The World's Fastest-Growing Cause of Death Is Pollution From Car Exhaust

pigrabbitbear writes "Cars, once again, are killing us. They're killing us in crashes and accidents, yes, and they're encouraging us to grow obese and then killing us a little more slowly. But, more than ever before, they're killing us with their pollution. Particulate air pollution, along with obesity, is now the two fastest-growing causes of death in the world, according to a new study published in the Lancet. The study found that in 2010, 3.2 million people died prematurely from the air pollution – particularly the sooty kind that spews from the exhaust pipes of cars and trucks. And of those untimely deaths, 2.1 million were in Asia, where a boom in car use has choked the streets of India and China's fast-expanding cities with smog."

Comments

Re:So ban fatties from driving...

[cayenne8]

Seriously. The '74 Firebird SD455 was pretty much the last muscle car until the Mustang GT 5.0 HO came out in the late 80s. The 1977 Trans Am was beautiful, but it had a 400 ci engine that was technically a small block and it made only 200 HP.

Well, 1976 was the last year for the 455 in the Trans Am....that and '75 cars can be gotten fairly cheaply still in good shape. A bit of work on the engine (more aggressive cam, bore it out, dual exhausts, etc) and you can get a pretty high HP car.

I believe 1974 was the last year for the Super Duty 455 engine which was a monster, and again, a little coaxing can make that thing major, but the SD engines command a pretty high $$$.

I'm looking for a '75-'76...last year of 445, and last year for the round headlights, they switched to the eagle eye looking Smokey and the Bandit look in '77 and yes, they only have a 400ci engine in it.

Strangely enough, Smokey and the Bandit was supposed to have been filmed in about '76...but production was put off for various reasons. Some of the bandit cars used in filming were actually '76's...with 455 4 speed...but the noses on those were redone to look like the 77's.

Yes, the insurance bastards and the oil crisis was putting a stake in the heart of the US Muscle car at this point, the TA 455 was about the last gasp, and they need a little work to bring them up to potential. But man, when you do...torque monsters and sound amazing.

I don't remember what year they introduced the catalytic converter, but if you get early enough, you don't have to worry about those fuckers either...