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Where Does Dirt Come From?

Something I should have mentioned is that organic material in the soil, from humus and dead plants, is manufactured by photosynthesis from carbon dioxide from the air, and basic rocks can be oxidised by atmospheric oxygen, so some soil mass literally comes out of thin air.
 
eburacum said:
In due course, our older towns have been raised by as much as ten metres
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Except for the ones on coastal areas subject to erosion that end up falling into the sea.
 
I've got a book about Ravenser Odd that I can recommend; curiously three future kings of England have landed there at various times, in order to invade our pleasant land. It is now under water.
 
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Victory said:
The dust that you breathe in on the London Underground, (then hopefully get rid of when you blow your nose when you get home) is comprised of, amongst other things:

Dead skin cells
Dead mice
Dead rats
Dead pigeons
Particles of metal which are shaved off the rails by train wheels
Particles of rubber from train brakes
General dirt from the street which gets blown into stations
Mouse poo
Rat poo
Pigeon poo
Particles of paper from the newspapers given out to commuters
Particles of decayed kebabs and burgers eaten by late night revellers
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Have they eliminated all of the asbestos dust that were in the brake pads used for a hundred years?
 
eburacum said:
Something I should have mentioned is that organic material in the soil, from humus and dead plants, is manufactured by photosynthesis from carbon dioxide from the air, and basic rocks can be oxidised by atmospheric oxygen, so some soil mass literally comes out of thin air.
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I've sometimes have 'stuff' in my wallet a bit like that - it also seems to vanish into thin air!:)
 
Victory said:
The dust that you breathe in on the London Underground, (then hopefully get rid of when you blow your nose when you get home) is comprised of, amongst other things:

Dead skin cells
Dead mice
Dead rats
Dead pigeons
Particles of metal which are shaved off the rails by train wheels
Particles of rubber from train brakes
General dirt from the street which gets blown into stations
Mouse poo
Rat poo
Pigeon poo
Particles of paper from the newspapers given out to commuters
Particles of decayed kebabs and burgers eaten by late night revellers
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Did you ever go to Cairo V? After an hour or so I used to get back to the place I was staying with black feet (sandals) and a persistent cough. I don't know whether it's a myth, but they say that even if you don't smoke, a day breathing in Cairo air is the equivalent to smoking 20 Cleopatra's (25p a pack last time I was there).
 
Floyd1 said:
Did you ever go to Cairo V? After an hour or so I used to get back to the place I was staying with black feet (sandals) and a persistent cough. I don't know whether it's a myth, but they say that even if you don't smoke, a day breathing in Cairo air is the equivalent to smoking 20 Cleopatra's (25p a pack last time I was there).
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Not been.

Sounds awful!

I guess that is from a lot of traffic congestion and small industry using fires?
 
Victory said:
Not been.

Sounds awful!

I guess that is from a lot of traffic congestion and small industry using fires?
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Yes, traffic mainly. Washed down with some good old Cairo mercury tap water. Brilliant stuff!
 
Tempest63 said:
Have they eliminated all of the asbestos dust that were in the brake pads used for a hundred years?
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The use of asbestos in brake pads was banned in 1999, and that is when London Transport stopped using them. The process of removal started in the 1980s. Only a few heritage trains nowadays have them, and even those have nearly all been replaced.

Asbestos was a big problem on BR, since its widespread introduction in the early 50s. Several nasty, fatal train fires in the late 1940s prompted the introduction of this miracle material, but by the 1990s lots of railwaymen were feeling the ill effects of asbestos inhalation. This cost millions in compensation.
 
My Grandfather campaigned for safety equipment.

Then spent the rest of his career yelling "Put your bloody masks on!"

(I can still hear him say that).
 
Tempest63 said:
Have they eliminated all of the asbestos dust that were in the brake pads used for a hundred years?
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No. Still used in buildings in some part of the world, I think it's still used in some mechanical brake systems.
 
Eyespy said:
No. Still used in buildings in some part of the world, I think it's still used in some mechanical brake systems.
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IIRC from my Asbestos Awareness course, both Russia and Canada still produce large quantities of asbestos.
Not sure what products it is still used in or what countries still allow its use. In the U.K. it was banned fully in 1999. Previous to that blue and brown asbestos were banned in 1985.
This year marks my 44th year in the construction industry and I know I have had some exposure to asbestos over the years. Every time I get a chest infection or other type of lingering cough my work history flags up at the GP‘s and they send me straight off for a chest X-ray to see if I’ve developed one of the asbestos related diseases.
 
