It always amazes me.

Methane, CH4 somehow throws off NO2 when it burns. Ask a chemist. Burn CH4 in O2 and get CO2 and 2 H2O.
So what is going on here. Is the N2 present in the atmosphere somehow burning at the same time with O2 and we consume 1 N2 and 2 O2 and get 2 NO2? If so why doesn't this reaction spread and consume the entire atmosphere?

Just where is this nitrogen coming from? Is there some nitrogen contaminant in the natural gas that could be filtered out?

Then the real question is if there is that much more NO2, what the heck about the CO2 level? Is it dangerously high too?

And what about incomplete combustion. NO and CO? What are their levels?

So what about wood or coal stoves?

Is this just a study being pushed by the electric industry?

Methane, CH4 somehow throws off NO2 when it burns. Ask a chemist. Burn CH4 in O2 and get CO2 and 2 H2O.

There's some "interesting" chemistry involved, but the short form is that the Nitrogen in the air can burn and produce various NOx compounds, most of which are short lived ( a few seconds), but NO2 is fairly stable and can persist for long time until it encounters another flame, whereupon it will decompose to N2, N3 (oh boy, that's a fun one), and O2.

---

Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

At last:


Colombia passes ambitious ‘junk food law’ to tackle lifestyle diseases
wrote:

The Latin American country is one of the first in the world to introduce a health tax targeting ultra-processed foods

A new law in Colombia making it one of the first countries in the world to explicitly tax ultra-processed food has been hailed by campaigners and health experts who say it could set an example for other countries.

After years of campaigning, the “junk food law” came into force this month and a levy will be introduced gradually...

... “Countries around the world have been implementing health taxes, for example by taxing tobacco or sugary drinks, but few have extended them to [ultra-]processed foods,” ... “Colombia’s model is more expansive than what we have seen before and could serve as an example to other countries.”...

... “Ultimately, the objective of industrialised food production is not nutrition but making money,” said Champagne. “It means that producers don’t care if consumers eat food that will make them ill or make them die.”

Slowly, oh so slowly.

Stay healthy folks!
Martin

---

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The problem I see is who defines where the line is between processed and ultra-processed is?

Many 'normal' foods are processed;
breakfast cereals
cheese
tinned vegetables
bread
savoury snacks, such as crisps, sausage rolls, pies and pasties
meat products, such as bacon, sausage, ham, salami and paté
microwave meals or ready meals
cakes and biscuits
drinks, such as milk or soft drinks.

Would any of the above, or parts of the above, be put into the ultra-processed group.

Another area where I can see it being a bonanza for lawyers arguing the case for and against.

All very toxic... And we are eating and drinking the stuff:


A cocktail of toxins is poisoning our fields. Its effect on humans? Nobody can tell us
wrote:

It’s an experiment with 8 billion test subjects, no controls and no endpoint...

... In 2017, the Environment Agency produced a startling report on the contamination of the sewage sludge being sold or given to farmers as fertiliser by water companies. It revealed that there has been a radical change in the disposal of many industrial wastes. Instead of taking their liquid waste to dedicated disposal facilities, chemical and cosmetics manufacturers now pay water companies for the right to dump their loads into sewage treatment works.

In other words, two completely different waste streams – human excrement and industrial effluent – are being deliberately and irremediably mixed...

... When this chemical shitstorm hits the sewage system, it’s either pumped directly into rivers through illegal discharges by the water companies or held back as sewage sludge, now a toxic and highly complex mess.

What then happens to it? Well, the next steps are as clear as sewage...

... A proliferation of “waste brokers, contractors and subcontractors” ensures that the tracking of waste from source to sink is almost impossible. Transfer and consignment notes fail to list the industrial effluents the sludge contains or to explain where it is going. It is often “miscoded”, creating a false impression that it’s safe.

But from what the agency can tell, “much of the mixed sludge was destined for farmland” ... The manufacturers get cheap disposal for hazardous waste, the water companies get paid for accepting it, and farmers get cheap or free manure. But they are not informed about the added extras...

... And then we eat it all up.

What could possibly go wrong?...


There is a fund being set up to push a legal case against our government.

Stay healthy?
Martin

---

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All part of the usual greedy games?...


Big Pharma fought drug pricing reform with record $7.5M dark money donation
wrote:

Dark money group American Action Network spend millions opposing drug pricing reforms

In August, the Department of Health and Human Services announced 10 drugs selected for the first round of Medicare price negotiations—a landmark effort established by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act to try to drag down the country's uniquely astronomical prescription drug prices.

