Insidious As Air

(www.pinterest.com)

Introduction

The United Nations Secretary General & his team have done an admirable job not to let a landmark achievement like the Paris Agreement get forgotten & consequently consigned to some dusty basement in New York. Despite the troubling rumors that some Member States are seriously considering back-tracking in their commitments, the public spotlight on the destructive effects of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) has not been allowed to wane. But Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Nitrous Oxide (N2O), Ozone (O3) & Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are not the only 5 kinds of gases that could prove extremely detrimental to the welfare of the human race. There are 5 others that could prove as harmful in a far more fast-acting manner - & consequently need to be monitored with as much efficiency (courtesy Wikipedia):

Carbon Monoxide (CO): Colorless, Odorless & Tasteless

Carbon monoxide poisoning is the most common type of fatal air poisoning in many countries. Carbon monoxide is highly toxic. It combines with hemoglobin to produce carboxyhemoglobin, which usurps the space in hemoglobin that normally carries oxygen, but is ineffective for delivering oxygen to bodily tissues. Concentrations as low as 667 ppm may cause up to 50% of the body's hemoglobin to convert to carboxyhemoglobin. A level of 50% carboxyhemoglobin may result in seizure, coma & fatality. The most common symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning may resemble other types of poisonings & infections, including symptoms such as headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fatigue & a feeling of weakness. Affected families often believe they are victims of food poisoning. Infants may be irritable & feed poorly. Neurological signs include confusion, disorientation, visual disturbance, syncope (fainting) & seizures. Some descriptions of carbon monoxide poisoning include retinal hemorrhages, & an abnormal cherry-red blood hue. Exposures to carbon monoxide may cause significant damage to the heart & central nervous system, especially to the globus pallidus, often with long-term chronic pathological conditions. Carbon monoxide may have severe adverse effects on the fetus of a pregnant woman.

Diazomethane (CH2N2): Yellow & Musty

Diazomethane is toxic by inhalation or by contact with the skin or eyes. Symptoms include chest discomfort, headache, weakness &, in severe cases, collapse. Symptoms may be delayed. Deaths from diazomethane poisoning have been reported. In one instance a laboratory worker consumed a hamburger near a fumehood where he was generating a large quantity of diazomethane, & died four days later from fulminating pneumonia. Like any other alkylating agent it is expected to be carcinogenic, but such concerns are overshadowed by its serious acute toxicity.

Nickel Tetracarbonyl (Ni[CO]4): Sooty & Musty - Like Brick Dust

The hazards of nickel carbonyl are far greater than that implied by its CO content, reflecting the effects of the nickel if released in the body. Nickel carbonyl may be fatal if absorbed through the skin or more likely, inhaled due to its high volatility. Nickel carbonyl poisoning is characterized by a two-stage illness. The first consists of headaches & chest pain lasting a few hours, usually followed by a short remission. The second phase is a chemical pneumonitis which starts after typically 16 hours with symptoms of cough, breathlessness & extreme fatigue. These reach greatest severity after four days, possibly resulting in death from cardiorespiratory or renal failure. Convalescence is often extremely protracted, often complicated by exhaustion, depression & dyspnea on exertion.

Phosgene (COCl2): Freshly-Cut Grass Or Hay Scent

Phosgene is an insidious poison as the odor may not be noticed & symptoms may be slow to appear. Its high toxicity arises from the action of the phosgene on the proteins in the pulmonary alveoli, the site of gas exchange: their damage disrupts the blood-air barrier, causing suffocation. It reacts with the amines of the proteins, causing crosslinking by formation of urea-like linkages.

Tetraethyl Pyrophosphate (C8H20O7P2): Mildly Fruity Scent

Tetraethyl pyrophosphate (TEPP) can cause death within hours or even minutes, but also can be delayed for several days. When it is given in small doses, humans could survive a total dose of 40 mg/kg. Frequent early symptoms of TEPP poisoning are dizziness, headache, weakness, muscle twitching, tremor, abdominal cramps, nausea, diarrhea & sweating & can develop within 4-12 hours of the contact. Blurred or dark vision, tightness in the chest, confusion, wheezing & productive coughing may occur. Slowing of the heartbeat rarely progresses to complete sinus arrest, but the respiratory depression can be fatal. Severe poisoning could be indicated by incontinence, unconsciousness & convulsions.

"The Work An Unknown Good Man Has Done Is Like A Vein Of Water Flowing Hidden Underground, Secretly Making The Ground Green." - Thomas Carlyle

The Gardener Of Multan

A few days ago, there was an announcement that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) had become the first province in Pakistan to have officially designed & submitted a plan to fulfil its obligations in accordance with the Paris Agreement. That, along with the intense heat wave in the country that seems to wax & wane as suddenly as a rip tide, got me thinking about how essential greenery is to human life & comfort.

But everybody knows that the Johnny Appleseed approach only looks good on paper. Greenery isn't simply about picking a random seed & burying it in the nearest patch of soft earth. Plants & trees need to be carefully selected & then even more carefully nurtured by skilled & experienced professionals. Doing otherwise generally results in the Islamabad Paper Mulberry Blunder.

Whenever the subject of greenery comes up, I am always reminded of a gardener who looked after the lawns & gardens in one of the Army units in Multan. It was a while ago, when my father was serving in the Army & was posted there, so (sadly) I don't remember his name. But the professional quality of his work was nothing short of outstanding! He turned an ugly, barren patch of mud into a horticultural wonder, complete with fruit trees, lush grass & some of the most beautiful & fragrant flowers I have ever been fortunate enough to experience (yes, experience; nature in its purest form is not just seen or heard or smelt, but experienced). The funds allocated for trained workers & quality supplies were limited (to say the least), but...there are no words to describe the joy that his work inspired in the heart of anyone who truly saw the beauty he had striven night & day to bring about, in an otherwise essentially crude & harsh environment. I hope with all my heart that he was rewarded with the monetary compensation & professional recognition that his work merited - in a timely manner - & that he got to experience the joy that he gave the many people who admired the fruits (& flowers) of his labor.

His work brought an additional advantage (aside from keeping the weather in the surrounding area several degrees cooler than other parts of the city): If & when a freak sandstorm or a swarm of locusts from parts unknown decided to sweep into town, every green thing in the city was a mess...except for his gardens. Without even being aware of it, that gardener was at the forefront of combating the negative effects of climate change.

