Letters from the Feb. 21, 2004, issue of Science News
By Science News
Thin skin
I find the language of “Thin Skin” (SN: 1/3/04, p.11: Thin Skin) to be judgmental and unscientific. For example, “desert pavement and their biota are wounded by human activity” is neither artistic nor scientific. Such narrow, biased views of ecology have no place in a scientific journal.
Boone Mora
Garden Valley, Calif.
Out with the bad air
In “My Own Private Bad-Air Day: Outdoor data underrate pollutant exposure” (SN: 1/3/04, p. 4: My Own Private Bad-Air Day: Outdoor data underrate pollutant exposure), the statement is made that personal environmental exposures to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are easily solved. The implication is that if you have a long commute and are thereby exposed to high concentrations of VOCs, you should just quit your job to avoid exposure. I find that completely absurd.