Pharmaceutical companies publicly balked—and also sued—then eventually came to the table. But it was far from their first protest of the Democrat-led effort to reform drug pricing in the US, which pays far more for prescription drugs than other high-income countries.

In 2022, the pharmaceutical industry's top lobbying group, PhRMA, gave a record $7.5 million to the GOP-linked dark money group, American Action Network (AAN), which spent millions on advertising that year opposing drug pricing reforms...

All for overly greedy profit?...

At what cost to a caring society?

At what cost to people??...


Stay healthy folks!
Martin

---

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How is this coming to pass?...


New Zealand smoking ban: Health experts criticise new government's shock reversal
wrote:

New Zealand's new government says it plans to scrap the nation's world-leading smoking ban to fund tax cuts.

The legislation, introduced under the previous Jacinda Ardern-led government, would have banned cigarette sales next year to anyone born after 2008.

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths in New Zealand, and the policy had aimed to stop young generations from picking up the habit.

Health experts have strongly criticised the sudden reversal. "We are appalled and disgusted..."...

... While it has been praised as a public health policy, the Smokefree measures drew opposition from some business groups in New Zealand. Owners of newsagents and corner shops criticised the loss of revenue - even with government subsidies...

... Public health modelling conducted in 2022 had shown the Smokefree policy would have saved New Zealand's health system about NZ$1.3bn (£630m; $790m) over the next 20 years...

... More than 80,000 adults have quit in the past year, its national data shows. Currently, about 8% of its adult population smokes.

Deadly greedy profits?...

Stay healthy folks!
Martin

---

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Overly greedy profits...

{Retail} boss hits out at parent ‘exploitation’ in baby milk market
wrote:

... The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on Wednesday revealed manufacturers had increased prices by more than their costs during the inflation crisis, fattening profit margins and imposing an average 25% increase on shoppers in two years. It warned competition could be hampered because the market is dominated by two companies, Danone and Nestlé, which between them account for 85% of sales.

... “This is exploitation. We need this to stop immediately...

Greedy profits and no-morals Marketing with consequences...

All in an overly greedy world...
Martin

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Why import such stuff when we make enough of our own c**p junk food & sweets?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-67642389

---

Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

How to move your movements to being not slimed:


Should I worry about my gut microbiome?
wrote:

... Until fairly recently, the idea of listening to your gut was mostly metaphorical. The heart, lungs and liver are important to keep in good shape. But the stomach, intestines and colon? Surely they just keep chugging along, processing whatever you put into them, occasionally objecting, but basically doing their job.

Well, not quite. Over the last five years or so, evidence has been piling up that the huge community of microorganisms – bacteria, viruses and fungi – that live in the gut affect everything from the immune system to mental health. We have learned that there are roughly 500m neurons in the human gut...

... “Having a healthy gut is part of being a healthy human on quite a number of levels,”...

... So how do you give your gut the best chance of keeping you in shape?...

Enjoy good food and good health!

Enjoy!!
Martin

---

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Why does sugar-free gum and candy give people bad gas?

You might want to think twice before putting a stick of sugar-free gum into your mouth.

Researchers say it can negatively impact your gut health — including giving you more gas. Researchers from the University of California-Davis are revealing how changes in the gut microbiome can lead to difficulties in digesting sorbitol, a sugar alcohol commonly found in sugar-free gum, candies, and naturally in fruits like apples and avocados

...

“Our research suggests that microbial sorbitol degradation normally protects the host against sorbitol intolerance. However, an impairment in the microbial ability to break down sorbitol causes sorbitol intolerance,” says study first author Jee-Yon Lee, an assistant project scientist in the UC Davis Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, in a media release.

Key Findings:

• Sugar-free candy and gum can give some people more gas.
  
  
• Scientists say the problem stems from issues digesting sorbitol.
  
  
• The drug mesalazine may help treat sorbitol intolerance.
  

How has this come to pass and become "normalized"?...


A chemical linked to fertility problems in animals has been found in oats in the US. Should we be worried?
wrote:

A study shows that chlormequat is in your oatmeal...

... 80% of Americans are regularly exposed to the chemical chlormequat, which is linked to fertility and developmental issues in lab animals.

The chemical is used to control growth in grain crops such as oats, wheat and barley in order to make them easier to harvest.

Here’s what you need to know about the findings...