But, the most important point is that if, after familiarizing himself with all the peculiarities of the climate, soil & water of Multan, that gentleman had suddenly been told to go off to, say, Quetta, would the value of his expertise have been recognizable or usable? Probably not. Because gardening, like any other profession has areas of specialization that depend on 3 main factors: climate zones (3), soil types (3) & water qualities (2); in effect, there are approximately 20 different "branches" of gardening specialization; which means that the first & most effective application of the mission outlined in the Paris Agreement is for all UN member states to employ professional gardeners (at least the government-employed ones) in the places they know best - in other words, their home towns. Given below, is a break-down of the most important points in the fields of climate, soil & water (courtesy Wikipedia):

Climate Zones

Earth has 3 main climate zones: Tropical, Temperate & Polar.

A TROPICAL CLIMATE is a climate typically found within the tropics, while a few locations outside the Tropics are considered to have a tropical climate. In the Koppen climate classification it is a non-arid climate in which all twelve months have mean temperatures of at least 18*C (64*F). Unlike the subtropics, where there are significant variations in day length & temperature to various degrees, with season, tropical temperature remains relatively constant throughout the year & seasonal variations are dominated by precipitation.

In geography, TEMPERATE OR TEPID LATITUDES of Earth lie between the tropics & the polar regions. The temperatures in these regions are generally relatively moderate, rather than extremely hot or cold, & the changes between summer & winter are also usually moderate. However, in certain areas, such as Asia & central North America, the variations between summer & winter can be extreme because these areas are far away from the sea, causing them to have a continental climate. In regions traditionally considered tropical, localities at high altitudes (e.g. parts of the Andes) may have a temperate climate.

The POLAR CLIMATE regions are characterized by a lack of warm summers. Every month in a polar climate has an average temperature of less than 10*C (50*F). Regions with polar climate cover more than 20% of the Earth. The sun shines for long hours in the summer, & for many fewer hours in the winter. A polar climate results in treeless tundra, glaciers, or a permanent or semi-permanent layer of ice. It has cool summers & very cold winters.

Soil Types

All soils are composed of a mixture of clay, silt & sand.

CLAY minerals are hydrous aluminum phyllosilicates, sometimes with variable amounts of iron, magnesium, alkali metals, alkaline earths, & other cations found on or near some planetary surfaces. Clay minerals form in the presence of water & have been important to life, & many theories of abiogenesis involve them. They have been useful to humans since ancient times in agriculture & manufacturing.

SILT is granular material of a size somewhere between sand & clay, whose mineral origin is quartz & feldspar. Silt may occur as a soil or as sediment mixed in suspension with water (also known as a suspended load) in a body of water such as a river. It may also exist as soil deposited at the bottom of a water body. Silt has a moderate specific area with a typically non-sticky, plastic feel. Silt usually has a floury feel when dry, & a slippery feel when wet. Silt can be visually observed with a hand lens.

SAND is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock & mineral particles. It is defined by size, being finer than gravel & coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of soil or soil type; i.e. a soil containing more than 85% sand-sized particles (by mass). The composition of sand varies, depending on the local rock sources & conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings & non-tropical coastal settings is silica (silicon dioxide, or SiO2), usually in the form of quartz. The second most common type of sand is calcium carbonate, for example aragonite, which has mostly been created, over the past half billion years, by various forms of life, like coral & shellfish. It is, for example, the primary form of sand apparent in areas where reefs have dominated the ecosystem for millions of years like the Caribbean.

Water Qualities

There are 2 types of water: hard & soft.

HARD WATER is water that has high mineral content (in contrast with "soft water"). Hard water is formed when water percolates through deposits of limestone & chalk which are largely made up of calcium & magnesium carbonates.

SOFT WATER is surface water that contains low concentrations of ions & in particular is low in ions of calcium & magnesium. Soft water naturally occurs where rainfall & the drainage basin of rivers are formed of hard, impervious & calcium poor rocks.

Life Is A Series Of Trade-Offs

The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference: Heal The World

Precisely 1 week until the Paris Climate Summit. Financial professionals worldwide are watching with great interest what progress will be made at this landmark conference. Because, protecting the environment is a vital goal from every conceivable perspective, be it health, wealth or happiness. Especially since the idea of the prince escaping to another planet & leaving the pauper to burn in harmful radiation, choke on particulate matter & drown in acid rain, has been summarily debunked as impossible. The burning, choking & drowning is most certainly not going to discriminate between rich & poor. The human race is literally all in this together.

The only misconception that may compromise the proceedings, is that the participants mistake the Summit for a "family reunion" in which the main order of business consists of mutual promises of eternal friendship. On the contrary, it is a very complex negotiation process, involving at least a few interest groups who are secretly dead-set against the idea of even accepting that there is any threat to the climate in the first place.

The role of the United Nations is that of a mediator with an important purpose: It must identify the private sector parties who are genuinely invested in the environmental health of a given region. The mission is more complicated than it looks. For example, an agricultural landowner will be very concerned about local farm workers dying of pollution & radiation because his business model is labor intensive, as opposed to a highly-mechanized multinational agricultural company that can import whatever little labor it needs; similarly, a coastal fishing cooperative will be appalled at the idea of rising sea levels that could engulf their homes, versus an international sea food supplier that can change location. Brokering a result-oriented agreement won't be easy. So, on behalf of humanity, I sincerely wish UN Secretary General Ban & his associates success in this important endeavor.

Blinded By Bloodlust

Today is Day 1 of the Paris Climate Summit. Last week, there were several discussions in the local papers about how under-funded every Pakistani government department is except for the military/intelligence services (along with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Home Department, due to military interests in KP). Side-by-side, the local media was blue in the face about how the bureaucracy is neglecting its responsibilities, even though the military has actually made progress. While the nature of the "military progress" is debatable, the obvious answer is that the military is the most well-funded organization in Pakistan - so how can other departments be expected to function when almost penniless?

This brings to mind the leopards of Abbottabad, which are classified as an endangered species & consequently must not be indiscriminately killed. But every few weeks, there is a news item about a child getting mauled to death by a leopard that ambled out of the woods & made a meal of the poor thing. The victim's family tries to save the unfortunate minor; but what can they do against a predator blinded by bloodlust?

