Look I tired of Carl Moores trying to derail the freedom of speech occasioned by BU. Look Carl…if that day should come I shall be Robert Best…ok

How about Joseph Stalin cuz you like you miss my point. If I wanted to write under orthodox parlance, I would in one of the regular newspapers. But can what is exposed and dealt with here be published by the regulars ? Man Carl if this really so bad a rag….why do you come here for a read ? Why do the callers of Brass tack ..discuss almost everything that is published here first, on mornings ?Cannot understand your peeve at all….BU stands nine furlongs when it come to honest commentary in social media and the people’s pulse…..both the Nation and Advocate watching….in amaze.

@Carl Moore

Don’t give up the fight as far as noise pollution goes.

However a bit of advice, use any medium necessary to promote the cause because this is what matters.

@BAF

At 1PM today.

It appears as if we are more concern with the ‘bad’ diesel fuel mashing up our precious expensive vehicle engines moreso than wrecking our health.
Just as a matter of interest,when the Jaguar Car was first imported to Barbados, the very low octane petrol available in Barbados was most unsuitable for this high class engine. With Bajan ingenuity, the problem was solved in a very practical way,sacrificing a bit of the engine power , but Jaguar engine subsequently ran quite well on the low octane gasolene.
Barbados is now awash with university trained engineers any chance of a practical solution from them?

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