BOOKS
Scientists, CFCs, and the Ozone Layer Reviewed by Pamela S. Zurer
They didn't want to believe it at first. F. Sherwood Rowland and Mario J. Molina, when they predicted in 1974 that chlorine from chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) could chew away E a r t h ' s p r o t e c t i v e o z o n e shield, found the implications were so staggering that they hoped they were wrong. But by 1976 the National Academy of Sciences had confirmed the essence of their theory: CFCs are so inert in the lower atmosphere that virtually every molecule emitted survives to rise into the stratosphere. There, intense ultraviolet radiation releases chlorine atoms that catalyze the destruction of ozone. The science was on firm enough ground by 1977 to convince the U.S. government to ban the use of CFCs in nonessential aerosol spray propellants. The U.S. promised then that there would be more extensive controls on CFCs. For a decade, however, the government took no further action. There was no proof that ozone was actually being destroyed. Amounts of ozone in the stratosphere vary naturally with season, geographical location, and the solar cycle, so measuring small changes is very difficult. Few politicians and regulators had enough faith in the predictions of the Rowland-Molina theory to further curtail the use of CFCs, which had proved to be truly wonder chemicals, nontoxic and cheap. E v e r y t h i n g c h a n g e d in 1985, when scientists at the British Antarctic Survey reported ozone had been behaving peculiarly over the South Pole. U.S. researchers quickly double-checked satellite readings they had previously ignored and confirmed the ominous report. Each year for the past decade, as sunlight returns to the winter-dark Antarctic, ozone levels plummet. In the worst years, fully half of the ozone over the continent has been destroyed. Now policymakers were facing
Politics has mixed with science to complicate the prolonged debate on banning CFCs to protect Earth's ozone layer "Ozone Crisis: The 15-Year Evolution of a Sudden Global Emergency" by Sharon L. Roan, John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10158,1989, 270 pages, $18.95
not just a theory but the reality of ozone depletion. International negotiations culminated in 1987 with the signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer. That treaty, which went into effect in January 1989, calls for production of CFCs to be cut 50% by the end of the century. But the Montreal protocol had not even gone into effect when in 1988 an intensive réévaluation of measurements worldwide concluded ozone was being depleted all over the globe, not just in Antarctica. The parties to the treaty now are in the process of strengthening it. By the end of the year they are expected to
agree on a total phaseout of CFCs and strict controls on other sources of stratospheric halogens. Sharon L. Roan's book "Ozone Crisis: The 15-Year Evolution of a Sudden Global Emergency'' follows the ozone depletion controversy from 1973 until early 1989. As a science reporter with the Orange County Register, she has been in a good position to observe and report on both the science and policy as they developed. (Orange County is the home of the University of California, Irvine, where Rowland and Molina uncovered the problem.) For the most part, Roan lays out events in chronological order. Her treatment of the early years of the controversy is accurate, but suffers by comparison with a livelier book called "The Ozone War," published in 1978 by Harold Schiff and Lydia Dotto. But Roan does a good job of portraying the excitement in the atmospheric science community as it tried to come to grips with the phenomenon of the Antarctic ozone hole. She describes the perils and promise of the 1986 National Ozone Expedition to Antarctica, a remarkably successful mission assembled in a very short time frame. She dramatizes the logistical horrors of the much more ambitious Airborne Antarctic Ozone Expedition that took place in 1987. And Roan conveys well how remarkable it is that these scientists—many of whose personalities come to life in her account— were able to combine field work, computer calculations, and laboratory experiments into a coherent explanation of the ozone hole within just a few years of its discovery. Roan's book succeeds overall as a readable history. But she is less successful at addressing the thorny question implicit in her subtitle and which she asks explicitly in her preface: "Why did it take 15 years for anyone to believe the ozone layer was in danger and to act to protect it?" April 2, 1990 C&EN
