Clair Cameron Patterson, biography of an air defender

Clair Cameron Patterson was the geophysicist who, in 1953, managed to calculate the age of the Earth. Beyond that enormous achievement, this scientist was also one of the pioneers in the fight against the use of toxic materials in fuels due to their effect on air pollution and, of course, on people’s health.

Their fight for clean air for all began in 1965, a time when environmental issues had not reached the relevance they have today. Thanks to her knowledge, Clair Cameron Patterson knew that some industrial practices threatened the planet and its people, which is why she decided not to remain silent.

Thanks to the efforts of Clair Cameron Patterson, in 1970, a law known as: clean air was passed in the United States. Also thanks to him, numerous environmentalists understood the high polluting power of lead in fuels and, in this way, managed to support their claims in many countries around the world.

The life of Clair Cameron Patterson

Clair Cameron Patterson was born in a town called Mitchellville, Iowa (United States), on June 2, 1922. His father was of Scottish origin and operated as a postal administration official. Despite his humble origins, this man had a great appreciation for science and instilled that inclination in his son.

Clair’s mother also highly valued the power of education. She was the one who gave him a chemistry set that seems to have been the germ of his scientific inclination. of Patterson. He studied in small schools, but his participation did not stand out too much.

He later earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Grinnell College and later a master’s degree in molecular spectroscopy. Around that same time frame, he married his college sweetheart, Laurie. Both he and his wife were invited to work on the Manhattan Project (atomic bomb) at the University of Chicago.

A successful career

After World War II, Clair and Laurie decided to continue their education. Patterson earned a doctorate and was then hired by the California Institute of Technology in 1952. There he became one of the founders of the Geochemistry department and he worked in that institution until the end of his life.

Clair Cameron Patterson, along with her colleague, George Tilton, developed a method for calculating geological times based on uranium and lead. Thus, managed to establish the probable age of the planet, which he determined to be 4.55 billion years. This is considered the most important dating that exists to date and has remained unchanged since 1956.

Another of Patterson’s great contributions was discovering that there were significant levels of lead contamination on the earth’s surface. This discovery led him to wonder about the effects of such pollution on the atmosphere and the human body. This led him to begin a fierce fight to prevent this phenomenon.

A historic fight

Patterson determined that lead found its way into everyday compounds, like gasoline and food cans, through a compound called tetraethylplan. Since then, he decided to fight for the prohibition of that substance. His main opponent was the Ethyl Corporation, the leading company in the production of lead additives.

What followed for Clair Cameron Patterson was a relentless chase. The large multinationals began to use all their power and influence to close doors to them. to the scientist everywhere. In fact, they managed to get him denied a research contract at the United States Public Health Service.

In 1971, He was denied participation in a panel of the National Research Council on lead contamination in the atmospherealthough no one in the world knew that much about the subject.

However, in 1978, he was invited to be part of that panel and He was allowed to prepare a document with the measures to take to avoid lead contamination.

Their unwavering fight led to the level of lead in the blood of Americans being reduced by 80% by the end of the century. Patterson died on December 5, 1995 and until his last day he did not rest in his efforts for cleaner air in the world.

You might be interested…