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Aviation History
1976
1976 - 0094.PDF
fuel; Boeing 747, 1,656; Concorde, 1,648; Boeing 707, 1,163; Train, 747; Medium car, 256; Ocean liner, 34. OZONE AND SKIN CANCER Can Concorde harm the stratosphere? It has been alleged that its exhaust emissions at high altitude will upset the ozone layer which filters the amount of ultra-violet light reaching the earth, and that this will cause skin cancer. The US Department of Trans portation's Climatic Impact Assess ment Programme (GAP) calculates that the current fleet of 10,000 civil and military jets is already having more impact on the stratosphere than the 30 Concordes and Tu-144s now flying or under construction. According to the CIAP the impact of existing air craft is too small to measure: one Flight International Supplement, w/e 17 January 1976 half of 1 per cent is the minimum ozone change which is detectable, and CIAP notes that the ozone concentration can vary naturally from day to day by 30 per cent at any given point. The cleansing mechanism of the atmosphere has demonstrated its ability to cope with such natural phenomena as major volcanic eruptions, which suddenly inject vast quantities of pollutants into the stratosphere. The Krakatoa explosion blew several cubic miles of chemicals and water into the stratosphere. Interacting with sun light for more than a year, these caused no notable effects on life on earth. Scientists estimate that 1,000 years of supersonic opera tions would be required to match the impact of Krakatoa—even assuming no natural stratospheric cleansing in 1,000 years. J.M.R. g«j - 4?'. Smoke was a feature of the early prototype Concordes (top, 002) but changes to the Olympus combustion system of the production aircraft (above) eliminated the unburnt hydrocarbons and improved fuel efficiency. (Left) Concorde is noisy, as this "footprint" drawn by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The noise will be judged not in absolute terms, like this, but in relation to total airport noise levels. Supersonic movements will be only 1 or 2 per cent of the total
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