"Toxin tax on diesel drivers shelved until after election"

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/21/toxin-tax-20-day-diesel-drivers-shelved-election/

This doctor appears to have actually taken the trouble to check the background to the promoted propaganda of panic:

Are Britain's pollution levels really a public health emergency?
Dr Michael Fitzpatrick
17 APRIL 2017 • 7:00AM

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/wellbeing/doctors-diary/britains-pollution-levels-really-public-health-emergency/

There's an interesting sub-thread to that court case, Stewgreen From the report on their website:

Mr Justice Garnham [...] said that ministers knew that over optimistic pollution modelling was being used.

I wonder if knowledge of bad modelling could ever suffice to sway a judge in other circumstances, such as, say, governments wasting squillions of Pounds trying to change the weather in the year 2100, which was part of the original justification for promoting increased diesel use.

Michael - one can equally argue that the modelling used was pessimistic in its view of future compliance. At the time of the case some of the early indications of poor Euro6 on the road performance were referenced. However, now there is evidence coming through that actually current Euro6 under the new Real Driving Emissions protocol is rather good.

Can imagine lawyers anticipating a huge uptick in business as masses of irate dog owners sue whomever for blinding their dogs with lasers.

Can imagine lawyers anticipating a huge uptick in business as masses of irate dog owners sue whomever for blinding their dogs with lasers.

Apr 23, 2017 at 5:54 PM | Supertroll

Some dog owners may sue for loss of stud fees and associated undercarriage damage, if the lasers are mounted at exhaust pipe level on lamp posts. I expect some of the dogs won't be too happy about it.

stewgreen
That's an interesting link from the BBC. As far as I'm aware it's always been the case that people dry their washing indoors for most of the year, certainly in the 20th century. Perhaps modern, less drafty, homes make the problem worse. Also I think there is an increase in the number of homes with dehumdifiers (i knew someone who shut drying washing in his kitchen with a dehumidifier overnight), utility rooms, tumble-driers in garages and condensing tumble-driers so I find I'm a bit sceptical about it being a modern problem.

SandyS & stewgreen, many houses with "damp" problems do not have a problem with moisture coming into the property. It is moisture produced internally that can not get out, due to improved draught proofing, and more showers, kettles etc, but especially tumble driers used with venting.

Lots of bugs, bacteria, fungi etc etc thrive in warm moist environments creating just the right conditions to trigger breathing difficulties.

The financial pressure to conserve heat and energy, has reduced air-changes per hour within buildings. Are there any medical statistics on it? So much easier to blame it on diesel.

Apr 25, 2017 at 2:26 PM | golf charlie

oops, typo

..... kettles etc, but especially tumble driers used WITHOUT ADEQUATE venting.

As I've mentioned before the more than 1.2 billion lightning flashes around the world every year fix Nitrogen creating Nox compounds, I was looking into how the process works and if Nox from combustion actually fertilizes the soil and if it affects the pH of rain to any great extent. What I did find was that the amount of N/O compounds created by lightening isn't well defined, a figure is quoted but without much hard evidence.

This article from nearly 10 years ago comes up with an interesting view of the subject Although it does have all the usual stuff about Climate Change and positive feedback.

According to a new paper by Ott and Pickering in the Journal of Geophysical Research, each flash of lightning on average in the several mid-latitude and subtropical thunderstorms studied turned 7 kilograms (15.4 pounds) of nitrogen into chemically reactive NOx. "In other words, you could drive a new car across the United States more than 50 times and still produce less than half as much NOx as an average lightning flash," Ott estimated. The results were published July.

golf charlie
I was in Auchindrain township last week visiting the Land of My Father's fathers. What was clear was that damp was an ongoing issue, drying and keeping grain dry a particular problem in 18th and 19th century Argyll. By the looks of things it still is. So although I agree about damp and airtight modern houses I'm not sure it is a uniquely 20th/21st century problem.

It is like modern medicine, doctor gives you a drug to "cure" a health issue. The cure has side effects so he/she/they gives you another drug to "cure" the side effects, which has side effects and so on and so on. Washing at 30' saves energy but doesn't kill bugs so have a washing detergent that kills bugs which affects the environment more adversely that creating the energy for a hot wash. Tumble driers fill a home with moisture so have a dehumidifier. Madness

//
We’re All Victims Of The Great Green Swindle

Date: 26/04/17
Alice Thomson, The Times

A generation who thought they were doing the right thing by buying diesel and clean energy have been taken for a ride.

...
“It’s the diesel, all that nitrogen dioxide and those toxic pollutants,” he explained. “He’ll inhale the particles in the car even with the windows shut, when he’s playing football by a busy road and even from the trains at the station.”
...

http://www.thegwpf.com/were-all-victims-of-the-great-green-swindle/
//

Alice Thomson - in the event that you happen to read BH, please can I ask you why you accept this doctor's assertions at face value? Did he present any evidence to support his comments? And, if so, please can you share them with us?

Thank you.