SAS Urban Survival Handbook (2 page)

AGAINST ALL ODDS

Take control of yourself, your health and your immediate surroundings. On a simple practical level, there’s a lot you can do to make life safer and less complicated—but you must do so against a backdrop of constant natural and man-made dangers. You can’t change the world, but you can HELP! Minimize the risks to yourself by understanding some of the natural dangers. DON’T contribute to the world-pollution crisis.

Natural enemies

Some hazards exist as part of nature. There is a huge number of poisonous plants commonly found in gardens or indoors as pot plants. Some are deadly if eaten, others cause irritation when they come into contact with the skin. DO NOT eat any plant, unless it is already a recognized ‘food’. Even some everyday food plants are poisonous if eaten in their raw state, including the familiar potato. Its flowers, leaves and stems are poisonous, as are the potatoes themselves if eaten raw—especially if they are green!

Cockroaches, fleas, rats and other common vermin help to spread disease. Rats alone have been responsible for the spread of plague (transmitted by rat fleas) and a serious illness called Weil’s disease is carried in their urine. And, of course, there is a multitude of poisonous and dangerous animals, reptiles, fish and insects the world over—from Australia to India and America to the Arctic Circle.

There is even a risk from the life-giving sun itself. Overexposure, especially of skin that hasn’t seen the sun for months, can lead to skin cancers if no protective barrier is worn.

Radon gas is a major hazard, although not specifically a city problem. It occurs mainly in areas built on granite, where the rock contains uranium 238 and thorium. Official figures indicate that radon gas is responsible for 20,000 deaths in the USA alone, every year. The carcinogenic (cancer-producing) gas rises through the ground and up into buildings. Sealing floors and improving ventilation is one of the recommendations for reducing exposure.

Pollution

Many of the environmental problems of our cities can be traced directly to ourselves. In most densely-populated parts of the world, industrial, domestic and traffic emissions so pollute the environment that large numbers of the population—especially children—suffer from respiratory problems and various forms of chemical poisoning.

It is only really in this century that people began to realize the link between industrial and domestic smoke and air pollution. Avoiding the filthy air was one reason why cities spread away from their industrial hearts.

Clean-air legislation has made some progress, but traffic emissions and the burning of fossil fuels still pollute the air of most of the world’s cities. Often the atmosphere is so contaminated that even the buildings are being slowly eaten away by the chemical-laden air and rain.

Of course, it is not just our cities that are affected by air pollution. When major atmospheric pollution combines with moisture, sulphuric acid, sulphites and sulphur dioxide are produced. These spread around the globe, falling as acid rain. This affects people, trees, plants and animals thousands of miles away. It also leaches mercury, iron, cadmium and magnesium out of soil to pollute streams and rivers, further poisoning fish and other wildlife.

The acid content of the water increases the risks of poisoning the drinking supply. Many harmful chemicals also escape the filters of the water-treatment systems.

Gases such as carbon dioxide have built up in the atmosphere, contributing to a so-called global warming—the ‘greenhouse effect’—which may dramatically change the world’s climate and sea levels. Inadequate controls and accidents have led to horrific spillages of radiation, poisonous gases and chemicals, often in densely populated areas.

CHEMICAL SPRAYS

If you must use pesticides, fungicides or weedkillers in your own garden, be careful to avoid skin contact or inhalation of droplets or vapours. Even those of low toxicity can do you harm. Toxic effects vary considerably, but most of the chemicals you will use will persist in the soil. DDT is now banned, in most countries, but even a newborn baby has traces in its body tissues. 2,4,5-T was found to cause horrific disorders, several years ago, but is still available.

Radiation

There has always been a background level of radioactivity from natural sources, but the development of nuclear power—whether for peaceful or military purposes—has greatly increased the risks. Incidents such as those at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island have made our worst fears REAL. Fallout from Chernobyl has disastrously affected an enormous number of lives in many countries.

We are what we eat

Much of the food we eat now often carries a heavy dosage of chemicals absorbed from pesticides and artificial fertilizers (which also leach into waterways and pollute them). Many foods are also over-processed or in some way ‘interfered with’ before they reach us.

WARNING

X-rays have been found to cause ionization in the living cells through which they pass. It is known that they can have a cumulative effect on the body—and should only be given when absolutely necessary. X-ray ‘photographs’ are produced because some body tissues absorb higher levels of radiation than others. Bones absorb the most, so they appear as a lighter image on the plate. Changes can occur in bone marrow and white blood cells. Keep a personal record of any x-rays—part of body, date, reason—not forgetting dental x-rays.

For the city dweller, growing your own food—however organically—is no longer safe. Research has suggested that home-grown vegetables in many city gardens absorb even more pollutants from the air than are present in most nonorganically grown farm produce. Lettuce is the worst—it absorbs more nitrates and lead than any other vegetable.