... Many Americans are regularly exposed to harmful agricultural chemicals. Last November, Georgetown University published a paper analyzing the link between five decades of pesticide exposure and declining sperm health. A recent study by the Indiana University School of Medicine revealed a significant increase in the presence of the herbicide dicamba in pregnant people in Indiana: 70% tested positive between 2020 and 2022, a sharp rise from the 28% recorded in a similar study from 2010 to 2012. Dicamba is associated with certain cancers.

Last year, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that high levels of the herbicide glyphosate, commonly known by its original brand name “RoundUp”, in human urine was linked to oxidative stress, a condition that causes damage to DNA; the chemical is also associated with metabolic disorders and liver inflammation. Glyphosate has also been found in oat products.

How do I avoid ingesting chlormequat?

Does this mean you should nix your morning bowl of oatmeal? Not necessarily. The EWG, which is a non-profit but receives private sector support from some organic food companies, suggests consumers concerned about exposure to chlormequat and other pesticides may want to buy oat-based cereals and products made with organic ingredients, as certified organic oats are grown without synthetic pesticides...

Eat healthy folks!
Martin

---

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Aren't there populations still growing too quickly somewhere in developing countries? Now that science has discovered...

Stay clean and clear of all that non-stick silliness?...


... diet link to PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ in human body
wrote:

... identified a range of foods to be among the drivers of high PFAS levels, including teas, pork, candy, sports drinks, processed meat, butter, chips and bottled water. The research also pointed to higher PFAS blood levels among those who consumed more carryout or food prepared at restaurants...

... PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of about 15,000 chemicals often used to make products resistant to water, stains and heat. They are called “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down, and they are linked to cancer, liver problems, thyroid issues, birth defects, kidney disease, decreased immunity and other serious health problems.

Although exposure via water has drawn the most regulatory attention, there is scientific consensus that contaminated food largely represents the biggest threat to human health...

Stay healthy folks?
Martin

---

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Bread: A simple staple?


Britain’s bitter bread battle: what a £5 sourdough loaf tells us about health, wealth and class
wrote:

... Others lambast cheap sliced white as unhealthy and unsustainable. How did our most basic foodstuff become a source of conflict and division?

The cheapest loaf in my nearest supermarket costs 45p. The cheapest loaf in my local artisanal bakery costs £5. Which of these facts winds you up?...

... ultra-processing enables supermarkets to sell bread so cheaply...

... how can something that requires only four ingredients – flour, water, yeast and salt – diverge so wildly on price?...

... Technology has since relegated white sliced to the cheapest option ... “After being told for centuries that white bread was too good for the likes of them, it isn’t surprising that easy-to-eat, comforting white bread is what people wanted,”...

... What went so wrong? Let’s start with the flour...

... The manufacturer is not required legally to list the various “processing aids”, usually enzymes, used mainly to increase volume and prolong softness. “Industrial bread is the poster child of ultra-processed food,” says the Real Bread Campaign’s Young. “It’s made using a whole cocktail of additives.” The world’s largest review into ultra-processed food found last month that it is “directly linked to 32 harmful effects to health, including a higher risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, adverse mental health and early death”...

... “the ultra-processing is just one aspect of it. Even if you don’t care about that, according to UK dietary guidance, this bread is high in salt and sugar … At 278 calories per 100g, it has a higher calorie density than a Big Mac. It is also incredibly soft.”

Softness gives bread the illusion of freshness and makes us eat more of it...

... Maybe we can all agree that 45p is no bargain for an ultra-processed product and that £5 for a sourdough loaf prices out most people. “We need a grassroots revolution,”...

All too slimy soft?...

Eat well and healthy!

Enjoy!!
Martin

---

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Bread: A simple staple?


Britain’s bitter bread battle: what a £5 sourdough loaf tells us about health, wealth and class
wrote:

... Others lambast cheap sliced white as unhealthy and unsustainable. How did our most basic foodstuff become a source of conflict and division?

The cheapest loaf in my nearest supermarket costs 45p. The cheapest loaf in my local artisanal bakery costs £5. Which of these facts winds you up?...

... ultra-processing enables supermarkets to sell bread so cheaply...

... how can something that requires only four ingredients – flour, water, yeast and salt – diverge so wildly on price?...

... Technology has since relegated white sliced to the cheapest option ... “After being told for centuries that white bread was too good for the likes of them, it isn’t surprising that easy-to-eat, comforting white bread is what people wanted,”...

