Evening star., 1955-01-10
Air-cIeonine in Cities
Moy Prove Costly Job
No Longer Safe to Depend
On Wind. Scientists Heur
BY Thomos R. Henry

BY Thomas R. Henry
Air pollution may be very costly to
the big city.
Exhaust fumes Of automobiles and
burning of rubbish and fuel in large
American metropolis contribute more
than q thousand tons q day to con-
tamination of the areas atmosphere.
These contaminants. acted upon by
sunlight, undergo chemical changes
which may make them much more
noxious.
The cost of cleaning city's atmo-
sphere so that it is safe to breathe
just how nobody nows-threatens to
be comparable to the cost OF water.
sewage or even highway systems. This
was reported to the American Associa-
ton for the Advancement of Science
recently by DR.. Lauren B. Hitchcock
Of the California Air Pollution Founda-
ton. The organization is primarily
concerned with Los Angeles "smog,"
but the general principles apply to
practically every city.
In the past. DR.. Hitchcock pointed
out, man has depended on the wind to
clear the air. This no longer is feasible.
"The characteristics Of modern air
pollution are not yet understood nor
appreciated" he said. "The modern
problem Is In sharp contrast with the
traditional and much simpler concept
of air pollution with coal smoke and
dust. It is the increasing variety Of
particles In the tmosphere-above all
the vast quantities of invisible, gaseous
60 nnYArtfkpnkn thA
jor problem today"
Small but Deadly.
As little as thousandth Of one per
cent of communicating materials may
be quite serious to health. he pointed
out. A major problem is to find out
what they become in the processes Of
atmospheric chemistry.
"The economic and health effects
probably are far greater than appre-
ciated," DR.. Hitchcock said. THE
emissions from one plant may be small,
but hundreds Of such plants contribute
hundreds of tons day. Some of these
emissions contain dozens of different
chemical compounds, perhaps hundreds.
They exist in the atmosphere in concen-
trations Of few parts per hundred mil
lion. But the astonishing fact is that
even such extreme dilution can account
for certain known physiological effects.
These effects still are largely un-
known. Vast organization and years Of
painstaking research will be required
before any valid conclusions can be
reached"
A notable problem. he pointed out, is
that of the relation between air pollu-
tion and lung cancer It Is known that
a cancer-producing substance is benz
pyrene, present in cigaret smoke but
also in polluted atmosphere.
4
Whales Chatter.
Little whales are gossippy animals.
They are always chattering.
This is among the findings Of con-
tinuous study of sea noises. which first
attracted attention during the war. re-
ported to the A. A. A. s. by DR.. Marie
Poland Fish Of the University Of Rhode
Island.
Smaller marine mammals" /" she said,
"are very loquacious, showing great
variation and a wide frequency range
in their predominantly high-pitched
sounds. Information on sound produc-
ton by larger whales, however, is based
largely on unauthenticated reports"
About ITO species of fishes, to say
nothing Of shrimps. crabs and the like,
also talk" the Investigations which
have gone on since 1946 reveal.
Potential soundmakers have been
subjected to series of controlled situa-
tions and stimulations as means Of
HntofY11fV1fYaa fhaiN aa1r rfvay ksah
its. In this way. said DR.. Fish. "volun-
tary sound production has been shown
to function for purposes Of communities
tion in breeding, orientation, defense
and offense.
although no organs are developed
in fishes solely for sound production,
various body parts are modified to
perform this function. Often the air
bladder becomes reSonator or sound
box, its membranous walls and gas
contents set in vibration by special
intrinsic muscles. Sounds thus pro-
duced are vibrant, and concentrated at
the low end Of the acoustic spectrum.
On the other hand stridulatory sounds,
resulting from voluntary friction Of
teeth, skeletal bones or fms are easily
identified by their rasping. scratching
or whining character.
"Talk" When Aroused.
Experiments have proved conclu-
sively that most species respond only to
definite external or internal stimuli
and remain silent at other times. It
has been shown that fish, like many
other wild animals, take evasive action
when alarmed. For this reason pre-
vious routine methods of scanning for
fish noise In the field have proven
inadequate. The most loquacious spe-
cies become silent at the approach
Of vessel.
Marine animal sound is tremen-
dously varied and quite cosmopolitan
in distribution. Invertebrate output,
characterized by high frequencies. Ii
often continuous along south temperate
and tropical coasts while whale output,
also high pitched, occurs sporadically
in both open sea and coastal waters.
Fish sound may be experienced far on
shore almost any time and anywhere
in the oceans Of the world"
Recordings Of fish sounds and de-
termination Of the pattern Of different
species may have practical application
In detection OF schools Of commercial
species. DR.. Fish says. Also the fishing
industry is seeking for means Of re-