It may not be safe to eat food grown within a seven-mile radius of a major city. Large airports also produce toxins, causing (for instance) very high levels of aluminium in the soil.

Processed foods

Food marketing today seems to try to make all food look appealing. Food may have been treated with bleach or colourings. Various additives may be used to provide or increase flavour or aroma, preservatives to make the food keep longer. Fruit may be sprayed or painted with wax. Irradiation is also being used in some countries to kill organisms and increase shelf life of ‘fresh’ products. It is claimed this process has no ill effects. Experts differ on this, but there is serious concern—not least because it is not detectable in most foods. All these additives and processes are IN ADDITION TO the chemicals used in growing produce.

ALL fruit and vegetables must be THOROUGHLY washed. It is advisable that they should also be peeled, unless you are quite sure that they have been organically grown without the use of pesticides. If you like cooking with the zest of citrus fruit or baking potatoes in their jackets, you should always be very careful.

It’s up to us

We have got to live with these problems and do everything we can to improve things. It will mean a dramatic change in attitudes—especially in our cities—to conserve energy and produce it in less harmful ways. We are all aware of most of the problems, but action on both the personal and governmental level still lags far behind what’s needed. In many cases we have learned too late—the damage has already been done. In some places the countryside, its wildlife and even its people, are sick and dying. We are all at risk. This is the background against which you have to solve all your other problems.

REMEMBER

The growth of knowledge and understanding, followed by positive action, which has occurred over environmental issues is an example of the pattern which YOU should apply to every aspect of your life. Ignorance is definitely NOT bliss! It is a killer. The more you know and understand, the better you can cope with any situation. Knowledge will give you confidence and experience will increase your abilities.

BODY MATTERS

It’s up to YOU to make sure that you have a balanced diet and proper exercise. Monitor your own health and have regular medical check-ups—particularly if you smoke cigarettes, drink a lot of alcohol or have a hazardous/high-stress job. How much you need to eat depends on your physique and the kind of life you lead. Exercise will be more necessary if you have a sedentary job than if your work involves physical exertion.

Most people have a pretty good idea of when they are over or under weight. If you’re worried about being fat or skinny you should check with your doctor, before adopting a particular diet. There could be non-dietary reasons for your condition or you may be worrying needlessly. There are a great many cases of severe dietary disorders each year, due to people having distorted ideas of what is a ‘perfect’ physique.

In the 1980s, many people—worried by all the media coverage on diet, sport, fitness and longevity—took to eating pasta and salads. Both are good for you, but don’t constitute an adequate diet on their own. Many people became ‘hooked’ on exercise as well—doctors found that some of their patients were literally exhausted!

Vitamin and other dietary supplements should not be necessary, unless you feel particularly ‘run down’ or you’ve been ill. A mixture of vegetables, fruit, meat and fish and dairy products is generally believed to provide all the proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals which you need. In recent years, many people have cut down on the amount of meat they eat—many have stopped eating meat altogether. A vegetarian or vegan diet needs more careful planning to ensure the body gets all the nutrients it needs when animal fats and proteins are excluded.

VITAMIN OVERDOSE

Excessive vitamin intake can do as much harm as having too little—especially for the very young, the elderly and pregnant women. It’s quite common to reach toxic levels of some vitamins, especially with today’s super-high-dose supplements. A boost of vitamin C, for example, has long been thought to help fight common colds (although there is little scientific evidence for it). An excess increases the risk of forming kidney stones. Excessive doses during pregnancy can lead to withdrawal symptoms in newborn infants, producing symptoms very like scurvy. Effervescent tablets often consist largely of sodium bicarbonate and this would be a risk to patients on a low sodium diet for heart or blood pressure problems. Natural vitamin C from citrus fruits, for example, should be adequate.

Exercise

Don’t suddenly take up strenuous exercise if you have been inactive for a long time. You should have a medical check-up first. You have to build up your stamina gradually and match the kind of exercise you do to your age and condition. Most injuries in amateurs occur in the first few weeks of a season when people are out of practice—evidence enough that sudden exercise can be damaging.

In fact, every sport and exercise session should start with a warm-up (see WORK & PLAY:
Sport
). Walking and swimming provide excellent exercise for all ages and are safe for most people.

WARNING

If you find that ANY exercise you undertake puts you under uncomfortable strain, causes chest pain or shooting pains down the arms, STOP AT ONCE. You may be overdoing it. Have a medical check-up and then opt for a gentler form of exercise. You can increase the work your body has to do, as it develops greater strength and stamina. NEVER take strenuous exercise classes in conditions which are very hot or very humid compared with those in which you normally live.

Chemical risks

In addition to the toxic substances in the environment and in our food, there are a huge amount of poisons lying around in every home or in daily use at work.