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B E Y O N D
T O M O R R O W
B y
P a u lM . T o n s in g
M onday, O ctober 16, 2001
The N ew York T elegraph
M ysteriou s
D ropi n B irth rate
B lam ed
o n G lobal W arm ing
O v e r th e la s t s ix m o n th s h u m a n b irth s h a v e fa lle n
d ra m a tic a lly ,
a c c o rd in g
to
th e
N a tio n a l
C ensus
Bureau, som e 15% , and have led to alarm
ra n g in g
fro m
im p e n d in g la y o ffs in th e m a te rn ity w a rd s o f
hospitals, to
c o n s te rn a tio n
am ong
b a b y
boom ers
w ish in gt o start th eir fam ilies.
A c c o rd in g
to
u n -a u th e n tic a te d
re p o rts,
th e
d e te rio ra tio n
of ozone layers have had
a n
as yet
u n e x p la in e d
e ffe c t
o n
hum an
re p ro d u c tio n ,
a n d
s c ie n tific
o rg a n iz a tio n s
a ll
o v e r
th e
w o rld
a re
o rg a n iz in g e ffo rtst o fin d a c a u s e a n d e ffe c t.
O z o n e , a fo rm
o f o x y g e n , m a k e s life p o s s ib le o n
e a rth ,a s
its
p re se n c e
in
th e
u p p e r
atm osphere
betw een 14 and 19 m iles above the earth's surface,
s h ie ld s e a rth fro m 9 5 to9 9 %
o f th e s u n 's u ltra v io le t
ra y s .
O z o n e d iffe rs fro m
o rd in a ry o x y g e n , w h ic h
has tw o oxygen atom s, and ozoneh a s three.
O zone
i s
p ro d u c e d
th ru
p h o to c h e m ic a l
a n d
e le c tric a l d is c h a rg e re a c tio n s .
W hen high energy
r a d ia tio n fro m th e su n s trik e s o rd in a ry o x y g e n it h a s
a
p h o to c h e m ic a l
re a c tio n .
T he
fo rm atio n
o f
e le c tric a l
d isc h a rg e
o z o n e
com es
fro m
v a rio u s
s o u rc e s , in c lu d in g
lig h tn in g
a n d
e le c tric a l s p a rk s
fro m
m otors.
O zone
e x is ts a t a ll le v e ls
o f th e
atm osphere, but m ostly in the upper atm osphere.

In recent years, as m an has gained know ledge a n d c iv iliz a tio n h a s a d v a n c e d w ith m e c h a n ic a l and chem ical com pounds, chloroflourocarbons h a v e p ro g re s s iv e ly b ro k e n d o w n th e p ro te c tiv e ozone layer.

A erosol sprays have been w idely
b la m e d ,
a s
th e ir
m o le c u le
fra g m e n ts
a re
b e lie v e d to re a c t w itho z o n e , re d u c in g i t
S in c e s tu d ie s h a v e b e g u n , th e o z o n e la y e r o v e r
A n ta rc tic a
h a s
d isa p p e a re d
fa s te r
th a n
a n tic ip a te d ,
le a d in g
t o
a
fra n tic
b a n n in g
o f
a e ro so l
s p ra y
c a n s ,
b u t
o th e r
so u rc e s
a re
b la m e d
fo r
th is
d e p le tio n
o f
o z o n e ,

a n d c o n tin u in g s tu d ie s a re b e in g c a rrie d o u t to fin d out what can

b e
d o n e
to
s lo w
o r
s to p
th is
e ro sio n .
L ow er
atm osphere
o z o n e
is
c o n sid e re d
a
p o llu ta n t, a n d
is
p ro d u c e d
m o stly
b y

