Denys:-

"  Why else do you have farces like Kyoto, DDT, CFCs and asbestos bans, and
other such things that impact our lives but have no scientific basis?"

This is a pretty wide ranging condemnation of some stuff that has been
around for a long time - DDT bans are very old now, and Asbestos problems
have been well known for over 20 years, particularly down here in Oz where
we used to mine it. Check out James Hardy Industries and Asbestos
compensation suits in US lately.  Who can you point us at that can credibly
rebutt the link between asbestos and mesothelioma please?

jp

-------------------

I do not necessarily agree with Denys that these are farces, as a legitimate
scientific case can be made they are harmful, but there is a lot of politics
involved in all of these issues, to the point where a legitimate case can
also be made for them to be infected with politics to the point where they
are farses.

Kyoto is based upon the controversial idea that CO2 is responsible for the
global warming we have experienced over the last century or so.  The
operative
word here is 'controversial'.

DDT is harmful, but about a million people or so die from malaria every year
and DDT, in reasonable quantities can control the mosquito population and
put
a big dent in this figure, which is bigger every year, than the number of
people who died in the tsunami catastrophe.

As far as asbestos, I understand there is a method for dealing with it in
old buildings involving just painting over it instead of the expensive
way of removing it.  I will have to admit I have nto followed it closely
enough to know if the paint method has been accepted, rejected or ignored.

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