"James M. Knox" wrote in message ...
(Eastward Bound) wrote in
om:

My Aunt who lives close by to LAX said that the tile roof used to be
red or bright orange when it was new. Because of the bad air from all
the high traffic or aircraft the roof is now green. It must have been
some kind of chemical reaction.

If the tiles are clay, it's probably mold -- a very common allergen and
caused primarily by the humidity. BTW, there are LOTS of things in the
air around LAX - especially when the wind is from the south (Torrance).
Only a few of them are actual things that SHOULD be in the air. Drive
south a few miles and look at all the street signs - all rusting away.
[Torrance is basically the petro-chemical refinery district.]

It sure is. Not too long ago they had a nasty fire in the refinery
that put up black smoke that can be seen from miles and miles away.



Aviation fuel isn't the same kind of fuel as gasoline. There must be
some kind of chemical in the air that is released when aviation fuel
is burned by the jet engines.

Correct. AVGAS (which is what the small piston-powered general aviation
aircraft use) is very similar to auto gasoline. In fact, a number of
these small aircraft actually USE auto gasoline.

The Jet engines use Jet-A, which is basically kerosene. It's very
similar (although not identical) to diesel fuel used in diesel engine
cars. I would expecct any reaction to one to also equate to a reaction
to the other, but ...

You can get kerosene from most any hardware and/or camping store. You
might try to see if you react to it.

I'm OK with Kerosene. We used to keep Kerosene lamps in the garage
just in case of a black out. I have messed with Kerosene lamps before
with no reaction at all to the smell of the Kerosene.




Don't parks and stadiums use the aforementioned chemicals you stated
was used in Airports? If it's the same then you can rule that out
since I highly doubt it having gone to many parks before along with
places with treated lawns.

There are lots of different lawn chemicals, and commercial places
(stadiums, airports, etc.) often use things that aren't available to the
average homeowner. However, with all the EPA regulations in place, I
would expect airports to be much BETTER (less harmful and less of it)
than things like stadiums and golf courses.

In either event, I believe you said you have this reaction at ALL the
major airports you visit. Unlikely to be fertilizers or pesticides.


Who knows, maybe the air quality in and around LAX is a lot dirtier
then they would like to admit. Maybe money is involved, who knows...




Whatever it is I should find out what is causing this. Who knows,
maybe I might need to be rushed to the Emergency Room once I get to
witness a space shuttle taking off up close and personal for the first
time. Maybe whatever is in that Aviation fuel is in Jet fuel used for
the space shuttle.

Completely different stuff... solid propellants, plus hydrogen and
oxygen (makes water when burned). Again, I'd worry more about the
fertilizers on the lawn where you are standing.

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James M. Knox
TriSoft ph 512-385-0316
1109-A Shady Lane fax 512-366-4331
Austin, Tx 78721
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