Ooh dear..been lurking on this site for yonks and always thought that when I finally did come to post something it’d be a profound insight into matters paranormal or at least a reasonably compelling ihtm anecdote. Alas I’ve strayed onto this topic and feel an unignorable urge to give me tuppence worth.
Where does the dirt come from?…There is no dirt!
As the great Mary Douglas pointed out, there is no such thing as dirt, merely matter in the wrong place.
 
I hadn't seen this thread before, and dirt is just particles of everything which has been blown about in the wind -
There are some who never open their windows, so that the dust and dirt doesn't blow in through the screen.
Having lived in a few different places, I have definitely noticed more dust in some places than others, which really mystifies me.
 
Velvet monkey said:
Ooh dear..been lurking on this site for yonks and always thought that when I finally did come to post something it’d be a profound insight into matters paranormal or at least a reasonably compelling ihtm anecdote. Alas I’ve strayed onto this topic and feel an unignorable urge to give me tuppence worth.
Where does the dirt come from?…There is no dirt!
As the great Mary Douglas pointed out, there is no such thing as dirt, merely matter in the wrong place.
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Ok, I'll buy that. And well done on de-lurking yourself. Onwards and upwards!
 
Tempest63 said:
IIRC from my Asbestos Awareness course, both Russia and Canada still produce large quantities of asbestos.
Not sure what products it is still used in or what countries still allow its use. In the U.K. it was banned fully in 1999. Previous to that blue and brown asbestos were banned in 1985.
This year marks my 44th year in the construction industry and I know I have had some exposure to asbestos over the years. Every time I get a chest infection or other type of lingering cough my work history flags up at the GP‘s and they send me straight off for a chest X-ray to see if I’ve developed one of the asbestos related diseases.
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I was working in some restaurant about 8 years ago. The owner asked me to do some work in another building close by that he'd just bought. He tried to con me into ripping out a load of old asbestos with no mention or offer of any personal protection equipment at all, presumably so he could save himself a ton of money instead by getting me to do it. That was a heated conversation that ended with me saying "Why not? .. because I don't want to breath in a load of ****ing asbestos!" .. I'd already been tipped off that he'd approached some other blokes who'd also refused.
 
Ronnie Jersey said:
I hadn't seen this thread before, and dirt is just particles of everything which has been blown about in the wind -
There are some who never open their windows, so that the dust and dirt doesn't blow in through the screen.
Having lived in a few different places, I have definitely noticed more dust in some places than others, which really mystifies me.
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M'mm. . . not really just dirt though is it. 'Dirt' grows all kinds things from within itself when conditions are right, life of all sorts comes to live and form within that dirt which converts it into growable soil, which means you can no longer call it dirt. Dirt itself I would call the detritus of everything that settles upon the ground, whether it be from the wind blown air or other forms of natural and unnatural materials. Earth is a wonderful and very necessary thing to life itself!
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Swifty said:
I was working in some restaurant about 8 years ago. The owner asked me to do some work in another building close by that he'd just bought. He tried to con me into ripping out a load of old asbestos with no mention or offer of any personal protection equipment at all, presumably so he could save himself a ton of money instead by getting me to do it. That was a heated conversation that ended with me saying "Why not? .. because I don't want to breath in a load of ****ing asbestos!" .. I'd already been tipped off that he'd approached some other blokes who'd also refused.
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I'm glad for your sake that you didn't do it.
 
The creator! And dinosaur bones were planted in place by teenage space ship joy riders from an dvanced alien race looking to confuse the stupid apes we call humans [us] and just for giggles.
 
Sid said:
M'mm. . . not really just dirt though is it. 'Dirt' grows all kinds things from within itself when conditions are right, life of all sorts comes to live and form within that dirt which converts it into growable soil, which means you can no longer call it dirt. Dirt itself I would call the detritus of everything that settles upon the ground, whether it be from the wind blown air or other forms of natural and unnatural materials. Earth is a wonderful and very necessary thing to life itself!
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Soil is indeed a wondrous thing. As part of my university studies, I undertook basic soil sciences and my understanding was transformed!

'Dirt' is something that needs to be cleaned away but soil is precious, it is the bed on which almost all land-based life is created and depends on.

Soil is an ecosystem in and of itself, it comprises myriad components, most of them living, and the best way to grow plants and feed a garden is to... feed the soil. A complex system of mineral matter, organic matter, invertebrates, fungi, bacteria and other micro-organisms plus fluids, trace elements it also has an innate structure that can be tweaked or ruined by human activity. Don't dig, don't compress, do mulch!

Walk on the grass but never tread on the soil!

 
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