... What went so wrong? Let’s start with the flour...

... The manufacturer is not required legally to list the various “processing aids”, usually enzymes, used mainly to increase volume and prolong softness. “Industrial bread is the poster child of ultra-processed food,” says the Real Bread Campaign’s Young. “It’s made using a whole cocktail of additives.” The world’s largest review into ultra-processed food found last month that it is “directly linked to 32 harmful effects to health, including a higher risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, adverse mental health and early death”...

... “the ultra-processing is just one aspect of it. Even if you don’t care about that, according to UK dietary guidance, this bread is high in salt and sugar … At 278 calories per 100g, it has a higher calorie density than a Big Mac. It is also incredibly soft.”

Softness gives bread the illusion of freshness and makes us eat more of it...

... Maybe we can all agree that 45p is no bargain for an ultra-processed product and that £5 for a sourdough loaf prices out most people. “We need a grassroots revolution,”...

All too slimy soft?...

Eat well and healthy!

Enjoy!!
Martin

Perhaps on your side of the pond they don't disclose https://www.730sagestreet.com/wonder-bread-ingredients/

One success that is far less slimy...


{UK} Vertical farms keep growing as foreign rivals shrivel?
wrote:

British producers hope to export technology despite challenges over funding and high energy prices...

... moved firmly past the pilot phase to become a significant supermarket supplier. It supplies 30% of the UK’s cut basil, and can produce 550 tonnes of fresh greens a year...

... without pesticides, and requiring 94% less water...

... “Pesticides, chlorine washing and travelling hundreds of miles all degrade the quality of the leaves,” she says. “We see vertical farming as part of the future of food. What we need is a resilient and robust food system. To create that, we need to be growing the right food in the right place, using the right technology.”...

Here's hoping the (not-so-super) Supermarkets business practices don't poison yet another healthier food source.


Eat well!
Martin

---

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Decades of toxic heaped upon toxic is set to continue for 'a while' yet:


US appeals court kills ban on plastic containers contaminated with PFAS
wrote:

Conservative fifth circuit overturns EPA’s ban prohibiting Inhance from using manufacturing process creating toxic compound

A federal appeals court in the US has killed a ban on plastic containers contaminated with highly toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” found to leach at alarming levels into food, cosmetics, household cleaners, pesticides and other products across the economy.

Houston-based Inhance manufactures an estimated 200m containers annually with a process that creates, among other chemicals, PFOA, a toxic PFAS compound. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in December prohibited Inhance from using the manufacturing process.

But the conservative fifth circuit court of appeals court overturned the ban. The judges did not deny the containers’ health risks, but said the EPA could not regulate ... under the statute it used...

... known as “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down, and they have been linked to cancer, high cholesterol, liver disease, kidney disease, fetal complications and other serious health problems.

The EPA said in a statement to the Guardian that it was reviewing the decision...

... The decision is the latest salvo in a four-year legal fight over the company’s manufacturing process. Inhance treats containers with fluorinated gas to create a barrier that helps keep products from degrading. A peer-reviewed study in 2011 found Inhance’s containers leached the toxic compounds into their contents...

... Since 2020, Inhance appears to have repeatedly lied to regulators and customers about whether PFAS leached from its containers, and for several years resisted EPA’s demands to submit its process for review...

... the EPA and other companies have found alternatives to treating containers with PFAS...

All too deadly greedy?

Stay safely healthy folks!
Martin

---

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Very deadly costly sliming:


EPA’s PFAS rules: We’d prefer zero, but we’ll accept 4 parts per trillion
wrote:

Today, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it has finalized rules for handling water supplies that are contaminated by a large family of chemicals collectively termed PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances). Commonly called "forever chemicals," these contaminants have been linked to a huge range of health issues, including cancers, heart disease, immune dysfunction, and developmental disorders.

The final rules keep one striking aspect of the initial proposal intact: a goal of completely eliminating exposure to two members of the PFAS family. The new rules require all drinking water suppliers to monitor for the chemicals' presence, and the EPA estimates that as many as 10 percent of them may need to take action to remove them. While that will be costly, the health benefits are expected to exceed those costs...

Ouch?! ... Very nasty stuff...

How did we let that loose...?


Stay healthy folks...
Martin

---

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How did we let that loose...?

It worked. Ignorance of long term effects. Like the Roman era lead pipe. Or coal fired industrial plants.

Or should I say the usual way. Good enough for government work.