OPINION

Still hazardous

Re: "Three more areas on disaster list", (BP, April 8).

This article on Chiang Mai's air quality left me scratching my head. The second-to-last paragraph quoted a renowned doctor as saying there is "no clear evidence" that PM2.5 is a "main cause" of lung cancer.

Then the last paragraph had the same doctor saying PM2.5 particles cause free radicals and inflammation "and it is this process that leads to cancer."

So what can be concluded from this apparently conflicting information? That PM2.5 may be a main cause of lung cancer but there is no clear evidence proving that?

That it has been proven that PM2.5 is a contributory factor to lung cancer, though not the main cause? That PM2.5 contributes to other cancers but not lung cancer?

Let's face it: PM2.5 is not good for one, whether it causes cancer or not. As I continue scratching my head with one hand, I am donning my mask with the other.

Glass cage blues

Re: "It's not entertaining", (PostBag, April 6).

I agree with Ning that it's cruel to put wild animals on display so the public can gawk at them.

In a recent PostBag letter I wrote about a science fiction television programme about astronauts who landed on a planet where the inhabitants had superior intelligence. They locked the astronauts up in a room with a window so the inhabitants could stare at them as though they were zoo animals.

The essence of the animal rights philosophy is that intelligence has nothing to do with rights. Thus we have no more right to exploit cows, pigs, and monkeys.

That's why retarded humans have the same rights as normal humans. Once people understand that, the animal rights philosophy becomes intellectually and morally indisputable.

Vax debate

Re: "Anti-vax downside" (PostBag, April 2).

Ken Albertsen suggests the anti-Covid vaccine is not harmful. The reason given is that athletes taking part in the 2021 Olympics were required to get vaccinated beforehand, didn't come down with any adverse effects or got sick!

A simple Google search says otherwise, though. Ken's also comparing apples and oranges in regards to the different vaccines.

Proven vaccines against mumps, polio, diphteria and the like are from another league altogether. They were researched for years regarding safety and side effects before inoculation.

However, the Covid vaccine was not, and requires boosters every few months. First and foremost: I'm not an anti-vaxxer but follow the news about the large numbers of unexplained excess deaths and side effects in countries after Covid-vaccinations.

It would be interesting to read about the deafening silence regarding Thailand's excess deaths. The latest information from British doctor John Campbell and Prof Angus Dalgliesh may be a real eye-opener for (still gullible) readers.

Conservative bash

Re: "Where is the love?", (PostBag, April 13).

Vint Chavala cannot distinguish between loving a monarchy and loving a country.

It is simply not the same. You can love a country which is a republic and can love a country which is a monarchy.

But I guess conservatives are not known for their cognitive abilities. They are usually stuck with some outdated notions and defend them vigorously, if necessary with brute force. That's why they always support coups, assuming the coupmakers are the good ones.