It's hard to expect anything else in mass wage slave economy, it's hard to expect a person who've invested 15+ years into a career to follow his consciousness not corporate profits/funding sources, but bioscientists doing brain prostitution piss me off especially. First, they mess with the things they don't fully understand and cannot control, the things that may end lives of many species. Second, bio scientists working for big agrobiz must not only lack great chunk of consciousness, compassion, respect for life, etc., etc., they plainly LIE. I've been to all kinds of animal operations, they reek, some more some less, if you can't smell that at 300 feet there is something wrong with you nose. Besides, yell of pigs being bitten to death would keep you well awake at 300 feet even if your nose is blocked. And it's not only about smell, it's about dried shit blown by wind straight into your lungs, it may not smell but it will do things to ya. You even may smell pig farm in your well water, in streams, small rivers. Most Iowan farmers don't risk drinking well water and so on. Brain prostitutes. ------------------------------------------------------------ Hog Farms Not a Factor to Nearby Residences' Air Quality Study found proximity to hog farms does not affect air quality as much as the activities that take place inside the residences. Compiled by staff Published: Apr 6, 2006 An Iowa State University study has found that proximity to hog farms does not affect air quality inside neighboring residences as much as the activities that take place inside the residences. The 16-month study of air quality surrounding hog farms was conducted by ISU's Department of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering and measured concentrations of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide on farms and neighboring residences. The study, conducted in 2004 and 2005, also reveals that meteorological factors such as wind speed and solar radiation affect the concentration of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia more than the size of the operation or the type of manure storage used on the farm. The study shows that an increase in the concentration of hydrogen sulfide measured on the farm does not show a similar increase in concentration inside nearby residences unless residences are located less than .4 mile (2,149 feet) from the farm and climate conditions are such that low wind speed and little solar radiation are present. Even under these conditions, hydrogen sulfide concentrations inside a residence located less than 300 feet from the largest operation in the study were recorded at levels more than 50 percent lower than the level currently set by the state of Iowa as one with potential health effects. The study revealed that ammonia concentrations inside residences tend to be more concentrated than ammonia levels in the air outside the residence or at hog farm's property line. The study's authors says evidence suggests that ammonia levels may be related more to inhabitants' lifestyles, including smoking cigarettes and having indoor pets, than to the residence's proximity to a hog farm. These results support a previous study conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services in Missouri in 2003.
Since they were university researchers, it's more likely that they were hoping to find dangerous increases in NH3 and H2S and were disappointed when they didn't. Also, just take the data for what it is. These researchers weren't trying to reach a conclusion on whether or not hog farms or bad for the environment or people's quality of life - they were simply measuring hog farm's impact on H2S and NH3 levels. I don't see any evidence that they're "prostituting" themselves.
There's a contradiction here. You wouldn't have found out about any detrimental effects from hog farming if it weren't for scientists.
Not true. I grew up around hog farms, I don't need any freaking scientists to know about "detrimental effects" of pig shit. It's not rocket science, really.
Indeed. I go to a land grant university, every time spring comes around the cow shit thaws and it smells EVERYWHERE on campus.
Ah for the good ole days of fresh farm air. Be it pig, cow, chicken or horse. We had 1,400 head of leghorn chickens and sold eggs to the hatchery. They weren't outside where the breeze could dilute their very fragerant excriment but in enclosed buildings where the ammonia could really concentrate. It actually burned your eyes while inside. Perhaps you should become a vegitarian and give up on meat and milk products.
Well, no one would disagree with you about that, but I am guessing you are part of the problem too, unless you don't consume ANYTHING, which is almost impossible if you live anywhere in the West. As long as there is consumer demand, there will be brain prostitutes.
That's why capitalism is such a plague; it becomes a numbers game, and there are always plenty of new consumers being born and brainwashed everyday. [theoretical/technical digression: everyone "brainwashes" everyone with every interaction, with their ideas. So by 'brainwashing' I speak specifically of the type where the person manipulating the other one(s) is doing so in a consciously negative way] Solution: Fight marketing with (guerilla) marketing. i.e. don't be a passive critic. But be careful; you watch some documentaries (e.g. Food, Inc.) and you realize how incredibly cruel/desperate/aggressive (some) corporations are to keep their horrific practices undercover.
