(The debate starts at 8pm on CBS, comment here if anyone is watching it)

I’ve never understood how one could willingly live in a built up urban area and stay sane. Now I Know!!!

Urbanites NEED Carbon Monoxide!

That’s right all of you citizens of the concrete caverns, you who brave the congestion and crowds and #occupymoonbats, you NEED Carbon Monoxide to keep your sanity!

So, get outside and inhale deeply the polluted air, and thank your lucky stars for the internal combustion motor!

After years of pollution scares, now they say it’s good for you

Scientists in Israel claim carbon monoxide fumes from cars help city dwellers cope with stress

Published on Saturday 12 November 2011 07:44

A LETHAL toxic gas belched from car exhausts has been found to have an unusual side effect in low doses – it calms the nerves and help city dwellers cope with stress.

Carbon monoxide (CO), a tasteless, colourless and odourless gas dubbed the “silent killer”, is lethal when inhaled in large quantities.

However, scientists have discovered that low levels of the gas can have a narcotic effect that helps city dwellers cope with other harmful environmental factors of an urban life, such as noise.

“This finding indicates that CO, in small doses, is a boon to the well-being of urbanites, better equipping them to deal with environmental stress,” said Professor Itzhak Schnell of Tel Aviv University’s Department of Geography and the Human Environment,

The scientists wanted to measure how people living in cities dealt with stress. They asked 36 healthy individuals between 20 and 40 years of age to spend two days in Tel Aviv, Israel’s busiest city.

The subjects of the experiment travelled to sites such as busy streets, restaurants, shopping centres and markets, by public and private transport or by foot.

Israeli researchers then monitored the impact of four environmental stressors: heat and cold, noise pollution, carbon monoxide levels, and the impact of crowds.

Participants reported to what extent their experiences were stressful.

Data was also taken from sensors that measured heart rate and pollutant levels.

Noise pollution emerged as the most significant cause of stress. However, the presence of CO appeared to have a narcotic effect on the participants, counter-acting the stress caused by noise and crowd density.

Prof Schnell said: “The results showed that living in a major city might not have as negative a health impact as we were expecting.

“Though participants exhibited rising stress levels throughout the day, CO had a mitigating influence, and extended exposure to the chemical had no lasting effects.”

The study’s next step is to investigate how environmental loads impact the more vulnerable segments of the population, such as infants, the elderly, and those with medical conditions such as asthma. “We would be able to tell more accurately under what conditions vulnerable people shouldn’t go out, and more importantly, identify areas that are still safe, helping to increase freedom of movement,” said Prof Schnell.

The research has been published in the journal Environmental Monitoring and Assessment.

Christopher Conner, local air quality specialist for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), said: “Carbon monoxide is listed in the Air Quality Standards as a pollutant which is prejudicial to health.

“These standards are based on World Health Organisation guidelines, which Sepa strives to uphold by ensuring carbon monoxide levels are not exceeded by the processes and activities we regulate.”

Stan Blackley, the chief executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “The implication here is that rather than improving our urban environments to make them more pleasant places to live and work, we can rely on pollution to intoxicate people into putting up with unacceptably poor air quality.

“Air pollution is known to cause serious health problems for millions of people around the world, and this study should not be used as an excuse by public authorities not to clean up their act.”

Rodan Note: For those of you not on the West Coast. The rest of the debate can be seen The debate can be watched here.