The Real Danger

I may have figured it out. Last night in the shower it suddenly came to me that maybe it is reverse protection. Sure, that box of books might fall on your head or throw out your back, but the real danger is in the production of books, and not just books, but all printed materials. Let us look at the process in order.

Firstly there is the need for paper. Paper is today still produced largely from trees. So the beginning of the process is in the acquisition of trees commonly called logging. The logging industry has a long and illustrious history going back 200,000 years to the dawn of man and the introduction of house fabrication. This advancement was a major improvement in human lifestyles and persists until today as one of the greatest achievements, improvements, and desirable commodities of modern life. The house combined with advancements in understanding of horticulture led to a more stable agrarian lifestyle which in turn led to further intellectual and social advancements including writing. This in turn led to the eventual invention of paper both independently in Asia and Africa.

The logging industry, though is fraught with dangers. There are the real dangers involved in the process of logging. In modern days logging is usually performed using advanced machineries and tools like power saws, trucks, tractors, etc. These tools themselves are highly dangerous and claim thousands of lives and limbs every year in the USA and probably tens of thousands world wide every year. Also involved in the act of logging is the actual felling of trees which weigh several tons and come crashing to the ground. Proper safety measurements are required in this process by all major corporations involved in this industry, but it remains a dangerous undertaking none-the-less.

Deforestation, a by product of over logging certain areas, is also a common place danger that results from logging. Deforestation contains many hazards that may either directly or indirectly have an effect on human beings. Some of these hazards include erosion, loss of habitat for wild animals, loss of bio-diversity, and reduced oxygen production. Each one of these hazards has been well researched and documented and rather than try to detail all of the effects these hazards I would like to request, gentle readers, that you perhaps offer some links and references for us all?

As you can see there are real and present dangers in the first stage of book production with both an annual head count (in both deaths and dis-memberment) as well as long term hazardous effects. The next stage of the process after logging is the actual manufacture of the paper itself...