Who Knew: Cow Poo Helps Reduce Chances of Developing Lung Cancer

[lebowski]

Working with manure can drastically reduce chances of developing lung cancer, according to a report in The Daily Telegraph.

Dairy farmers are five times less likely than the general populace to develop the disease, New Scientist magazine reports.

The study found farmers typically breathed in dust that consisted largely of dried manure and all the bacteria that grew in it.

New Scientist said adults who had a greater exposure to germs than usual might build up a better resistance to bugs, including cancer.

"Some researchers are starting to wonder whether the higher incidence of certain cancers in affluent populations — including breast cancer, lymphoma and melanoma — might also have something to do with sanitized, infection-free living," the researchers said, noting the unexpected links between exposure to dirt and germs and cancer risk.

"If they're right, the implications are huge. If we can understand exactly what it is about some germs that has a protective effect, we should be able to reduce people's risk of developing certain tumors later in life by exposing them to harmless microbes."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,326353,00.html

[Grapist]

Ooooooooor!!

Mebbe it is because they spent their lives on a farm in the country away from cities and their pollution????

hmmm???

Fuckin' scientists

[lebowski]

that isn't true grapist, those variables were taken into consideration. People that don't live on a farm in the middle of the country, they still get lung cancer just as much as anyone else.

[Uncast]

Horray for

SHROOOOMS!!!

[arcatacat]

Originally Posted by lebowski

New Scientist said adults who had a greater exposure to germs than usual might build up a better resistance to bugs, including cancer.

If we can understand exactly what it is about some germs that has a protective effect, we should be able to reduce people's risk of developing certain tumors later in life by exposing them to harmless microbes."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,326353,00.html

Cancer is now caused by germs?

Fuckin retards.

[lebowski]

no, if you have a lot of germs in you, you have a healthy immune system. Thats what they are saying. the germs prevent cancer

[Grampoo]

NICE!
Cow, horse, donkey, and goat poo I breath! And I don't smoke.
Alright who wants to buy my new product: Gram-POO?
I'll sell it to all you urban cancer types.

[HumbleNarrator]

But I thought that cow farts were a major contributor to green house gases and somehow that causes more skin cancer - so I guess skin cancer is probably better than lung cancer?

[lebowski]

Originally Posted by HumbleNarrator

But I thought that cow farts were a major contributor to green house gases and somehow that causes more skin cancer - so I guess skin cancer is probably better than lung cancer?

That was solved by by supplementing cattle feed with molasses and urea

The Gas-X Factor
Cow flatulence produces some 80 million tons of methane worldwide a year - the greenhouse equivalent of 1.7 billion tons of CO2. Entrepreneurs smell opportunity. By supplementing cattle feed with molasses and urea, the Virginia-based Global Livestock Group reduces bovine emissions in the third world. GLG measures the greenhouse savings (using patented ruminant flatulence-monitoring technology), then sells it as an offset to power companies needing to comply with tighter greenhouse emissions laws.

[HumbleNarrator]

Originally Posted by lebowski

That was solved by by supplementing cattle feed with molasses and urea

The Gas-X Factor
Cow flatulence produces some 80 million tons of methane worldwide a year - the greenhouse equivalent of 1.7 billion tons of CO2. Entrepreneurs smell opportunity. By supplementing cattle feed with molasses and urea, the Virginia-based Global Livestock Group reduces bovine emissions in the third world. GLG measures the greenhouse savings (using patented ruminant flatulence-monitoring technology), then sells it as an offset to power companies needing to comply with tighter greenhouse emissions laws.

I'm not sure how much of an innovation this is - these two things have been used for feeding cattle for quite some time. Not everyone uses them, but they have been available and in use. Just wonder how much of an effect it will really have.

And wow - just read the rest of the paragraph - the estimated cut in emissions is sold to power companies? So the emissions over all are still the same, if not worse, because I can't imagine that cow farts were taken into account in the original restrictions that the power companies are held to. At best, the total amount of death in the air is the same.

sweet. Any improvements are used as a way to get away with more pollution in another sector - the goal is not to be cleaner, but to get away with as much as is legally possible. Makes deregulation look a little less good.