A safety message from a British in-factory radio station, 1970s, warning that compressed air isn't as benign as you might believe. Clever production, carefully non-specific so as not to give fools any bright ideas.
...Meanwhile, Tam just reported that a survey has over 80% of respondents think there should be a law against "three-parent babies," with mitochrondrial DNA from a third source. This is only useful to prevent certain birth defects, but I guess "tampering with nature" is (in their pea-sized brains) wrong or sinful...in a way that eyeglasses, dentistry, appendectomies or boob jobs is not. Just like vaccination, amirite? (Peanuts, out; correcting birth defects at the start, out; toy guns, right out -- but haul your measelly, mumpsy whelps off to $THEMEPARK and public school? You betcha! It's your divine-issued right!
Here, dimwit, play with a tank of high-pressure air. Don't look directly at the nozzle!*
...Sometimes I'm not sure compressed air has done enough killing. But it would mostly take out the idly curious instead of targeting nitwits anyway, so....
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* In the interests of safety and caution, I will point out that my intended-joking reference to laser safety does apply -- but you can do fatal harm with a strong-enough burst against skin. And we're not even going to discuss deliberate and inadvertent projectiles. Compressed air isn't a toy.
Three parent babies sounds like engineered eugenics to me.
ReplyDeleteDefine "eugenics" in this context -- commonly, it refers to sterilizing or killing persons deemed "unfit," not making a new life possible.
ReplyDelete...And say you *can* engineer babies. So? If Mom & Dad want a six-foot brunette with an IQ of 190, why not? (We can't do that...yet.)
This has nothing to do with eugenics. If anything, preventing birth defects and genetic problems using scientific methods should be consistent with "be fruitful and multiply" imperatives in Judeo-Christian beliefs. Offspring with significant defects or genetic issues will not procreate in the future and often result in the parents limiting their own family size due to fear and expenditure of resources. Siblings will limit procreation due to possibility of carrying and passing down genes. As a result, bloodlines are weakened and eventually disappear through attrition. Correcting genetics where a known problem exists allows an individual to continue their genetic line with significantly reduced risk. This allows for more numerous and successful offspring.
ReplyDeleteActually, compressed air has killed a lot of people who used it to blast dirt off themselves. If you point an air nozzle at yourself close enough and with enough pressure you can drive an air bubble into your veins. When that bubble reaches your heart it will kill you as your heart is made to pump fluid.
ReplyDeleteThe bubble of air in the chamber will compress, lowering the pressure to below the opening pressure of the valves. As a result no blood will transfer between chambers. That is why doctors and nurses are so particular about clearing all the air out of a syringe before injecting the patient.
Something to think about when buggering about with oxy-acetylene tanks with the regulators off.
Al_in_Ottawa
I had to read this twice. I initially read "three-perent babies,".
ReplyDeleteI was trying to envision 3 of the 3% bunch trying to get together and making a baby.
No wonder they wanted a law against it... heh.
It was more fun the first time I read it.
Al: The PSA was quite serious. And so was I. --But the message is presented in an amusing way.
ReplyDeleteI remember being told that back in my factory days. The safety people used to write folks up for dusting themselves off with the air hose -- if they caught you.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, it was pretty difficult to get those aluminum chips off your arms any other way after you'd been sawing pipe for awhile. (Long sleeves? In an un-air-conditioned factory in midsummer? Surely you jest.)
We used acetone in that department, too, for cleaning. Never will forget that smell. Mixed really well with the popcorn smell from National Starch, when the wind was blowing the right direction.
Only somewhat tangentially, a fuel injector can spray diesel right through your hand, leading to gangrene, something early train engine mechanics learned the hard way. Sort of the 1940's tech equivalent of "Dang, do not look at LASER with remaining eye".
ReplyDeleteRoberta,
ReplyDeleteWhen I read your statement "don't look directly at the nozzle" I assumed that you only knew of the obvious danger, that of being blinded. If I erred, my apologies.
In my occupation I've dealt with compressed O2 and Nitrogen in 1850psi bottles, accumulators in hydraulic systems that pressurize the nitrogen to 3,000psi, hydraulic oil in landing gear at 1000psi and bottles of liquefied CO2 at -90F. I've had it pounded into my brain how dangerous pressurized gas and fluids can be.
Al_in_Ottawa
The irony is most of the cupcakes that would go for this would also picket a store selling GMO food.
ReplyDeleteSteve In CA,
ReplyDeleteIf not wanting to inflict a likely-fatal, horrible, mitochondrial disease on a child makes one a "cupcake", then you can frickin' call me Little Debbie, dude.
Al, I don't think I have ever mentioned that I have been on my employer's Safety Committee for well over a decade, and get to suffer through various "Don't do this!" presentations with appalling regularity.
ReplyDeleteOne outcome of this is that I know more ways to kill a man with a (for instance) belt sander than I'm comfortable believing exist. Also, arc-flash training leaves one a lot less comfortable with 480VAC power than the "not at all" level you had beforehand.
There's a fiber terminator in my office, with a big label to the effect of Do Not Look At The Light. So far, people have left it alone. (So far.)
ReplyDeleteNever had any luck with those six-foot brunettes in any reasonable IQ range, alas.
3000 PSI hydraulics can do a number on one too... Watched a guy lose 3 fingers to a hyd leak, because he didn't believe it...
ReplyDeleteHi Tam,
ReplyDeleteI was refering to the "designer kids" aspect of the post not the capability to eliminate the devastating effects of hereditary disease. Sorry if my comment implied that.
In addition to the above mentioned, an "airless" paint sprayer can be deadly. It will inject the paint deeply into whatever part of your anatomy that is in front of the nozzle. Kicks like a 45 ACP when triggered!
ReplyDeleteMerle
I remember a comic book style safety manual in the Air Force that had a page explaining 2 to 3 PSI of compressed air was sufficient to rupture the intestines. Somewhat disturbing that they had to warn us of that.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this a week late or so it reminds me when I worked at a gas station when I was in high school. You can create a lot of pseudo flatulence with an air hose. Later,found out and realized you can blow out your insides with compressed air.
ReplyDelete