Pakistani forest rangers are never paid enough to risk their lives hunting leopards; therefore, logic dictates that the best thing would be to hire them for the administrative part of forest management, & arm local residents with tranquillizer guns to subdue wild animals whenever they wander too close to human settlements. Buying the guns & training the locals would be affordable if the multi-billion dollar contracts for lethal weapons from Raytheon & other defense contractors were trimmed. If not, it only means that the "triumphant capture" of a terrorism suspect came at the price of the extinction of an important member of Earth's ecosystem...or the agonizing death of an innocent child. Does that count as progress?

Adversity Is A Commodity

Day 2 of the Paris Climate Summit. The list of factors that are essential to living a normal life in which basic human rights are safeguarded, consists of the universal availability of the following 5 items: EFFECTIVE HEALTHCARE, POTABLE WATER, UNADULTERATED FOOD, ADEQUATE CLOTHING & STURDY SHELTER. All other issues, such as war or politics, are secondary to the fulfilment of these basic needs. Therefore, if there is a shortage of any of these items within the borders of any nation, the commercial approach would be to ask the suppliers of the relevant item what went wrong.

In the majority of cases, especially in mixed economies, the responsibility to sufficiently supply each basic necessity is divided between the government & the private sector. This state-of-affairs has spawned a very easy explanation for all supply mishaps: governmental corruption or bureaucratic red tape. In reality, even government production facilities are run (at least partly) by private contractors, who are usually representatives of the same firms that command the largest commercial market share in relevant sectors. So, all roads lead to the market.

Therefore, the logical way to tackle a shortage in any basic necessity is to start by demanding an explanation from the top 5 private sector suppliers of that item in that nation. If they can prove, without the shadow of doubt, that they have nothing to gain from the shortage, their expertise can be utilized to identify the culpable party or parties, both in terms of mens rea & actus reus.

Birds: Heralds Of Hope & Symbols Of Stability

Day 3 of the Paris Climate Summit. A few days ago, there was talk about how the sparrow & swift populations of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (Pakistan) are declining, due to 3 main triggers: sonic pollution, poisonous food seeds & excessive construction. Fewer sparrows & swifts means an imbalance of the ecosystem, which will lead to a spike in the populations of many different species of poisonous insects & crop pests. While such an outcome would definitely lead to a spike in demand for bug sprays & pesticides, the use of chemicals instead of natural predators has been scientifically proven to be detrimental to human health & damaging to the environment.

Malaysia became a top supplier of quality palm oil in the world only once it effectively controlled its rat infestation by breeding a large barn owl population (rats being the barn owl's natural prey). Which means that it created & enforced the environmental conditions essential to the barn owl's survival. Because it knew that as long as it relied on chemicals & other man-made solutions, it would remain a dirt-poor former trading post of the East India Trading Company.

Similarly, the solution to this particular environmental challenge consists of the following 5 measures: Solar-powered sensors to monitor atmospheric pollution (including, but not limited to, GHGs, PM2.5, sonic pollution, UV radiation & X-rays) that are connected simultaneously to both national & UN databases; tougher implementation of food quality controls; strict legislative & judicial protection of the institution of legitimate ownership of assets; awareness campaigns designed to educate local landowners about the detrimental effects of environmental degradation on the price tag of their assets; & taxes on land based on the area covered by genuine construction (not just a boundary wall, as is the accepted practice in Pakistan).

A Glut Of Random Facts does Not Qualify As Useful Information

Day 4 of the Paris Climate Summit. Knowledge is power. But only if it is presented in a form that is relevant to the improvement of daily life. Hardly anyone has actually looked at a virus or bacterium under a microscope; however, everyone values information on how to recognize the signs of any specific infection. Very few people are really interested in who invented penicillin; but information that pertains to how it can be used as a treatment is universally respected.

While Google is offering global citizens satellite photos of their homes, China has taken a sensible step: it is spreading awareness among the general public about the importance to daily life of environmental protection, by creating regularly-updated & freely available databases of different varieties of environmental pollution levels in the country. Now, that is information that actually has a quantifiable application, both for the present & the future.

Best case scenario, such live-updated environmental sensor systems should be applied worldwide & the information for any region should be available free globally 24/7. If companies like Google were to cooperate in financing such a ground-breaking initiative, its business model may even prove a boost for the rapidly declining popularity of various companies' commercial services, for example, Google Earth. Which would be good news for the Developing World, because that means that the private sector should be happy to help set up the required systems & supply the relevant training programs free of charge.

The Business Of Saving Lives

Day 5 of the Paris Climate Summit. Environmental hazards are evolving rapidly. For example, once upon a time, conjunctivitis in Pakistan was triggered by dust (mostly during the dry season). Now, the leading cause of eye irritation is exposure - even in the safety of the home - to ultraviolet radiation...year round. Which means that the recommended precautions of days gone by are obsolete - or, at the very least, incomplete. In addition, every region is unique in everything from climate to culture. Humanity needs intrepid researchers to design customized & effective solutions to today's problems - & to start right now.

But nobody can be an intrepid researcher without adequate funding. Raising funding is impossible, unless prospective investors are acquainted with the dangers they themselves will have to face in the event of further environmental degradation; then & only then, will they be as forthcoming with their capital as scientists are with their knowledge, to find a solution; because they too, will not want the problem to pass the point of no return. All relevant parties will truly understand, for the first time in corporate history, that their very lives depend on peaceful cooperation.

The responsibility to present a convincing case for raising money for research, development  & global deployment of eco-friendly technology falls to the world's best & brightest financial minds. They are the only parties trained to present the problem & market clean tech investment to all the different countries & cultures across the world, in a language that investors will understand; & the United Nations is the organization best-equipped to motivate & coordinate those financial professionals, so as to convert individual players into committed & synchronized teams. Every day that a lasting solution is not agreed upon, is another day of profitable progress lost. Ensuring the welfare & freedom of people tomorrow entails protecting the health & rights of people today.

Land & Loyalty

Day 6 of the Paris Climate Summit. As most Pakistanis know, no matter how ambitious a business plan & how sound the mode of operation, not much can be achieved when water & gas supplies are contaminated & unreliable, electricity is either fluctuating or unavailable, & Internet & cell service is accessible on a here-today-gone-tomorrow basis. These aren't occasional mishaps, they are daily occurrences.

Further, some Developing World agricultural economies tend to take soil fertility for granted. Dirt-track racing? Bring it on - it'll render our suffering masses less noticeable & improve tourism! Pesticide & herbicide field tests? The contaminated crops can be fed to the poor - in return for Corporate Social Responsibility points! Hazardous weapons depots? Use the local warehouses & apartments - if anyone complains, we'll just label him/her a liar or a lunatic! The list of disastrous policies is endless.