sm og, w hich in turn is produced by m yriad of causes, m o stly

a ttrib u te d
t o
m an.
Lower ozone
i s
k n o w n to d a m a g e ru b b e r p ro d u c ts , p la s tic , a n d
p la n t a n d a n im a l tis s u e -
O th e r
re a c tio n s
in c lu d e
headaches, burning
e y e s
a n d
irrita tio n
to
th e
re sp ira to ry
tra c t.
O z o n e w a s firs t d is c o v e re d in1 8 4 0 , a n d to d a te
re a lly n o t m u c h is k n o w n a b o u t it
ro n e w o n f*
In th e lu x u rio u s o ffic e o n th e to p flo o r o f o n e o f H o u s to n 's ta lle s t b u ild in g s re c e n tly g a th e re d o f
fo u r m e n o f v a rio u sa g e s . T h re e o f th e m h a d th e s u b d u e d b u t o b v io u s a ir o f g re a t w o rld ly s u c c e s s .
T h e o ld e s t, R o b e rt P e rry , g le e fu lly ru b b e d h is h a n d s to g e th e r, a n d a lte rn a te d th is a c tio n b y
s la p p in g th e n e w s p a p e r s p re a d o u t o n th ed e s k . "W e d id it, b o y s !" h ec h o rtle d , "b yG od, w e d id it!"
T o h is le ft, th e y o u n g e r m an w a s ta s te fu lly d re s s e d in a n e x p e n s iv e g re ys u it, L e D o ria n tie , a n d
c u s to m -m a d e G ra tio n o s h o e s . H is e x p re s s io n w a s a ls o triu m p h a n t, w ith a s e lf-s a tis fie d s m irk . H e
w a s J u le sM a d is o n , o w n e r o f th e N e w Y o rk T e le g ra p h a n d d o z e n s o f o th e r n e w s p a p e rs th a t m a d e u p
th e la rg e s t c h a in o f n e w s p u b lic a tio n s in th e w o r ld .
T h o m a s T u c k e r s a t n e x t t oJ u le s . H is fa c e w a s k n o w n t o m illio n s o f te le v is io n v ie w e r s . H e
c o n tr o lle d o n e o f th e la rg e s t te le v is io n n e tw o rk s o n th e g lo b e .
T h e fo u rth m a n in th e la rg e b o a rd ro o m w a s n e rv o u s lyfid g e tin g . H e w o re la s t w e e k 's ru m p le d
c lo th e s a n d s e e m e d to r n b e tw e e n a n x ie tya n daw e. G le n R a p p le w a s u n k n o w n to th e v a s t n u m b e rs
o f h u m a n ity . It w a s to th e in te re s t o f th e o th e rs th a t h e re m a in th a t w a y .
" D id y o u h a v e a n y tro u b le p u ttin g it o v e r? ' R o b a s k e d J u le s .
"D o e s a b e a r liv e in th e w o o d s ? " w a s th e re p ly .
" I to ld th e m h o w a n d w h e nI w a n te d itp rin te d ; g a v e 'e m th e e x a c t c o p y to in s e rt in e v e ry
p u b lic a tio n s im u lta n e o u s ly ; a n d m a d e it c le a r if a n y e d ito r d id n 't d o it, h e 'db e jo in in ' th e
u n e m p lo y m e n t lin e th e n e x t d a y .
" T h e y k n o wI p re tty w e ll le a v e a ll e d itin g u p to in d iv id u a l n e w s p a p e rs a n d p u b lis h e r s .I
e n c o u ra g e th e m to ta k e a n in d e p e n d e n tlin e ...b u t n o w a n d th e n s o m e th in g s o im p o rta n t h a p p e n s th a t
Iw a n t to b e s u re it'sc o v e re d , s o Id ro p it o n 'e m . S o fa r, Ih a v e n 't h a d a n y tro u b le ."
R o b tu rn e d to th e s e c o n d m a n o n h is le ft."W e ll, Tom ; h o w d id it g o ? "
"J u s t a n e c h o o f w h a t y o u re a dth e re , R ob; ju s t a n e c h o ."
"W e ll, w e 'll h a v e to k e e p it u p in d e fin ite ly , a n d k e e p a le r t. W e 'll q u a s h a n y re b u tta l o r
c h a lle n g e to th e s to r y . F o r if th e tru th ...th e w h o letru th , e v e r g o t o u t, w e 'd a ll b e h a n g in g b y o u r h e e ls
fr o m la m p p o s ts , a n d p e o p le w o u ld b e lin in g u p fo r b lo c k s to ta k e a s w in g a t o u r h e a d s w ith b a ts ."
"A n dG le n ; w h a t's y o u r te m p e ra tu re th is m o rn in g ?
N o w th a t w e 'v e p a s s e d th e p o in t o f n o
re tu rn ? "
C le a rin g h is th ro a t, G le n n e rv o u s lyr e p lie d , ra th e r h e s ita n tly , " I'v e g o t m ix e dfe e lin g s ; p rid e th a t
th e fo rm u law o rk s ; fe a r o f g e ttin g fo u n d o u t, a n d w h a t w illI te ll m y w ife ?
S h e 's g e ttin g d o w n rig h t
lo v e y -d o v e y , a n dI ' d fe e l fla tte re d ...b u t I k n o w it's b e c a u s e s h e w a n ts a b a b y ; a n d w h a t'll s h e s a y a n d
d o w h e n s h e c a n 't h a v e o n e ? A n d G o d h e lp m e ifs h e fin d s o u t it'sm y fa u lt."

"D o n 't w o rry ," s a idR ob, g la n c in g a ro u n d th e g ro u p fo rc o n firm a tio n , "I'm re a lly s u re th e h u m a n ra c e w ill fa c e th is c h a lle n g e , s to p p o llu tio n a n d h a v e g lo b a l c o n d itio n s im p r o v e d in a fe wy e a rs . W e w o u ld n 't h a v e s ta rte d ifw e h a d n 't re s e a rc h e d a ll th e p ro b le m s th o ro u g h ly a n d b e e n p o s itiv e th is w a s th e o n lys o lu tio n . Y o u k n o w th a t."

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