you put words in my mouth, as you twist and turn trying to get
yourself out of embarrassment.
You come across an article written by NUS researchers using lichens
as bioatmospheric monitors/indicators of heavy metal pollution in
the air in certain areas of Singapore. Apparently that's all you
know. In responding to the investments mentioned by Gazalle in this
thread, you use this to question the environmental impact
management of the petroleum industries in Singapore, thereby
implying that the "latest catch for Singapore" , like the
refineries, are at the expense of polluting the air in
Singapore.
You later presented an extract from the article stating that "Peak
concentrations of zinc, copper and lead in lichens were found at
Sembawang, Jurong and the National University of Singapore campus
which are locations associated with heavy petroleum and shipping
industries, and road traffic respectively." You highlighted heavy
petroleum industries, to substantiate your claim that petroleum
industry is causing pollution.
Zinc and copper are essential elements that exist in plants and
animals. These two metals exist everywhere, in different forms. The
presense of these metals does not constitute pollution. Air is
contaminated or polluted only when excessive amount of such metals
or any other particles are present in the atmosphere. The NUS
report indicates that the peak concentrations of these metals were
found at Jurong etc., peak means the highest in comparison to other
areas in Singapore. But does the report say that the concentration
of any one metal or all combined exceed the max level allowable
(5mg/Nm3 for copper, don't know about Zinc), which could and should
raise alarm for actions to reduce the level or there could be
adverse impact on human health??? You are putting words into the
mouths of the researchers. 
Shame on you.
The normal pollutants of air are SO2, oxides of nitrogen, ozone,
carbon monoxide, lead, ..... carbon monoxide is emitted into the
air every min as cars run on the road. Is it polluting the air?
yes, why then we don't ban the cars from the road?
Doesn't your mother pollute the air when she burn CH gas to cook,
or is she using charcoal?
Doesn't your mother pollute the water when she discharges dirty
water into the sewer?
Doesn't your mother pollute the land when she dumped all her
rubbish in front of the house every evening?
She is obviously guilty, by your definition of pollution. But, in
the real world, the emission from her cooking does not reach the
concentration to harm anybody. Dirty water will pollute if it is
not treated before discharged into the sea or river. Rubbish will
pollute the earth if not incinerated, buried or appropriately
dealth with.
We have laws and regulations setting limits to control the emission
from refineries, factories and vehicles, we monitor air quality to
ensure that under normal circumstance, our air quality is good
enough for all Singaporeans to have a clean environment. Singapore
is still known to be a clean garden city state, despite of the
refineries, power generation plants, chemicals plants... 
Is there pollution in Singapore? I never said no. But is it under
control? Most of the time. sometimes air quality index exceeded 100
when wind blows the smoke from indonesia, so? We don't stop
refineries and power plants from operating, or ban all cars from
the road. Rolls Royce is still prepared to invest millions to build
the second aircraft engines assembly plant here, the first outside
UK, why? because they have confidence in us.
I can understand, for many people like you who wish to see
singapore going down, investment leaving us, singaporeans
migrating... the news of some big catch for Singapore irks you.
Such feeling of sour grapes is not uncommon, but only among those
who are very narrow minded.
go live you life down under, here we are having celebrations