This can be resolved in 2 steps:

1:- A globally-accepted soil fertility grading system that evaluates the soil of a region in light of the comparative quality of that region's signature crop(s); for example, Pakistan's mangoes are considered superior to India's, which means that Multan soil is costlier than it is currently considered. That will simplify the UN's job of making certain natural resources are appropriately used.

2:- "Friend-In-Need FTAs"; whenever any nation faces a shortage of anything, it can turn to a neighbor (preferably one with whom it already has an FTA) to solve the problem with a connection to its own production facilities, in return for similar assistance to the neighbor in another category. This strategy can raise living standards & strengthen bilateral ties simultaneously. So sustaining soil & fostering friendship can literally lead to universal peace & prosperity.

Investment Banking & Environmental Awareness

Day 7 of the Paris Climate Summit. When it comes to private sector environmental responsibility, almost every variety of business has been named; the sector that is still flying under the radar is the banking sector. The likely cause of this apparent oversight is the stormy legal debate that surrounds the jurisdictional limits of nations in accessing the confidential information of overseas banks.

The result is that the governmental role in efficiently arranging funds for environmental protection has been almost forgotten. Some Developing World governments don't even acknowledge that environmental protection & human rights are two sides of the same coin. For example, some Pakistan Government figures reportedly dubbed the astronomical rise in the price of food, clothing, healthcare & shelter unimportant - because Pakistan has a Climate Change Minister (whose job is to prevent atmospheric sabotage in Pakistan, not sing Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire").

It is time to start thinking less as several nations & more as a single species; it is time for the UN to implement the following combination of finance & law:

A: Corporate Social Responsibility for the banking sector should depend on how committed a firm is to focusing interest on clean tech projects by marketing scientifically-sound & financially-profitable business models to its clientèle. Investors are more likely to trust their financial advisers than some random third party.

B: Environmental Law is the least profitable of all legal specialties. Eco-crimes go unchallenged because lawyers fear they will starve if they fight environment cases. The UN should create a system consisting of monetary compensation for lawyers who only practise Environmental Law. Popularizing this specialty is impossible without guaranteeing financial stability.

Oil & Water

Day 8 of the Paris Climate Summit. Fossil fuels & commercial shipping are two of the biggest causes of pollution & climate change. But a sudden prohibition on transactions related to these sectors is likely to cause more harm than good.

Renewable energy is popular, but it will be a few years until profit margins become reliable; hydropower is one form that is considered both safe (nuclear power having credibility issues since August '45) & applicable globally (very few places don't have access to the sea, a river or a man-made canal). Train transport - especially China's new high-speed trains - can lighten the burden, but creating a standardized global rail transport system will take time (even though, the Belt & Road is expected to make this project easier).

So, the best approach is to continue mainstreaming clean technologies, while reducing the damage caused by current practices. Using the energy & shipping examples, here are a couple of suggestions:-

ENERGY: Most of the pollutants produced by fossil fuels come about as a result of incomplete combustion. If completely combusted, the amount of pollution produced will fall. That means engines & turbines (among other things) that run on gas, oil or coal need to be more efficient. With UN support & committed professionals, brands like Toyota could bring both credibility & experience to the table.

SHIPPING: The biggest environmental threat in the shipping sector is the tendency of crews to throw untreated waste directly into the sea. But if there were a law that binds each vessel to present a verifiable estimate of the garbage it will generate until the next port of call, the port authorities will be in a position to make certain that waste hasn't been disposed off improperly en route.

Concrete Progress Is Impossible Without Concrete Principles

Day 9 of the Paris Climate Summit. There is often talk in the world media about "Strongmen" being the people to talk to when spearheading any objective, be it security, political, humanitarian or commercial. The argument for this rather unethical approach is that "the legitimate in-charge can't disobey so-&-so kingmaker, therefore it makes sense to approach him directly". This strategy fosters a lack of respect for human rights. Whoever may be "strong" or "weak" within a sovereign nation, the duty of other sovereign nations is to respect UN law (which directs all people & nations to show due regard for any & all national laws, as long as those laws don't constitute a violation of human rights).

Rules are meant to be barriers against any & all forms of oppression that are the inevitable result of placing too much power & influence in the hands of a single party. Evidence of the importance of the rule of law is everywhere, be it governance or trade. Without a reliable system of administration, the law of the jungle prevails - which is why animals, despite being stronger & faster than human beings, are still not the dominant species on Earth.

Similarly, the enforcement of environmental protection agreements is impossible without the rule of law. Legislation to cope with changing circumstances is the province of the UN in conjunction with each national government; ably implementing legislation is the duty of the civil services; combating corruption is the jurisdiction of the national & international judicial authorities. But climate change prevention, while a matter of both national & international welfare & security, is a purely humanitarian initiative; it must not be misinterpreted as a military issue or else it will mutate into an excuse for violence & war.

The Circle Of Life

Day 10 of the Paris Climate Summit. At some point in our lives, we all need a home; & at several points in our lives, we all feel alone. The UN is an important organization for many reasons. But the reason I respect it is because it reminds us that this is all we have. When we need a home, this is the only planet that truly serves the purpose; & when we feel alone, human companionship chases the fear away. Wealth can't turn a house into a home & slaves can never replace friends. The planet & humanity is in such danger today, because some people don't understand that, if they wreak devastation on humanity in the name of selfish ambition, that devastation will assume a different form & find them, too. Always.

The mining sector is in free fall these days. But that is because several mining projects have been so badly carried out that they even cost lives. From Tethyan Copper Company's devastating mismanagement in Reko Diq to Samarco's mining disaster in Bento Rodrigues, the list is horrifying in the breadth of human suffering each blunder has lead to. The reason is that the perpetrators are outsiders & the victims are locals. Which begs the question: Would these disasters - that first brought ruination to the victims & then to the perpetrators - have happened if the local residents (both landowners & wage-earners) had been accorded legal importance in these projects? Statistically speaking, the chances are almost nil; local residents are likely to be far more invested in the protection & preservation of the area, because they, their loved ones & the majority of their assets are based there.

This is an illustration of what large corporations can do if decision-making is in the sole control of "outsiders" - who are easily attracted to "Not-Our-Problem" policies. Unless the decision-makers in each region or project include parties who will actually be affected by any mishap, environmental tragedies - followed by financial fiascos - will never stop.