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Books As Roan points out, the answer to that question could be critical to a society beginning to grapple with the problem of global warming. There are many parallels between the problems of ozone depletion and the greenhouse effect. Both in volve long-term global effects of in visible gases whose local emissions seem relatively harmless. As was the case with ozone deple tion, policymakers seem to be hung up on the differences scientists have in predicting global warming, while overlooking the crucial area of agreement: Most expect Earth will become warmer from the accumula tion of carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Their differences are over detailed regional effects and over how warm it will be and how fast the changes will come. As Roan writes: "It took a crisis before an in ternational agreement on ozone pro tection was reached. Will it take an other crisis for world leaders to ad dress the greenhouse effect?" In the case of ozone depletion, the lost years w e r e t h o s e b e t w e e n 1977—when the U.S. government b a n n e d CFCs in a e r o s o l s — a n d 1985—when the Antarctic ozone hole was discovered. Not only did the production of CFCs increase during those years, but the major CFC producers dropped the expen sive research they had begun to find replacement chemicals with less po tential to harm the ozone layer. Although Du Pont, Allied-Signal, ICI, and other CFC producers have come under a lot of criticism for their actions, in a capitalistic society it is unrealistic to expect they/would voluntarily give up such profitable businesses. So the question becomes: Why did the government shy away from further regulation? A partial answer lies in the fact that Ronald Reagan, champion of deregulation, was in power for most of the crucial period. But the larger truth rests with the unwillingness of society to sacrifice something it deems beneficial now because a sci entific theory predicts it will be harmful later. It remains to be seen if we've learned our lesson. C&EN senior editor Pamela S. Zurer has wntten extensively on ozone deple tion in the atmosphere. D 22
April 2, 1990 C&EN
The explosive danger of dust "Dust Explosions" by W. Bartknecht, Springer-Verlag, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10010,1989, 270 pages, $80
Reviewed by Howard H. Fawcett
Dust, whether of organic materials or metals, is the most hazardous form of solid matter. It may be con sidered a phase of its own, with very special characteristics. "Dust Explo sions" summarizes present knowl edge of the cause, course, and conse quences of dust explosions. Dust explosions have been record ed ever since w i n d m i l l s b e g a n g r i n d i n g cereal grains. And al though grain was involved in about a quarter of all such explosions re ported in the U.S. during the first half of the 20th century, explosions also have been recorded from dusts of such substances as wood, feedstuffs, flour, starch, cork, sugar, and plastics. In recent years, storage silos and bunkers, grinding plants, conOrganometallic Vapor-Phase Epitaxy: Theory and Practice. Gerald B. Stringfellow. xviii + 398 pages. Aca demic Press, 1250 Sixth Ave., San Di ego, Calif. 92101. 1989. $59.50. Photochemistry. Vol. 20. D. BryceSmith, A. Gilbert, xx + 450 pages. Royal Society of Chemistry, Distribu tion Centre, Letchworth, Herts SG6 1HN, England. 1989. $240, £140. Polymers in Aqueous Media: Perfor mance Through Association. Advanc es in Chemistry Series 223. J. Edward Glass, editor, xiv + 575 pages. Ameri can Chemical Society, 1155—16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. 1989. $99.95. Polymers in Microelectronics: Funda mentals and Applications. David S. Soane, Zoya Martynenko. xiv + 308 pages. Elsevier Science Publishers, 52 Vanderbilt Ave., New York, N.Y. 10003. 1989. $95. Plasma Etching: An Introduction. Den nis M. Manos, Daniel L. Flamm, edi tors, xii + 476 pages. Academic Press, 1250 Sixth Ave., San Diego, Calif. 92101. 1989. $69.50.
