PREFACE The 1962 National Conference on Air Pollution was called to provide a forum in which the many segments of American society involved with, and affected by, air pollution could present their ideas and recommendations for more effective control of a growing environmental problem. By this criterion, the conference was successful; for in these pages are contained the views of public administrators, scientists, physicians, engineers, industrialists, urban planners, and many others, who, taken together, truly represent the broad public on whose behalf the conference was called. But the value of this conference must be judged also by a less tangible and more important measure: Did it bring closer to solution the issue to which it was addressed? Specifically, did it serve to help clear the air? To this question I believe we can also answer yes. I do not mean to suggest that the Nation has suddenly in the last few months departed on a path toward prompt and complete control of its air pollution problems. But I do believe that we have begun to appreciate more fully that air pollution is a challenge requiring not only national attention but also national effort. This conference has helped us to understand that we cannot divide ourselves into the separate camps of those who produce air pollution and those who suffer its effects. We are, all of us, in both camps; and we must now resolve to share in common both the responsibility for, and the benefits of, clean, healthful air. While there are differences of opinion on the nature of our individual responsibilities for the control of air pollution, I believe now that we do not differ in the conviction that greater resources must be brought to bear on this problem. The challenge before us, as the conference emphasized, is great, but not insurmountable. A nation capable of producing industrial and technological marvels, and translating them into the ingredients of a more useful and productive life for its citizens, can certainly protect its people from the unwelcome byproducts of a rising technology. This, a basic point of agreement at the conference, is a fundamental principle on which the Federal air pollution program rests. To find this point of accord expressed by conference speakers representing diverse segments of the American political, economic, and social scene gives cause for optimism, for it suggests that in view of what we know about air pollution, its effects, and its control, there is no real disparity between the national good and the individual good. They are one and the same. It is a pleasure to express my appreciation to the more than 80 men and women who addressed the National Conference on Air Pollution and to the nearly 1,500 persons from this country and abroad who participated in it. Because of their efforts we may now begin to test the grounds for our optimism. The air has been cleared of many doubts which should no longer hinder our progress toward a more healthful environment. LUTHER L. TERRY Surgeon General Public Health Service 680024-63 INTRODUCTION When Surgeon General Terry announced on April 30, 1962, that the Public Health Service would sponsor a National Conference on Air Pollution the following December, he set in motion an operation that was to culminate in what was perhaps the most influential and successful meeting in the history of air pollution control. Both the attendance at the conference and the public response to it throughout the country amply demonstrate that air pollution is a subject in which the scientific and engineering community, government, industry, and the people feel a sense of urgency and of opportunity. The conference theme, "Let's Clear the Air," was selected because it expressed not only the growing desire to take effective action. against the rising trend of air contamination but also because it brought into sharp focus the need for a clear and precise statement of the scientific, technical, social, and political issues that are an integral part of the struggle for clean air. A 20-member steering committee was appointed to work with. Public Health Service staff in developing plans for the conference. Its membership included representatives of industry and labor, of civic and technical organizations, and of other public groups concerned with the control of air pollution. At a series of meetings in Washington, D.C., the committee helped to plan the broad outlines and many specific details of the conference. The committee endorsed the concept of a series of general plenary sessions on the first and third days and eight working panel sessions on the second day, these covering specific aspects of the air pollution problem. In all, some 90 persons were recommended to make formal presentations to the conference, and by mid-September, the steering committee had approved the detailed conference program. IX The conference convened on December 10, 1962, in Washington, D.C. Owing to an intensive program of public information, the level of interest in air pollution and in the conference itself had been substantially increased. But another factor, the disastrous smog episode that had taken more than 300 lives in London a few days before the conference opened, added a feeling of urgency and tragic timeliness to the meeting. Attendance substantially exceeded expectations. Nearly 1,500 persons from every part of the United States and several foreign nations registered for the conference. A breakdown of the registration list shows 486 representatives of industry, 263 Federal employees, 131 representatives of municipal government, 120 from State government, 55 county government officials, 54 persons representing research organizations, 177 from nonprofit organizations, 141 representing educational institutions, and 28 foreign visitors. The registration of representatives of the press and the broadcasting media was similarly greater than had been anticipated. More than 80 representatives of the various news media covered the conference. Press coverage during the 3-day meeting was extensive; radio and television broadcasts involving conference participants and the general theme of air pollution were carried by local and network stations; and at its close several national magazines featured articles summarizing the conference. A variety of facilities and materials were available for those who attended the conference. Space was provided for a total of 34 exhibits from such groups as national trade associations, professional societies, governmental agencies at all levels, educational institutions, and nonprofit research organizations. Perhaps the most visited exhibit was the geodesic dome erected on the hotel grounds, which housed the Washington, D.C., Continuous Air Monitoring Station and provided visitors daily readings for pollution levels in the air of the Nation's Capital. In order to provide conference registrants and participants with background material on air pollution, 14 publications were prepared and edited for initial distribution at the conference. These included a chart book and a fact book, each of which presented general information on the air pollution problem and the control effort nationally; digests of State and municipal laws and ordinances; a selected bibliography of air pollution publications; a compilation of measurements of the Public Health Service's National Air Sampling Network, 1957-61; and a summarization of current air pollution research activities in the United States. As a further aid to those attending and participating in the conference, all papers and speeches presented during the meeting were available in the form of preprints, of which some 75,000 were distributed at and following the conference. Major portions of the conference were recorded on tape and film for later use in making available the valuable information presented by conference participants. Elsewhere in this Proceedings are the names of many persons, both within and outside the Federal Government, whose contributions helped the National Conference on Air Pollution-1962 to achieve the impressive success that has been attributed to it. These individuals have earned the thanks not only of the Public Health Service and the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare but also of the American people, whom the conference ultimately served, and the men and women whose professional lives and careers are dedicated to controlling the problem of air pollution. I wish also to extend sincere thanks to the many organizations and individuals who volunteered facilities, services, and personal effort on behalf of the conference. Their contribution was invaluable in helping the conference live up to its theme and goal, "Let's Clear the Air." ARTHUR C. STERN National Conference on Air Pollution |