Protecting The Planet By Protecting Humanity

Day 11 of the Paris Climate Summit. All conflicts are caused by one trigger: Theft. British Prince Charles has stated that he believes the Syrian War was triggered by climate change. While the media is still trying to decide whether to agree or disagree, this debate spotlights an even more important fact: Violence (be it sanctioned by any authority or not) leads to environmental pollution, which leads to climate change. Anyone who doubts the link between protecting all living things from violent disasters & preserving the environment, need only look at the two greatest environmental disasters in Earth's history: The extinction of the dinosaurs & the destruction of Hiroshima & Nagasaki.

So, if climate change is caused (among other factors) by war, & war is triggered by theft, a very effective method of preventing climate change is to make sure that the act of depriving any human being of his/her human rights is never allowed to be profitable. Every human being is entitled to the timely fulfilment of a specific set of basic requirements. If those needs are not satisfied, the explanation is simple: The victims have been robbed of the resources to do so. Human civilizations have worked the land & have fished & sailed the seas since millennia. If history has taught us anything, it is that loss & destruction only occurs as a result of violence; natural resources do not simply disappear; somebody illegally takes them.

Case in point: Pakistan is a leading global supplier of high-quality grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, meat & dairy products; why is the majority of Pakistan overworked, underfed & still in debt to various companies & countries? Some of the finest medicinal herbs grow wild in Pakistan; why is the poor Pakistani forced to purchase everything from syringes to bedsheets if he/she is hospitalized? Doing justice to the planet is impossible without doing justice to humanity.

The Dawn Of A New Day

Today is the final day of the Paris Climate Summit. Mistakes have been acknowledged; reparations promised; commitments made. Now the real work begins...for all of us. The Summit has reminded the relatively unaffected - especially multinational company executives - that saving the planet is not magnanimity but a necessity for every human being, regardless of race, creed, culture, nationality, financial status, education, profession, age or gender. Negotiators from all over the world have worked tirelessly to design a practical, result-oriented agreement. However documentation is only as effective as the strength of its authors' determination to achieve the stated goals.

The League Of Nations was formed in 1920 as a result of World War I, in which approximately 18 million people died. The purpose of the LN was to prevent a repeat of that disaster. It failed. The world was embroiled in violence & drowning in blood less than 2 decades later. The United Nations was formed in 1945 as a result of World War II, in which approximately 60 million people died - over thrice the death toll of World War I. A third World War is not merely frightening, it is unthinkable; & the most effective method to prevent such a catastrophe is to make certain that aggressive elements of society always remain answerable to level-headed & logical professionals. Coincidentally, this approach is also the solution to the climate change challenge. Two problems solved for the price of one.

Thanks to the efforts of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon & his team, the delegates at the Paris Climate Summit have focused on issues that truly matter to the common man: food, clothing, shelter, healthcare & their vital connection to the prevention of climate change. That is a very encouraging sign. Let us all hope that it is a sign that the world as a whole has understood the importance of collective effort & is embracing the concept of peaceful progress as opposed to Scorched Earth Policies.

"Treatments" For Being Healthy: Disease-Free Doesn't Mean Physically Comfortable Any Longer!

Idiosyncratic Illnesses

It's a whole new world in the healthcare sector these days; for example, treatments for everything from malaria in Africa to obesity in America are becoming increasingly manageable. Big Pharma has finally started accepting the fact that the monopolistic business model is obsolete & that it is time to be a touch broad-minded when it comes to their definition of appropriate partners & market standards. Apparently, there is nothing but hope as far as the eye can see.

But, as in all things, there is good news & bad news. Since the last decade or so, a new scourge is slowly creeping across the globe, starting with the common citizens of generally-ignored nations like Pakistan. Unlike bacteria & viruses, which have more-or-less the same effect on all victims, this scourge affects each target differently, based on gender, age, build, ethnicity, etc.; there is only one common point - if exposure continues constantly for too long, IT CAN PROVE FATAL. It isn't that the appropriate technological protective measures are non-existent or even unavailable; the hurdle lies in misinformation. The majority of ordinary law-abiding citizens don't even know that they are being exposed to a new generation of life-threatening forms of radiation, collectively called "Directed-Energy Weapons" (DEWs).

The situation bears a sinister resemblance to US Army Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves' statement to the US Senate, in which he described exposure to nuclear radiation as "without undue suffering" & "a very pleasant way to die". He was talking of Hiroshima & Nagasaki. Misinformation, like half-truths, can bring catastrophic results.

Medical Response

Despite the fact that the doctor community has been expressly forbidden from (or surreptitiously warned against) even mentioning DEWs, they have responded as efficiently as humanly possible. Genuine bacterial infections are treated with antibiotics, & viral infections with a focus on building up the body's immune response. However, both of these categories of disease can only be treated once their presence is registered & - best case scenario - identified through the three basic medical tests: blood, urine & stool. So what happens when a patient is clear in every test?

For lack of any other option, the average medical professional turns to the second-line of medication, which consists of muscle relaxants (e.g. Valium), antiemetics (e.g. Gravinate), antidiarrheals (e.g. Imodium) & laxatives (e.g. Dulcolax). Of these categories, the muscle relaxant category is the most sought after, because the main purpose of DEWs is to cause debilitating pain.

The media is utterly obsessed with insisting that the cause of this situation is spurious drugs; but, with the increase in awareness of how to recognize the real thing, how do people get more easily swindled now than, for instance, 50 years ago? To make matters worse, there is a "shortage" of one or the other medicine in these 4 categories every other week; how is that possible when Big Pharma has factories all over this country? And finally, to add insult to injury, anyone "caught" taking a Valium prescription for body aches, is ridiculed as a pathetic junkie (probably because he believes in steering clear of the real "party drugs" like cocaine).

Quackery

There is no catastrophe, great or small, that the criminal element cannot turn into an opportunity to expand its business interests. "Firms" & "professionals" have sprung up in every major Pakistani city who claim to be able to successfully alleviate the suffering of the victims, but end up worsening the situation by targeting the very individuals who are desperate enough to trust them.

These criminals come from three "industries": Organ traders (who actually deal in everything from actual organs to bones & blood, among other things, from healthy individuals), arms dealers (who falsify the documentation to buy technologically-advanced weaponry labelled as "medical devices"), drug lords (who get access to high-quality chemicals to prepare their products) & violent criminals (who falsely identify themselves as "employees" of such establishments & then prepare alibis for time periods when they were committing some crime).

