3
The problem of dirty air-
Daily Kansan
Thursday, November 17, 1966
(Continued from page 1)
"Ranchers have found cattle crawling across pastureland on their knees," Lewis wrote. "They were starved because they could not chew, and the farmers killed them to spare them further misery."
"There is no longer any doubt that air pollution is a hazard to health," said Dr. Luther L. Terry, Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Service.
"The asthmatic attacks among susceptible patients correlate with variations in sulfate air pollution in Nashville, and asthma attacks in New Orleans may be associated with air pollution resulting from the incomplete combustion of refuse. Employee absenteeism due to respiratory illness have been correlated with levels of sulfate pollution."
Another assistant surgeon general has comments. Two years after Terry's speech, Dr. Robert J. Anderson noted that "sensational and tragic as such disasters (Donora, New York, etc.) are, we are even more concerned with the slow, insidious effects of long-continued exposure to much lower concentrations of air pollutants, concentrations such as those which prevail constantly or recur frequently in most of our cities."
"Studies have shown that death rates for cardio-respiratory causes correlate in general with air pollution level," said Terry. He cited specifics.
Anderson says air pollution contributes to the common cold, pulmonary emphysema, bronchial asthma and lung cancer. He offers laboratory investigations and four separate independent studies as a basis to "strongly suggest" that "air pollutants contribute to the development of respiratory cancer."
If polluted air can scrape the paint off cars and fell cattle, what can it do to humans? And—specifically, what can it do to their lungs?
Lewis takes the cancer question further. He says that most fuels used now produce carcinogenic, or cancer-causing agents.
"Airborne carcinogens may be swallowed in saliva, or with food and drink. This ingestion is thought by some to be related to cancer of the esophagus and stomach. Absorbed by the bloodstream, carcinogens are thought to cause leukemia."
With the additional discovery that air pollution is a health hazard, it becomes a double-barreled threat to man. Not only does it ruin the air he desperately needs, but it may be ruining his lungs at the same time. As science progresses, air pollution becomes better defined. Its causes become known.
"In the early days of the industrial revolution people thought the air was just too dirty. Now, as science has become more sophisticated, we find that it was not just a matter of dirt.
Thomas D. Bath, a Ph.D. chemical engineer at Midwest Research Institute, explained what pollutes the air.
"The question is at what levels pollutants exist. The man who's concerned wants to find out what are the acceptable levels of pollutants and then wants somehow to control them."
After determining the "acceptable levels of pollutants," the controls to correct the problem, say experts, exist.
Two years ago, MacKenzie wrote; "There is also a genuine consensus among the experts that we already have enough scientific and technical knowledge to manage the quality of our air resources with reasonable effectiveness."
Three years ago, Langewiesche wrote, "People can have clean air if they demand it. The remedies for air pollution are known; they need only to be applied."
When still a congressman, New York City Mayor John V. Lindsay said, "Air pollution is a problem which could have been solved, or at least adequately controlled, when it first began to grow. Inaction has allowed it to reach the order of crisis."
If controls are available, why the inaction?
Money is one big reason.
The controls exist, but they are expensive.
YOUR FIRST STEP AS AN ENGINEER IS VITAL!
BE SURE . . .
Resnik, in an attempt to cleanse the Kansas City air has dealt with industry. "They recognize that it's not only the initial cost, but it's a continuing maintenance and replacement cost.
Responsibility to work on total projects with a minimum of red tape / opportunity to follow a design through development, tooling, and production to the customer / diversity of assignments and the avoidance of specialization / the excitement of designing for people, with the added pleasure of flying what you design / midwest location, with a progressive, cultural minded community / home of two universities and one college / opportunity to pursue advance degrees.
Cessna is the world's leading manufacturer of business, pleasure, and utility aircraft. Cessna helps you grow professionally with these worthwhile advantages:
CONSIDER CESSNA
Learn the complete Cessna story from the Cessna personnel representative who will be on campus for interviews on November 18,1966.
Wichita, Kansas
"If a factory here is asked to put on controls, then it seems all should be. If the others aren't, what does this do to competition?"
Contact your placement office for interview schedule.
In the Kansas City, Wyandotte county area, industry is the biggest polluter, contributing well over half of the pollutant materials.
"They can see it as a 'dead- end' cost."
"Often a company is quite willing to be compelled, provided only that its competitors are forced to go to the same expense. In the last analysis, if industrial costs rise across the board, the bill is paid by the public."
An Equal Opportunity Employer
Langewiesche suggests that paying for controls is "much like taxes: nobody wants to do his share if he can't be sure that everybody else will pay up, too.
Even as auditors estimate the dollars and cents price, public health officials are worrying about more costly things. As some cities are combatting air pollution, others are becoming more polluted.
The experts seem to feel that the additional expense "paid by the public" is still cheaper than the estimated 65 dollars per person per year air pollution itself costs. Resnik considers this estimate low.
Danger is written on the smoke- darkening horizons of smaller municipalities.
Read the Kansan
Friday, Nov. 25th, 8:30 p.m.
Municipal Auditorium
Kansas City, Missouri
Tickets on sale at Auditorium Box
Office—$2.-$3.-$3.50.-$4.
—Exclusively on Warner Brothers
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Sandy's new management wants to thank you for your great response to our "help
wanted" ads. We are now operating with a full staff. After class and after the game stop in at Sandy's for the fastest service and the best hamburger in town.
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