Sulfur in Air
An interesting advertisement sponsored by General Motors appeared recently in American Scientist and perhaps other periodicals. Overtly the ad describes a method for comparing the effects and costs of programs or policies intended to extend or save human lives. But a not so obvious purpose of the ad appears to be an attack upon the federal government's standard of carbon monoxide (CO) emission to be enforced in 1981.
The information leading to the possible conclusion that the 1981 Automotive CO standards are ridiculous emerges upon examination of a graph within the ad. Since the conclusion comes only as a result of the reader studying the graph, General Motors itself makes no direct claim, a claim that might irritate the reader if directly stated.
The General Motors graph says that it would be terribly expensive to follow the 1981 CO emission guideline and that doing so would only have the effect of increasing the average longevity of Americans by something less than one minute.
On the other hand, the graph indicates that the average lifetime of Americans would be extended by one month if automotive lap-shoulder belts were mandatory and that the cost would be only a few hundred dollars per person.
Of the various risk-reduction policies illustrated the most striking is the installation of scrubbers on industrial stacks to take out sulfur compounds. According to the ad, if this were done the average longevity of Americans would be increased by nearly a year. If true, this remarkable figure has to impress anyone with how important the issue of air quality is and how fortunate we northerners are to live where the air is relatively clean.
