Diane G. Echlin on tue 24 oct 00
Okay, maybe I just don't care if I live to be 89. Maybe I'm in an
obnoxious somewhat adolescent stage of my life where I am willing to
accept and sometimes ignore the dangers inherent in living on this grand
earth and still choose to really live. I've been reading this thread
about dioxins in clay and dioxins produced by the paper industry, and I
also read the posts regarding manganese hazards, barium, and all the
other nasties out there in the world. But frankly, I feel like we (and
I use an inclusive pronoun for lack of creativity on my part) are
succumbing to so much fear and so much panic, that it makes me want to
stamp my feet and scream.
YES, we should take reasonable precautions in handling clay and glaze
materials; YES we should attempt to choose a heathful lifestyle in
general; YES cancer and parkinsons and alzheimers are horrid diseases
that may be attributable to some of these toxins and maybe we need to
figure out how we can reduce the occurrance of them, but DANG! It seems
we are totally obsessed with trying to eradicate every hazard that comes
our way. And really, that just isn't possible. The Kharmic Bus might
run you over tomorrow regardless of the fact that you aren't using ball
clay anymore and you vent your kiln well. Meanwhile we stand on the
sidewalk wringing our hands. I just can't stand it anymore!
While I realize that we as a society, even a global society, need to be
proactive in our approach to personal safety and the safety of those who
use our wares, there comes a point at which we have to let the chips
fall where they may. And to cover my butt, I do not mean that we should
be selling lead-glazed orange juice pitchers, but to be concerned that
dioxins may be leaching from ceramic mugs seems to be going overboard.
We are going to worry ourselves into regulatory hell.
Live. Just live, and be good to others. This obsession with making the
world warm and cushy and totally safe frightens me.
Diane "hope I die before I get old" in CT
PS: I respect the hell out those who have provided so much information
on these subjects, and I also admire those who are willing to radically
change their ways to avoid dioxins in clay. I guess I'm just not
that....strong?....
ferenc jakab on wed 25 oct 00
> Okay, maybe I just don't care if I live to be 89. Maybe I'm in an
> obnoxious somewhat adolescent stage of my life where I am willing to
Diane,
I'm old enough to have more than once attended relatives and friends on
their Death beds screaming in pain, suffering from avoidable diseases,
especially those related to smoking and industrial diseases such as
Mesothelioma (Spelling?).
I'm only 51 and this has been happening since I was 40.
Feri
Diane G. Echlin on thu 26 oct 00
Feri,
I am in no way belittling the suffering of those who contract diseases because of
workplace hazards, nor did I intend to dismiss the pain felt by those who have lost
loved ones in this way. My point was (and I guess it was less than clear) that it
seems a little reactionary to panic when we don't have all the information to make
a reasoned decision.
My apologies to you. No offense was intended.
Diane in CT
ferenc jakab wrote:
> Diane,
> I'm old enough to have more than once attended relatives and friends on
> their Death beds screaming in pain, suffering from avoidable diseases,
> especially those related to smoking and industrial diseases such as
> Mesothelioma (Spelling?).
Cyn Blamire on thu 26 oct 00
I know at least a handful of people whose health has been compromised due to
avoidable hazards in the environment. Most of them had, unfortunately, been
warned about the risks too late to take precautions. I don't think a person
needs to panic or swear off clay forever, but knowledge is power. The power
to take care of your health so you can continue to lead a productive life.
It's really sad, one of these people is a woman in her forties and her lungs
are permanently damaged from mixing printmaking chemicals in an improperly
ventilated area. When she gets a cold, she'll be sick for months as it
usually turns into pneumonia. This is not to scare, but to urge people to
take some simple precautions because no one deserves this.
Cyn
ferenc jakab on fri 27 oct 00
> My apologies to you. No offense was intended.
> Diane in CT
Diane,
No apology was needed, I was trying to make the point,and apparently failed,
that too many of us will "fail to panic" and avoid those things which are
slow to kill us. One day twenty, thirty years later (and now 40 or 50
doesn't seem so old) we wake up realising we are dying in agony from
something we could have avoided. That we shall never enjoy our newly born
grandchild or make love to our partner.
We know dioxin is in those ball clays, we know dioxin kills. The only
prudent choice is to avoid it, just like the only prudent choice is not to
smoke etc. At what point is it acceptable to panic? When the doctor puts on
his professional long face and pronounces "I'm sorry but the biopsy is
malignant!" At the point where those horrendous "if onlys" start going
through your mind?
I apologise Diane. I know this is heavy stuff. We can never be too careful.
If you aren't, the life you get on with may be a very short one
Feri.
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