Back in the 20 's of last century, one Thomas Midgley Jr. worked in a research lab at General Motors . Then one day, ( a day that would be worth noting on the calendar in black) This former engineer and now a self-taught chemist noticed that by adding a compound called tetraethyl lead in gasoline in the engine significantly reduces vibration .
Although it was already known that lead is very dangerous to humans , because in large quantities it can cause irreversible damage to the brain and central nervous system, if not fatal , it began to actively produce and used almost anywhere. "Food goes to the Bank , sealed with lead solder . The water is often stored in tanks tinned with lead . Lead arsenate as a pesticide sprayed fruits . Lead is even served on the tubes of toothpaste. It is hardly possible to find a product that does not introduce a drop of lead in the body of the consumer. But nothing could compare in scale and duration of use with the addition of a motor fuel . "
Lead is easy to extract, process, and very profitable to produce on an industrial scale . Therefore, in 1923 there was a company " Ethyl Corporation ," the purpose of which was to produce as ethyl, how the world was ready to buy.
Very soon, the workers in the factories began to manifest mental disorders - early signs of poisoning , then the workers began to die. Then the rumors spread around the country , and Thomas Midgley decided to show that ethyl harmless to health. " Effortlessly talking about the company's commitment to safety , he poured tetraethyl lead in his arms , then a full minute lifted the beaker to the nose , while claiming that no harm can repeat this procedure every day. In fact, Midgley knew about the dangers of lead poisoning. He had a few months before was severely damaged by overexposure and except for this episode , if I could, did not come close to this stuff , " * .
Bottom line: still lead so many throughout the United States , that the level of it in the body of any modern American in 625 times more than his countryman , who lived 100 years ago!
The second of his " invention" was no less of harmful or even deadly. He decided to create a gas that would be applicable in refrigerators. It is said that while the use of the refrigerator was very dangerous , because the cooling fluid used toxic substances , and sometimes leak. And Midgley invented chlorofluorocarbons , or CFCs.
If you've ever looked out of a can of air freshener or hair , you probably saw the icon depicting a hand on the ball. That is, the manufacturer wanted to tell us that its product does not contain CFCs , and therefore safe for the atmosphere.
Half a century before scientists noticed that CFCs contribute (to say the very, very much promote ) the destruction of the ozone layer in the stratosphere. " CFC ... not very much - they make up only about one- billionth of an atmosphere , taken as a whole - but they are extremely destructive. A single kilogram of CFCs can capture and destroy 70 000 kg of atmospheric ozone. CFCs remain in the atmosphere , on average about a hundred years , all the while causing great harm . In addition, they absorb heat like a sponge . CFC molecule gives ten thousand times more potent contribution to the greenhouse effect than carbon dioxide molecule - and carbon dioxide, are known to be effectively creates a greenhouse effect. In short, the CFC may eventually , perhaps, be one of the worst inventions of the twentieth century " * .
But this is not the end of history.
In 1940, he contracted poliomyelitis and was disabled , but the spirit of invention and not left it there . He invented a device that raises and turns it into a bed. Some years the system worked correctly, but in 1944 he became entangled in the ropes and was strangled by them .
That's such an unusual end in such a sad story.
* Bill Bryson's " A Short History of Nearly Everything in the world ", page 180
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment