Michael Foster wrote:
There are serious toxic substances about that need highly watchful regulation. But you can't do a good job of it if you try to act as if everything is dangerous. Case in point, if you buy sodium chloride from a chemical company, it comes with an MSDS sheet, ditto SiO2.
That's true, of course. On the other hand, most accidents are caused by ordinary non-dangerous stuff that is been misused by stupid people. Eating too much salt kills millions of people from high blood pressure. A package of plain salt says, "this salt does not supply iodide, necessary nutrient." That is vital information for people living in geographical areas without a natural iodide in the drinking water. An electrician friend of mine says that OSHA rules are common sense written down. Anyone who does not know them has no business using a screwdriver. Yet thousands of people do not know them, do not follow them, and end up killing or seriously injuring themselves every year. I used to work at a factory where I filled out the health claim and accident report forms. It was the same small group of idiots who hurt themselves every month by climbing a ladder set on a packing crate balanced on sawhorses.
If vast government agencies and industrial enterprises have to waste time and resources telling us that salt and sand are dangerous, there's precious little left to address real problems.
I expect sand kills more people than most industrial raw materials, because it is so widely used. It is ground up by many machines and sanders, which causes silicosis. In Japan, where they use more concrete every year than the US does (!!!) accidents with sand are common. People get buried, suffocated, and so on. They handle large amounts using substandard equipment and sloppy procedures that would turn your hair gray. I knew a fellow who was loading sand and he managed to drive the bulldozer backward off a cliff. A big cliff, maybe 50 meters tall, straight into the ocean. He survived! I have seen factories in Japan and China that would give any U.S. or European inspector fits. It makes you appreciate our high standards. Read the history of the Tokaimura nuclear accident. A friend of mine in Japan who has connections to the nuclear industry says he gets the feeling the place was staffed by ex-cons and high school dropouts.
- Jed