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

However, there may be some measure of hope for suffering humanity. There was an article in the Chinese media about the TCM approach that appears very promising for addressing the ailments of the healthy but victimized section of society, the three main treatment strategies of which are as follows (courtesy Medical Dictionary, medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com):

Acupuncture:-
"One of the main forms of treatment in traditional Chinese medicine. It involves the use of sharp, thin needles that are inserted in the body at very specific points. This process is believed to adjust and alter the body's energy flow into healthier patterns, and is used to treat a wide variety of illnesses and health conditions."

Fire-cupping:-
"The application of heated cups to the skin, creating suction. It is used in some cultures to treat headache, fever, chills, back pain, and similar complaints."

Massage:-
"Stimulation of the skin & underlying tissues with varying degrees of hand pressure to decrease pain, produce relaxation, &/or improve circulation."

Who knows, maybe it will be more freely available (especially in middle-class urban neighborhoods whose residents are prime targets) when the China Pakistan Economic Corridor is launched? Here's hoping.

Mushrooming Prospects

A New Perspective

My mother owns a 1,000 square yard plot in Defence Housing Authority (D.H.A.) Phase 8, Karachi. According to the good people at website zameen.com, the rough price range for the property is between PKR 7 crore & PKR 8 crore (approximately between US$7 million & US$8 million). There is some confusion in the minds of the gentlemen currently running D.H.A Karachi as to payment of development fees, even though no development has been done there so far; but that is a tiny misunderstanding that can be cleared up quite easily. After all, nobody in his right mind would want red tape to get in the way of real business.

Anyway, I was thinking about the fact that Karachi already has more glamorous housing schemes & gaudy shopping malls than the average Karachiite knows what to do with. The majority of the population of Karachi are factory workers & small business owners; in addition, Karachi being a port city means that most folks (rich or poor) are very oriented towards the concept of marketable goods. The commitment to commerce is entrenched in the local culture to such an extent that even the business of constructing sprawling housing schemes is mostly left to Army-related franchises such as D.H.A., which are more comfortable in the non-competitive world of inelastic goods than the lightning-fast arena of commodities trading & commercial services.

However, it is always a good idea to look for options that involve deriving a profit from a marketable product instead of simply settling for the relatively-sedate approach of constructing a shoebox & putting it on rent. Economics 101. This principle lead me to wonder whether there was a way to save the environmentally-vital mangrove swamps of Karachi & make a profit at the same time?

Market Niche

Edible mushrooms are a very interesting species. They contain a diverse array of nutrients ranging from the B vitamins (folate, niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin & thiamine) to a number of minerals (copper, iron, potassium, phosphorus & selenium). But the most important ingredient is Vitamin D. What makes the version of Vitamin D in mushrooms so unique is that if you eat ordinary D-rich edibles, you still need a certain amount of exposure to the sun before the vitamin can work at full strength; however, the mushroom version comes ready-made - no sunning required! The Australians weren't kidding when they said that mushrooms are the ultimate winter health food.

Mushrooms are a well-known crop in Pakistan: the hilly areas of Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa & Punjab concentrate on Black Morel mushrooms; the desert & mountain areas of Sindh mostly grow Khumbi mushrooms; & Khamiri is the most popular variety of mushroom in Balochistan. Mushrooms are a very profitable food crop & appreciated for their nutritive value world over. So wouldn't it be wonderful if they were the answer to the environmental degradation taking place as a result of the uncontrolled construction underway in Karachi?

Illustrative Case Study

A variation of the following report was published by the "Action for Protection of Wild Animals" (APOWA) NGO branch in Orissa, India. The original report is titled "Mushroom farming changes lives of mangrove dependent families of Narasinghpur village" & can be found at http://apowa.org.in/case-studies-2/mushroom-farming/:

"Orissa is prone to natural disasters. Cyclones & floods are annual occurrences in the coastal villages. During the last 30 years, the coastal climate has changed to a great extent & the rainy season has extended to almost half the year. Low pressures in the Bay of Bengal have been more frequent in an unusual pattern, posing threats to the life & livelihood of the communities living in coastal villages. Narasinghpur is one of the coastal villages of Kendrapara District, which struggles to meet their families' basic needs with very limited resources. Many are recent immigrants or refugees. The poor families here had a miserable life until the recent past, but courtesy mushroom farming & the project support of APOWA, a great many of them are now an economically empowered lot. Earlier dependent on the mangrove forest, they are now in a position to provide their children a better education.

'Mushroom farming has changed my life.' Says Kamala Jana of Narasinghpur Village. She has called her husband back from Kerala. Now, he helps her in mushroom farming, & the couple manages to earn a handsome amount. While Kamala grows mushrooms, her husband does the marketing. 'With my husband back home, I have got hands for marketing.' Kamala, a mother of 4, says.

Kamala is not alone. Very similar is the case of Kanchanbala of the same village, who is the wife of a daily laborer; she now has more money in hand, & is smoothly managing her family through mushroom farming.

This became possible when APOWA started the project & conducted several training programs in Narasinghpur Village, which included inviting agriculture experts from Krushi Vigyan Kendra (Kendrapara District). These training programs have encouraged women to step out of their homes & launch their own ventures. The project also offered support to mangrove-dependent families in the form of an initial batch of mushroom seeds & basic market linkages.

Following the success of mushroom cultivation, APOWA is making efforts to popularize its farming model further. APOWA is encouraging mushroom-growers to form groups & strive towards conserving & restoring the nearby mangrove forests.

'Mushroom farming & the support of APOWA has been a blessing for us. Now, the nearby villagers request us to teach them the methods of mushroom farming.' Says Kalipada Maity, the President of Maa Sitala Mangrove Action Group of Narasinghpur Village."

Morality-In-A-Bottle

The Land Of Cockaigne by Pieter Bruegel The Elder (1567)

A Link Between Dreams & Stereotypes?

Recently there was a series of articles in the international media about a US study that purported to find a link between what people dream & the stereotypes they believe in. According to the study, it was posited that if people's dreams were "engineered" to underline a specific change in their chosen stereotypes, e.g. about colored races, there would be a noticeable change in the strength of their bias against different classes of society. The researchers went on to say that, if their experiment worked on a large scale, it could translate into impressive progress in the promotion of inter-racial harmony in American society, an issue that badly needs attention as the recent events in Ferguson amply illustrate.

