Key ideas: science 4

Mario J. Molina: Environmental Hero

1. As a child in the 1950s, Mario J. Molina looked at a drop of pond water under a microscope. Within this realm of tiny organisms, he discovered his deep passion for science.
2. Young Molina dove headfirst into learning. He acquired several chemistry sets. He also turned an unused bathroom of his Mexico City home into a lab. When he was 11, Molina left home to attend a boarding school in Europe. He wanted to speak German because many chemists did.
3. In school, Molina worked hard and learned all that he could. Eventually, he became a college professor.
4. As a professor, Molina tackled a question that no other scientist had before. It was: How do chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) affect the atmosphere? CFCs are chemicals once used to cool refrigerators. They were also used in things like hair spray. At this time in the 1970s, the public believed that CFCs were safe to use.
5. However, Molina discovered something else. After release, CFCs rise up into Earth’s atmosphere. There, solar radiation breaks them down into something called chlorine. Chlorine destroys the ozone layer, which shields Earth from the sun’s harmful rays.
6. Molina, along with other scientists, noticed that the ozone layer was damaged and realized CFCs were to blame. In 1985, a British team of scientists found an ozone hole. It was above Antarctica. Many believed that it caused increased rates of skin cancer in the Southern Hemisphere. Molina’s group continued to study the ozone hole.
7. World leaders at the time became very worried. They pledged to end emissions of CFCs. Industries stopped making them. Damage to the ozone hole ceased. It’s expected to fully repair in the twenty-first century.
8. Molina has since received the Nobel Prize and other awards. An asteroid was named after him. Today, Molina continues to research important scientific issues.
9. That one drop of water brought a whole new view for Molina and for our Earth.