And Finally: Only in America…
Published by Andy Rowell December 24th, 2008 in Biofuels
Here’s a silly story for the festive season. The authorities in America are investigating a Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon who claims that he used the fat he removed from patients in liposuction operations to power his “green” SUV.
California’s public health department has opened an inquiry into claims made by the surgeon, Dr Alan Bittner, that he had turned fat removed from his patients into biodiesel.
Mr Bittner wrote on his website: “The vast majority of my patients request that I use their fat for fuel - and I have more fat than I can use. Not only do they get to lose their love handles or chubby belly, but they get to take part in saving the Earth.”
However the authorities are not impressed at Bittner’s efforts to save the planet. The website lipodiesel.com has since been shut down and Mr Bittner’s clinic has now been closed.
Happy Xmas everyone…
As long as he is not hurting anyone, and the fuel which he makes is not harming the environment, then I really do not understand the logic in closing down his operation.
Were he killing people to make them into fuel, or were he not doing the surgeries on his patients correctly and causing them harm, or were his product the cause of pollution to the environment (more than unleaded or diesel fuel currently pollute it); then, I could see the problem that people would have with this.
But if none of those things are the case, then, why close his business/website down.
What exactly is wrong with this? So no sir, because this fuel, er I mean fat, came from people, you can’t use it. Wait, you say the people want you to use their fat for fuel? No. Instead you must incinerate it or toss it in a landfill. I say kudos. Make it legal; after all, it is logical.
Shouldn’t excess fat and protein be sent to feed the starving people in China?
What am I missing here? Are the authorities trying to make it out to be like using human body parts or something. What am I missing?
Maybe there is a gap in the regulations for safe handling of the material (it is considered a biohazard) that will need addressing before this can be done legally.
If not for that it almost looks as if the legal test here is whether or not it makes the powers that be queezy.
mark - queasy not queezy