Let's Sleep On It

But this is just another morality-in-a-bottle story. Anyone having a basic knowledge of human psychology can vouch for the fact that every generation of clinical psychologists has at least one incurable optimist who obstinately maintains that a patient's own suffering isn't the only sign of the presence of illness; even if someone is perfectly okay himself or herself & only causes suffering to others, he or she is a "patient".

Take the phenomenon of psychopathy. Aside from the currently-unexplored possibility that narcotics abuse damages the brain in a way that eventually promotes psychopathic behavior, psychopaths are basically people who enjoy causing suffering & yet are sane enough to know that they must keep their hobby a secret or else they will become social outcasts. The normal instincts of love or greed routinely take a back seat to their desire to cause chaos & suffering. It is for this reason that one clinical study proved that, while harsh incarceration conditions generally only make recidivism more likely in a convict with a normal mentality, it functions as an effective deterrent for psychopaths - the catch is in accurately identifying a psychopath.


Dreams

A dream can be defined as follows:
"Images, ideas, emotions & sensations occurring involuntarily in the mind during specific phases of the sleep cycle."

Dreams, as a field of study, have always held a semi-supernatural attraction in almost every culture in the world. There are literally thousands of stories about how dreams enabled the dreamer to solve problems, make discoveries, invent things, see the future & even communicate with the dead. The jury is out on the extent of the accuracy of such notions because mankind hasn't plumbed the depths of the human soul well enough to analyze how far dreams can help us understand our place in the world.

But we do know two things about dreams: they spring from the subconscious mind & are the result of the electrochemical activity of the brain. However, this information only leads to more questions, such as:
Considering that 99% of the subconscious mind is "programmed" during the first two years of life (a time when all of us are completely free of stereotypes & biases), how do dreams address ideas that took root after the subconscious was almost full?
If our thoughts are basically a stream of electrical activity, won't all the different varieties of energy activity that can be found in even the cleanest atmosphere play a role in what we dream?

Stereotypes

A stereotype can be defined as follows:
"A fixed & oversimplified image or categorization of a particular type of person or thing."

There is a popular misconception that stereotypes are born of some unconscious prompting going back to ideas picked up before the subject was old enough to know better. In reality, most stereotypes have their roots in what is known as ethnocentrism - a strong belief in the inherent superiority of the subject's culture & traditions as compared to other cultures & traditions. The very act of comparison between "us & them" is something that only an adult would find worth his time; a child would never spend even one minute on it.

The situation is further aggravated by the sensationalists in society, who oversimplify & edit originally complex information until the audience has no choice but to assume that human uniqueness is neither real nor important in day-to-day life.

The Business Of Peace

Morality & broad-mindedness are both intensely personal choices. You can change a person's behavior, but you can't change his mind. The one thing that everyone agrees is essential to personal & collective prosperity is the ability to raise the resources to buy the comforts that make life worth living.

So, instead of trying to appeal to the loftier instincts of the general population (which has been conclusively shown to be a waste of time), put the parties in question into a situation in which they have to deal with each other - in other words, make them do business with each other - & harmony will follow. To quote Michael Douglas in the movie Wall Street, "Greed is good".

Drinks Manufacturers & The "21st Century Headache"

The Three Traditional Classes Of Headache Sufferers

EXCESSIVE LUXURY - There was a time as recently as the early 2000s, that issues such as persistent headaches were associated with the Developed World where there were more high-cholesterol edibles & expensive wines than the average person could healthily handle. Such people constituted the first class of headache patients: over-fed, boozy, hung-over individuals whose doctors repeatedly reminded them that they needed to get a purpose in life in order to cure the pain.

TENSION HEADACHES - The next in line were the high-achievers: individuals with several pressing responsibilities, high standards to measure up to & relatively few resources in terms of time & money to get the job done with. Their doctors advised them to "take it easy", but knowing that Life seldom gives such people that option, they prescribed medications such as analgesics & barbiturates to at least render the pain more manageable.

MIGRAINES - The third group were those saddled with a genetic susceptibility to what are known as migraine headaches. Globally, migraines affect approximately 1 billion people. American & European DNA is 5 to 10 times more likely to carry the "migraine gene" than African & Asian DNA. Migraines are generally treated with a combination of analgesics, caffeine & non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

The "21st Century Headache"

For lack of a better title, the "21st Century Headache" is a new phenomenon altogether. Unlike the ordinary varieties of the complaint, this headache works on the principles of profiling. It mostly affects intelligent, socially-adept, work-oriented, financial professionals under the age of 40. The symptoms are a severe roaming pain in the head & eyes, nausea & retching, simultaneous diarrhea & constipation & a slew of other completely idiosyncratic symptoms. There are no prodromal signs, the onset is sudden, the circumstances are random, the pain pattern & duration are unpredictable & the response to the afore-mentioned medications can range from no response at all to a response time of 3 to 36 hours. This phenomenon has been plaguing certain members of the population since about a decade in Pakistan. Doctors worth their salt generally prescribe Diazepam & bed rest for sufferers...& advise them to keep their fingers crossed that the treatment will actually work.

Most uninterested-in-anything-but-their-own-perspective health professionals mislabel this new complaint as the age-old migraine. But there is a reason that such a misdiagnosis can result in serious consequences: Caffeine is reportedly one of the treatment options for genuine migraines.

Caffeine Risks

The recent wave of reports in the world media about the deadly effects of a caffeine powder overdose has unsettled the majority of soft drink & energy drink consumers in the world. Suddenly those chilled colas & iced Red Bulls seem like a death wish rather than a pick-me-up. The bad press is already taking its toll: Coca Cola & Pepsi have registered a drop in their stock prices during the last week, despite the fact that both companies manufacture a whole range of different products other than caffeinated drinks.

Perhaps, a realistic view of the top 10 side-effects of a caffeine overdose would put the matter in a better perspective:

1. Diarrhea

2. Vertigo

3. Tachycardia

4. Hyperglycemia (including blurred vision, drowsiness, dry mouth, flushed dry skin, fruit-like breath odor, increased urination, ketones in urine, loss of appetite, stomach ache, tiredness, troubled breathing or unusual thirst)

5. Hypoglycemia (including blurred vision, cold sweats, confusion, cool pale skin, drowsiness, excessive hunger, shakiness, unusual tiredness or weakness)

6. Anxiety (including irritability, nervousness or severe jitters)

7. Nausea (severe)

8. Vomiting

9. Tremors

10. Insomnia (including restlessness)

These risks are completely incompatible with the symptoms of the 21st Century Headache, to the point that they can actually aggravate instead of assuage the problem. The World Health Organization needs to define this new condition & publicize its findings because incorrectly-identified or misdiagnosed complaints not only constitute a grave risk to life & health, they endanger legitimate economic & commercial progress as well (as is amply illustrated by the financial problems that Coca Cola & Pepsi are facing).