veyors, separators, and dryers all have been the scene of dust explo sions. Ignition sources have includ ed mechanical sparks, smoldering particles, mechanical heating, and static. Perhaps the most useful chapter in "Dust Explosions" is that dealing with protective measures. The num ber of options is broad—ranging from protecting with inert gases and eliminating ignition sources or hot surfaces to p r o p e r l y d e s i g n i n g equipment and venting. Unfortu nately, the book does not give ade quate attention to metal dusts, espe cially aluminum, magnesium, and zirconium. It does have excellent photographs, however, many in col or. "Dust Explosions" is an excellent, up-to-date reference. It will be use ful to anyone concerned with the production, moving, storing, or shipping of dusts in any form. Howard H. Fawcett is a consulting engineer who has written widely on safety in chemical operations. Π Practical Handbook of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Gerald D. Fasman, editor. 573 pages. CRC Press, 2000 Corporate Blvd., N.W., Boca Ra ton, Fla. 33431. 1989. $45 U.S., $52.95 elsewhere. Profiles of Eminent American Chem ists. Raymond B. Seymour, Charles H. Fisher, xx + 519 pages. Litarvan Liter ature, 3321 West 30th Ave., Denver, Co. 80211. 1988. $29.95. Quality Factors of Fruits and Vegeta bles: Chemistry and Technology. ACS Symposium Series 405. Joseph J. Jen, editor, xii + 410 pages. American Chemical Society, 1155—16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. 1989. $89.95. Research for Profit. O. A. Battista. ix + 250 pages. Knowledge Inc., 3863 S.W. Loop 820, Fort Worth, Tex. 761332076. 1989. $39.95. Reviews in Biochemical Toxicology. Vol. 10. Ernest Hodgson, John R. Bend, Richard M. Philpot, editors, xvii + 393 pages. Elsevier Science Publish ers, 52 Vanderbilt Ave., New York, N.Y. 10003. 1989. $87.
Sample Selection, Aging, and Reactivi ty of Coal. Ralph Klein, Robert Wellek, editors, xii + 469 pages. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $59.95. Selectivity and Detectability Optimiza tions in HPLC. Satinder Abuja. xiii + 610 pages. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $85. Separation of Gases. W. H. Isalski. ix + 311 pages. Oxford University Press, 200 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $73. Successful Engineering: A Guide to Achieving Your Career Goals. Law rence J. Kamm. xii + 233 pages. Mc Graw-Hill, 1221 Ave. of the Americas, New York, N.Y. 10020. 1989. $39.95. Systems with Impulse Effect: Stability, Theory and Applications. D. D. Bainov, P. S. Simeonov. 255 pages. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $79.95. Vibration Diagnostics in Precision In struments. S. Korablev, V. Shapin, Yu. Filatov, viii + 91 pages. Hemisphere Publishing Corp., 79 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016-7892. 1989. $49.50. Vibronic Interactions in Molecules and Crystals. I. B. Bersuker, V. Z. Polinger. xii + 422 pages. Springer-Verlag New York, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10010. 1989. $110. Writing a Successful Grant Applica tion. 2nd Ed. L. Reif-Lehrer. xvi + 282 pages. Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 20 Park Plaza, Boston, Mass. 02116. 1989. $19.95. Zeolite Synthesis. ACS Symposium Se ries 398. Mario L. Occelli, Harry E. Robson, editors, xiii + 650 pages. American Chemical Society, 1155— 16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. 1989. $139.95.
Paperbacks
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Advances in Polymer Blends and Al loys Technology. Vol. 2. Melvyn A. Kohudic, Kier Finlayson, editors, vi + 209 pages. Technomic Publishing Co., 851 New Holland Ave., Box 3535, Lan caster, Pa. 17604. 1989. $59. The Biotechnology Directory 1990: Products, Companies, Research and Organizations. J. Coombs, Y. R. Al ston, xix + 609 pages. Stockton Press, 15 East 26th St., New York, N.Y. 10010. 1989. $190. Biotechnology Guide: Japan 1990-1991: Company Directory and Compre hensive Analysis. Nikkei Biotechnol
ogy, xv + 591 pages. Stockton Press, 15 East 26th St., New York, N.Y. 10010. 1990. $250. Catalog of Polymer Science and Engi neering Programs. 8th Ed. Plastics In stitute of America Inc., Castle Point, Hoboken, N.J. 06030. 1989. $33, pre paid $30. Composites: An Insider's Technical Guide to Corporate America's Activi ties. Composites Group of Turner Moss Co., P.O. Box 1885 West, Murray Hill Station, New York, N.Y. 101560611. 1989. $127. Cool Energy: The Renewable Solution to Global Warming. Michael Brower. xiii + 89 pages. Union of Concerned Scientists, 26 Church St., Cambridge, Mass. 02238. 1990. $4.95. Drinking Water and Health. Vol. 9: Se lected Issues in Risk Assessment. Safe Drinking Water Committee, Na tional Research Council, xiv + 268 pages. National Academy Press, 2101 Constitution Ave., N.Y., Washington, D.C. 20418. 1989. $29.95 U.S. & Cana da, $35.94 elsewhere. HPLC of Macromolecules: A Practical Approach. R. W. A. Oliver, editor, xvi + 236 pages. Oxford University Press, 200 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $36. IARC Monographs of the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Vol. 45: Occupational Exposures in Petro leum Refining; Crude Oil and Major Petroleum Fuels. IARC Working Group on the Evaluation of Carcino genic Risks to Humans. 322 pages. WHO Publications Center USA, 49 Sheridan Ave., Albany, N.Y. 12210. 1989. $52. Improving Risk Communication. Na tional Research Council, Committee on Risk Perception and Communica tion, xvii + 332 pages. National Acad emy Press, 2101 Constitution Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20418. 1989. $29.95 U.S., Canada & Mexico; $39.95 elsewhere.
