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! aZA THH DETftOIT NEWB SUNDAY, AUGUST e, 1992 + [The D etraitNews FOUNDED AVG. 26, 1273 ROBRRT H. OILE9 EDITOR AND PUBLISHER THOMAS J. BRAY CHRISTINA BRADPORD EDITORIALPAOE EDITOR , MANAGINU EDITOR JAMES L. GATTI JULIA S. HYABERLIN DEPUTY MANAGING DEPUTY MANAGING ED1TORrNEwa ~ ZDITOR/PEATSIREa A GANNETT NEWBPAPER PUBLI$HED DAILY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY MORNiNGa 015 t.AFAYBTTE BOULEVARD, DETROIT, MICH, 48224 CONGRESS shall make no taru respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,• or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievancrs. FIR6T AM6NflMENT TO TaL' U.9-CONSTiTUTION, A Rat in the 4zone Scare? . Most of the public "knows" that there's an ozone hole in the tipper atmosphere and that the chief villains are refrigeranta. lnternational agreements to phase cut these chemicals, called ehloro/tuoro- carlinns (CFCs), by the mid-1990s already are in place and are unlikely to be repealed. Yet a lot of very respectable scientists still have nagging doubts about the ozone theory. As a result, Rep. William Dannemeyer, R-Calif., last week introduced a resolution calling for a pres- idential commission to review the evidence for ozone depletion. Meanwhile, Michigan Rep. John Dingcil, chairman of the House Energy and Com- merce Committee, has been directing some pointed questions to the White House science adviser and the National Aeronautics and Space Administra- tion (NASA). Both men appear to smell a rat in the ozone sto- ry. What got their attention was NASA's press conference last Feb. 3, at about the same time that Congress was beginning to work on the space agen- cy's budget, suggesting that a big new ozone hole in the sky might be imminent over the Northern Hemisphere. If so, it would be a serious matter: Ozone acts to filter out ultraviolet radiation that can cause skin cancer and damage plant growth. + The focal point of the press conferellce was a se- ries of high-altitude flights by NASA planes in northern latitudes that found "unexpectedly high" chlorine levels of up to 1.5 parts per billion. But NASA held its press conference even before its high-altitude sampling had been completed, much less subjected to the usual scientific peer review process. Now it turns out there's no hole. Moreover, as Candace Crandall of the Science and Environmental Policy Project in Washinglun points out, some of the same NASA scientists were aware of far higher readings in the past. Why the rush to publicize this particular finding? Given all the uncertainties, it may make sense ~ to take some preventive measures to protect the ozone layer. W hat is troubling is the suggestion tllatpublicly funded scientists may be playing fast and loose with the foots for political reasons. The integrity of the scientific process is tremendously ilnportant to the United States, whose economic fortnnes rest to a large degree on its ability to ex- ploit its scientific capabilities. Reps. Dannemeyer and Dingell aren't alone in their concern. Recently a group of 425 internation- al scientists and medical experts, including 62 No- bellaureates,'issuedanappealwarningagainstthe increasinguse of "pseudo-scientific arguments" in the environmental debate. While subscribing to ecological objectives, they demanded that ecolagi- cal science "be founded on scientific criteria and not on Irrational preconceptions." Manyenvironmentalzealotsinandoutofgnv- NJ ernment, however, have proved themselves quite -p willing to bend science to the service of their politi- -4 cal (and financial oi bureaucratic) goals. The result ~ has been a panicked public that is easy prey for all Aa sorts of counterproductive regulation and spend- A ing. In the end that will lead to cynicism about the a value of science generally - and a poorer United W Ststes.