Reduce The Risk Of Heart Attacks & Strokes...With A Bone-Crushing Handshake!

Stop The Presses!!!

There's a new study circulating in the global media since about a week, which puts things this way: those who have low grip strength should seriously contemplate the possibility that they might be dead of a heart attack or stroke within four years. According to the study, this applies to everyone regardless of whether he or she is 35 or 75. In other words, if one is anything other than a manual laborer, a career change should be seriously considered.

Fatal heart attacks seem to have become quite an issue for even the most unlikely of victims these days. Witness the tragic deaths of the two Belgian footballers Gregory Mertens (24 years old) & Tim Nicot (23 years old). The whole world felt the deepest sympathy for the poor fellows themselves & their grieving families. Did they have weak grips? That seems highly unlikely, considering that they were both strong star athletes. However, since the study hasn't actually answered that question just yet, perhaps we should wait & see whether they had thought of looking into it.

Anyway, as far as most people around the world are concerned, if the World Health Organization (WHO) hasn't confirmed the veracity of any particular study, that means there is no cause for concern. The world will probably just go on with life as usual.

But if this study continues to receive global media attention (even if simply in the name of selling more newspapers), there are two companies in particular that might just get a badly-needed financial boost, because modern medicine says that if a patient is at risk for a heart attack or stroke, the best way to prevent such an outcome is to take relatively small dosages of heart disease medication on a regular basis.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)

GlaxoSmithKline is the sixth-largest pharmaceutical company in the world. Last year it made approximately US$36 billion in revenues & currently employs over 100,000 people around the world. But ever since the China Scandal in 2013, GSK stock has been on a steady decline...& so far all the damage control & public relations strategies have been no more than a drop in the ocean of GSK's troubles.

Coreg (active ingredient Carvedilol) is considered a highly-effective heart disease medication - & GSK is the main distributor of the drug. If all those whose job required them to have gentle hands - everyone from surgeons to seamstresses - were convinced that they are at risk of a heart attack or stroke, Coreg sales would skyrocket in a matter of days...& GSK would theoretically be home free.

AstraZeneca (AZN)

AstraZeneca is the seventh-largest pharmaceutical company in the world. Last year it made approximately US$26 billion in revenues & employs around 50,000 people globally. But AZN has had nothing but bad luck for the last 8 years:

First, in 2007, Marcia Angell (former New England Journal Of Medicine editor-in-chief & a Harvard Medical School lecturer in social medicine) accused AZN scientists of misrepresenting their research on the efficacy of AZN's star product Nexium (active ingredient Esomeprazole).

Next AZN had to pay approximately US$800 million to settle a UK tax dispute related to transfer mispricing in 2010.

As if these two unfortunate incidents were not enough, AZN had to pay the US authorities US$68.5 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that the company deliberately defrauded Medicaid, Medicare & other government-funded health care programs with the deceptive promotional practices it used to market its blockbuster antipsychotic Seroquel.

The result is that AZN stock has been terribly shaky at best. But AZN also markets a blood pressure medication by the name of Toprol-XL (active ingredient Metoprolol Succinate). As emphasised earlier, if the hypothetical correlation between grip strength & the risk of heart attacks & strokes is given more credence than it deserves, AZN might finally be able to climb out of the financial mess it has been in all these years.

The "Bleach Hypothesis"

THE DEBATE

Since the last week or so, healthcare journals are ablaze with stories of a new European study that purports to find a link between the use of bleach-based cleaning products & practically every respiratory disease from the flu to pneumonia. The study says that, while the link may not necessarily be causative, there is definitely a greater chance that babies & children who are regularly exposed to environments in which bleach-based cleaning products are used, are more likely to suffer frequent respiratory illnesses than their counterparts in whose homes (or schools), bleach-based cleaning products are not used.

While the researchers have not openly accused bleach of anything, their research has become the proverbial "fly in the ointment". While the great majority of housewives the world over probably haven't even noticed the stories as yet & doctors (my mother being one of them) have dismissed the bleach hypothesis as a mix-up of the results of the effects of (among other things) the PM2.5 scourge & the Sick Building Syndrome outbreak, the matter really should be analyzed before it starts to have an unjustifiably negative effect on the sales of perfectly-safe bleach products.

THE HISTORY OF BLEACH

Bleach refers to a specific group of chemicals that remove color, whiten or disinfect (usually through the process of oxidation). The first form of bleach as we know it - sodium hypochlorite - was invented in the 18th Century & marketed as Eau de Javel in Paris.

It was a big enough success that other formulas for bleach quickly followed until by the 20th Century, the line-up we know today was available in even the humblest Developing World general store. But it's main application lay in its disinfectant properties - which would never have been noticed if it made the children of its users sick!

REASONS FOR THE RECENT SPIKE IN RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES

According to the World Health Organization & independent health analysts, the responsibility for the sudden increase in illnesses in general in the last decade or so, lies with the emergence of high levels of toxic PM2.5 in the atmosphere & the appearance of an evolved form of Sick Building Syndrome. These two factors not only actually cause diseases themselves, they also aggravate the perfectly-manageable slight weaknesses occasionally present in some people.

NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF A MISCONCEPTION

Unless the authors of this study can prove a causative link between the use of bleach-based cleaning products & the increased incidence rates of childhood respiratory illnesses, they will not only disrupt the efforts to address legitimate health threats, they run the risk of negatively affecting the revenue rates of legitimate companies in the global bleach-based cleaning products sector.

For example, P&G currently markets (at least) 19 products that make over US$1 billion each in net sales annually. Two of those products are laundry detergents that are very well-known in Pakistan: Tide & Ariel. Tide was introduced into the world market in 1946 & Ariel in 1967. According to public record information, both list bleach as one of the chemicals in their formulas. Would it really have taken the world nearly 70 years to figure out that the laundry detergent in which they wash their clothes is making the kids sick? Anything is possible, but this is hard to believe.

Therefore, it is hoped that the relevant national & international authorities look into the "Bleach Hypothesis" before good people get neglected & profitable companies get bankrupted.