Excess

November 18, 2020

During the 1980’s I researched the effect of lead smelting on a local community at the turn of the century Utah.  Part of my research was on the local cemetery records and stated cause of death.  What I found was fascinating.  The cause of death followed predictable patterns as the health science uncovered new diseases and the symptoms associated with them.  An example would be to lump everyone with a cough as consumption.  That could have been tuberculosis, or it may have been lung cancer, but little was known about the difference or the cause of either, so they were listed as consumption.  When tuberculosis was discovered in 1882, the cause of all the deaths changed to TB.  It did that for every new disease discovered.  What surprised me was few residents were listed as dying from lead poisoning.

Even as we reel from the staggering statistic of 11.7 million cases and 254,000 deaths related to the Covid-19 virus in America, most researchers tell us that is not the true picture.  Estimates say there are perhaps three times as many cases and deaths that the virus is responsible for.  These estimates are based on two pieces of information.  One is the way deaths are reported.  If you die without a positive test, it is not considered a result of the virus.  Early testing was not widespread, and there was no need to test after death.  The other piece is the virus is particularly lethal for people with pre-existing conditions.  While the virus may be the cause of death, it is often attributed to the pre-existing condition.

As part of my earlier research, I tried to obtain oral interviews from living persons who had worked in the lead smelter.  The smelter had closed twenty years earlier, and while I did find and interview two workers on their experiences, both had only worked for a short time before the smelter closed.  I puzzled over this until I came across an article on the effect of lead poisoning.  Very few people exposed to lead receive a toxic dose.  However, the lead settles in the vital organs and cause cancer or failures which result in death.  That means while lead caused the failure, lung or liver cancer was listed as the cause of death.  There were no old smelter workers.  They had died from the side effects of lead poisoning.

Thoughts:  Another indicator of the effect of the virus is the dramatic rise in excess deaths.  Overall, an estimated 299,028 excess deaths (over the normal average) occurred from late January through October 3, 2020, with 198,081 (66%) excess deaths attributed to COVID-19.

While this may just be an anomaly, it is more likely this spike is due to the virus.  We have been told our numbers are high because we are now testing.  The science tells us our numbers were always high, we just ignored them by not testing.  Whether you die from the virus or the side effects, the result is the same. Stay safe by following the science.  Change is coming and it starts with you.