mmm@cup.portal.com (Mark Robert Thorson) (04/15/89)
Today (4/14/89) on the TODAY show (NBC) a guest from the Natural Resources Defense Council launched the latest campaign, the fight against ozone pollution. Do I mean "depletion of the ozone layer"? Nope. Ozone pollution of the lower atmosphere. David Hawkins from the NRDC claims ozone "rots nylon and rubber" and "does the same thing to the inside of your lungs". Granted, ozone is not a nice gas to inhale. And it does contribute to the decomposition of rubber. But haven't these people got anything better to do with their time? Why does the NRDC attack ozone production, when there are far more important problems with the atmosphere, like the general production of all pollutants related to combustion? Why does the NRDC attack insignificant amounts of Alar in apples, when there are real dangers in the food supply, like aflatoxin and EDB? Why? In industry it's called "market niche". Everybody else in the ecology biz is going after the big ones. For a small group to make big bucks, they have to find a market which isn't taken, then exploit the hell out of it. So they go out and find a niche pollutant and an orphan pesticide residue, they call up all their movie-star friends, and they plug into the mass-media machine. Want to help save the world from Alar and ozone? Step right up and open your checkbook. For some reason, we'll find it necessary to spend all your money in New York and Washington DC on our expensive, new, environmentally- sound offices. (I saw a news story a few days ago about the New York office. Oy! Ed Koch should have such a nice office.) Meanwhile, who protects the American public from the NRDC.
steve@revolver.gatech.edu (Poppa Smurf) (04/16/89)
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In article <17183@cup.portal.com* mmm@cup.portal.com (Mark Robert Thorson) writes:
*
*David Hawkins from the NRDC claims ozone "rots nylon and rubber" and "does
*the same thing to the inside of your lungs". Granted, ozone is not a nice
*gas to inhale. And it does contribute to the decomposition of rubber.
*But haven't these people got anything better to do with their time?
*
*Why does the NRDC attack ozone production, when there are far more important
*problems with the atmosphere, like the general production of all pollutants
*related to combustion?
*
---> Apparently you are unaware of the relationship between ozone and photo-
chemical smog. Ozone has both natural and photochemical sources at
ground level. Occasionally, when the weather causes overturning of
upper and lower level air masses, high levels of ozone are measured
at the ground. In these circumstances, there is nothing that can be
done to limit the levels of ozone.
In many large cities, however, the ozone is generated by reactions
which involve hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen in the presence
of sunlight and water vapor. For this source of ozone, your suggestion
to clean up "all pollutants related to combustion" is part of the
---> strategy for reducing ozone levels.
*Why does the NRDC attack insignificant amounts of Alar in apples, when
*there are real dangers in the food supply, like aflatoxin and EDB?
*
---> (1) They're not terribly bright
(2) They're against anything which smacks of chemicals
(3) They're bored with their lives and get their jollys making
others as miserable as they
(4) All of the above
(5) None of the above
---> (6) Don't care, but wish they'd just go away
*Why? In industry it's called "market niche". Everybody else in the
*ecology biz is going after the big ones. For a small group to make big bucks,
*they have to find a market which isn't taken, then exploit the hell out
*of it. So they go out and find a niche pollutant and an orphan pesticide
* residue, they call up all their movie-star friends, and they plug into
*the mass-media machine.
*
---> Sounds like a reasonable explanation. Scientific research works that
way too. Exploit a hot topic until it is saturated with other folks
---> then move onto something less well known.
*Want to help save the world from Alar and ozone? Step right up and open
*your checkbook. For some reason, we'll find it necessary to spend all your
*money in New York and Washington DC on our expensive, new, environmentally-
*sound offices. (I saw a news story a few days ago about the New York office.
*Oy! Ed Koch should have such a nice office.)
*
*Meanwhile, who protects the American public from the NRDC.
---> I do. To rid the world of the NRDC just send your $10 to me. :-)