Molecular Recognition: Chemical and Biochemical Problems. Stanley M. Roberts, editor, xi + 285 pages. Royal Society of Chemistry, Distribution Centre, Letchworth, Herts SG6 1HN, England. 1989. $76, £39.50. New Directions in Solid State Chemis try. C. N. R. Rao, J. Gopalakrishnan. χ + 532 pages. Cambridge University Press, 32 East 57th St., New York, N.Y. 10022. 1989. $39.50. Origin and Chemical Evolution of the Earth. G. V. Voitkevich. 238 pages. Im ported Publications, 320 West Ohio St., Chicago, 111. 60610. 1989. $4.95. Perinatal and Multigeneration Car cinogenesis. N. P. Napalkov et al. xi + 436 pages. Oxford University Press, 200 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $110. Rates and Equilibria of Organic Reac tions. John E. Leffler, Ernest Grundwald. xvi + 458 pages. Dover Publica tions, 31 East Second St., Mineola, N.Y. 11501. 1989. $11.95. Structure Elucidation by Modern NMR. H. Duddeck, W. Dietrich. 238 pages. Springer-Verlag, New York, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10010. 1989. $29.50. Supervision of Technical Staff: An In troduction for Line Supervisors. R. Weston, D. C. Norton, M. Grimshaw. χ + 242 pages. Royal Society of Chemis try, Distribution Centre, Letchworth, H e r t s SG6 1 H N , E n g l a n d . 1989. $29.50, £15.95. Symmetry and Spectroscopy: An Intro duction to Vibrational and Electron ic Spectroscopy. Daniel C. Harris, Michael D. Bertolucci, xii + 550 pages. Dover Publications, 31 East Second St., Mineola, N.Y. 11501. 1989. $13.95. Triphasé Catalysis-A Bibliography. R. H. Chandler. 36 pages. R. H. Chandler Ltd., 21 The Avenue, Braintree, Essex, England, CM7 6HY. 1988. $20.
Introduction to Carbon Science. Harry Marsh, editor, xxv + 321 pages. Butterworths, 80 Montvale Ave., Stoneham, Mass. 02180. 1989. $84.95.
2000 Solved Problems in Physical Chemistry. Clyde R. Metz iv + 628 pages. McGraw-Hill, 1221 Ave. of the Americas, New York, N.Y. 10020. 1989. $19.95.
Kirk-Othmer Concise Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology. Kirk-Othmer. xxxii + 1318 pages. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $59.95.
Who's Who in World Petrochemicals & Plastics. 7th Ed. 238 pages. Who's Who Information Services, 17 South Briar Hollow La., Houston, Tex. 77027. 1990. $125.
Magnetic Atoms and Molecules. William Weltner Jr. xiv + 422 pages. Dover Publications, 31 East Second St., Mineola, N.Y. 11501. 1989. $9.95.
The Wonderful Wizard of Magnesia. M. G. Mneyan. 160 pages. Imported Publications, 320 West Ohio St., Chicago, 111. 60610. 1989. $5.95. D April 2, 1990 C&EN
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