Scientists Rise To The Challenge Of Ridding The Globe Of CFCs

Inspired by the mandate to find alternatives, researchers link up to create new technologies and substitute chemicals WASHINGTON--Leslie Guth always thought her research was too technical for casual conversations. Not anymore. Now when Guth, a materials scientist for AT&T Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, N.J., mentions that she's looking for new ways to finish electronic circuit boards without using chlorofluoro-carbons, people are eager to hear more about her battle against what many env

Elizabeth Pennisi

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Inspired by the mandate to find alternatives, researchers link up to create new technologies and substitute chemicals

WASHINGTON--Leslie Guth always thought her research was too technical for casual conversations. Not anymore. Now when Guth, a materials scientist for AT&T Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, N.J., mentions that she's looking for new ways to finish electronic circuit boards without using chlorofluoro-carbons, people are eager to hear more about her battle against what many environmentalists view as chemical Public Enemy No. 1.

Her company, her nation, and the world are depending on her and an army of other scientists and engineers to quickly find alternatives to substances that deplete atmospheric ozone. The deadline for phasing out CFCs is less than a decade away.

Stephen Evanoff thinks that the Montreal Protocol did more than commit the world's industrial nations to finding safe alternatives to CFCs. The 1987 agreement also forced his company, General ...

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