This Just In: Your Helmet is Killing You
06-13-11, 08:37 AM
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This Just In: Your Helmet is Killing You
Anyone see the recent news articles about styrene being added to the list of carcinogens? And what is the liner of your helmet made out of? Polystyrene, right? 
06-13-11, 08:46 AM
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After RTFA it appears that it is being added to the "likely list of carcinogens", and not declared a carcinogen itself. Even if, I'd rather take a risk of maybe catching the cancer from a helmet than hitting the pavement without one!
06-13-11, 09:24 AM
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Since I don't have a cell phone I figure I'll dodge cancer longer than all of you, helmet or not. 
06-13-11, 09:25 AM
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First, don't eat your helmet! I am beginning to wonder what won't cause cancer these days. LOL Joking aside, I would be more worried about the cell phone causing cancer than the polystyrene helmet.
06-13-11, 09:42 AM
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06-13-11, 10:15 AM
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06-13-11, 10:29 AM
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You gonna eat that?
It is found in rubber, plastics and insulation, among other objects, but the general population is generally exposed to it through cigarette smoke.
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06-13-11, 10:36 AM
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In this case, the report I heard was that styrene was indicated to be very low risk and the quantities you're exposed to from drinking cups (which you ingest fluid from, and don't just sit on your head) was tiny.
06-13-11, 10:43 AM
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hmmm, perhaps I have been unfairly discounting these helmet thingies. How many snorts would it take for a really good buzz?
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"Let us hope our weapons are never needed --but do not forget what the common people knew when they demanded the Bill of Rights: An armed citizenry is the first defense, the best defense, and the final defense against tyranny. If guns are outlawed, only the government will have guns. Only the police, the secret police, the military, the hired servants of our rulers. Only the government -- and a few outlaws. I intend to be among the outlaws" - Edward Abbey
06-13-11, 10:50 AM
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06-13-11, 10:50 AM
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I line my helmet with tin foil so the government can't spy on my thoughts. Will that protect me from cancer? ;-)
06-13-11, 11:54 AM
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The WHO is laughable. While they are looking out for the public, when they make those statements, they never offer concrete alternatives in the respective production process.
06-13-11, 12:03 PM
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06-13-11, 12:14 PM
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My bet is 99% of the things that do not cause cancer in large enough doses are those that always kill you some other way first.
06-13-11, 01:09 PM
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Water can be deadly, especially when a person's head is under it for about 4 minutes.
06-13-11, 01:36 PM
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It's not a very exclusive list -- if you look carefully, you'll notice that coffee is on the same list!
06-13-11, 01:51 PM
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I'm more concerned about the evil chemical H2O. Risks associated with H2O:
-Death due to accidental inhalation, even in small quantities.
-Prolonged exposure to solid H2O causes severe tissue damage.
-Excessive ingestion produces a number of unpleasant though not typically life-threatening side-effects.
-H2O is a major component of acid rain.
-Gaseous H2O can cause severe burns.
-Contributes to soil erosion.
-Leads to corrosion and oxidation of many metals.
-Contamination of electrical systems often causes short-circuits.
-Exposure decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes.
-Found in biopsies of pre-cancerous tumors and lesions.
-Given to vicious dogs involved in recent deadly attacks.
-Often associated with killer cyclones in the U.S. Midwest and elsewhere, and in hurricanes including deadly storms in Florida, New Orleans and other areas of the southeastern U.S.
-Thermal variations in H2O are a suspected contributor to the El Nino weather effect.
With a horrible chemical like that, how can I be worried about a little bit of Polystyrene?
(List from somewhere else but I forgot the source...sorry)
-Death due to accidental inhalation, even in small quantities.
-Prolonged exposure to solid H2O causes severe tissue damage.
-Excessive ingestion produces a number of unpleasant though not typically life-threatening side-effects.
-H2O is a major component of acid rain.
-Gaseous H2O can cause severe burns.
-Contributes to soil erosion.
-Leads to corrosion and oxidation of many metals.
-Contamination of electrical systems often causes short-circuits.
-Exposure decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes.
-Found in biopsies of pre-cancerous tumors and lesions.
-Given to vicious dogs involved in recent deadly attacks.
-Often associated with killer cyclones in the U.S. Midwest and elsewhere, and in hurricanes including deadly storms in Florida, New Orleans and other areas of the southeastern U.S.
-Thermal variations in H2O are a suspected contributor to the El Nino weather effect.
With a horrible chemical like that, how can I be worried about a little bit of Polystyrene?
(List from somewhere else but I forgot the source...sorry)
06-13-11, 03:23 PM
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06-13-11, 05:21 PM
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This just in: Drinking milk linked to death. Recent studies have shown that people who drank milk in their early years all died later in life. Those who continued to consume milk in their adult lives also died. Scientists continue to do research in the hopes of finding a cure for death.