⌛ Air Pollution

Well its not getting any better. I've been back for 4 days and I have had a splitting headache for the entire time. My sinuses are aching and I dread going out at all during the day. In fact there is a high probability this is my last trip here.....if I last for my intended 3 months. What is it with this **^&^% APOCALYPSE ??? Are the political leaders brain dead by the carbon monoxide ?? I've travelled the world and have never seen anything like it. Are all those "Smoke Testing Stations" cardboard cutouts ? I'm sorry but man-oh-man, will there be anyone left to tell the tale in 10 years. How do you guys and gals cope ?? I take it you all live outside of town ??

 

Hi Chuck,

Sometimes it takes someone that has been away for a good length of time or a newbie to see something like this. Those that live amongst it every day, or come from big cities elsewhere, often become blind to it. It's the same issue with the rubbish problem.

The smog and nauseating air pollution is bad enough in the countryside, let alone when your amongst all those trikes downtown.

Look on the bright side, you could go and get some clean air in Palawan.

 

Or...

I did bring my dive gear with me so I suppose I could strap on my BCD and walk around town with a tank on my back. Has anyone figured out how long a regular tank lasts at atmospheric pressure ? Do you think His Worship would mind if I hung out at Mama Mia's with my gear on ?

 

...or

...another bright side to the story is that I suppose nobody would mind if I farted...... in fact they might gather around me for some relief.

 

If a full tank lasts you 40 minutes at an average depth of 20 metres, then it will last you 2 hours at sea level.

Is that enough time to allow you time to have a few drinks and achieve your objectives, or will you need to make a double-tank dive? :D

 

I like to lighten these heavy discussions with a little humor. So what does a person have to do to fail the "Smoke Test" ? Maybe load your vehicle up with old tires, douse them with kerosene and light them on fire when you get into the station ? Can you just order your certificate over the phone with a peperoni pizza ? "Hi how ya doing. Can I have my certificate ? The wifes got the car today so I couldn't actually bring it in". I guess the guys that work there have to be replaced every couple of days due to irreversable brain damage..... or are they all dead ? You just step over their bodies and help yourself to the rubber stamp !!

 

..as for having "a few drunks", I prefer sober girls, they don't throw up on me.

 

Sorry for starting off in a rant. Great news, I woke up today for the first time without a headache. I should impart some of my wisdom from University education in Biochem and Pharmacology that might be of use to someone. The Heme group of our red blood cells has a greater affinity for CO (Carbon Monoxide) than it does for Oxygen. CO is the prettiest girl at the dance. Given a choice between taking up O2 (Atmosheric Oxygen) or CO, it will choose the Carbon Monoxide. This is a very common exam question in first year Physiology courses and it might go something like this:

Q: You are in a room with 1 % Carbon Monoxide and 99 % Oxygen for 15 minutes. What will be the ratio of these gasses in your blood stream at the end of exposure ?

One answer might be the same ratio...WRONG
Another might be 100 % Oxygen cause after all that's what our body needs ...Wrong.
The correct answer is something much, much higher than 1 % CO.

That's why people die in those ratios in their garage etc.

A little something to think about when your stuck behind a two stroke motorbike. "Oh well, there's lots of Oxygen around despite this exaust".
Wrong...Your hemoglobin is feasting on Carbon Monoxide before it will take up vital Oxygen.

 

Brillaint posts chuck (not including the farting though). We had been moaning about this pollution issue ages ago burried in thousands of posts here.You hang around in the boulevard ,people think the views are lovely towards the ocean but silently inhaling toxic fumes,plus the sewage.As dumaguete is getting bigger ,the problem is getting worst .Some posters did put in about a few gifted dumagueteneos developing electric vehicles,which is a brillaint alternative to replace the smoke belching trikes that flood around the city.T he vehicles looked like those small easy-rides.But then i can't see why they pedal driven trikes cheap and affordable to local filipinos aren't encouraged for transition.They are green and economical to roam around in short distances if people don't like to walk.The streets of dumaguete with all those motor trikes blowing poison fumes are sore in the eye in the first place .Few of us here were into the idea of some streets pedestrinized ,I don't think it's the problem of a small city as Dumaguete .Myself wish the boulevard will be the walking promanade and occasional pedal bikes .

Sadly,the people elected to govern this city and province can't make up their minds and think of the priorities.We think two heads are better than one but sadly they can't even decide collectively the right place for a few million pesos sewage sytem,instead putting it in the midle of dumaguete Rizal Park,people's park and near MC Do,how clever is that ? It just shows.

 

That is actually wrong as yo have to carry around 20 kilos of equipment while walking around you breath like a horse and I guess it wont last much longer than underwater unless you rent a local carring the Tank for you.
Aditional to that the tanks are filled with the surrounding air of Dumaguete anyway. The compressor-filter being used by almost all of the dive-shops here filter the moistsure not the polution, so it will help you nothing anyway.
One thing you could do is buying medical oxygen (550 Peso for 20 liter bottle) including delivery

cheers

Rhoody