Clair Cameron Patterson
Welcome. This website is an elaborate analysis of Clair Cameron Patterson's various accomplishments and a deep dive into why he is considered eminent.
Timeline of Clair Patterson's Life
A Brief Backstory
Clair Cameron Patterson was an American geochemist, and was one of the greatest minds of his time. He was born in Mitchellville, Iowa on June 2, 1922. He was well known in the scientific community for his quirky but gentle nature, not to mention his long and fruitful scientific career.
Major Accomplishments
Developed Lead-Lead dating techniques
He discovered the age of the Earth
He was the sole voice against major sources of atmospheric lead pollution
The Age of the Earth
The discovery of the age of the Earth, while sounding simple, was a quite a difficult task. He researched this with his colleague, George Tilton. After years of diligent work, the brilliant pair used lead isotopic data to calculate the age of the earth: 4.5 billion years old. This number is surprisingly accurate, and has gone unchallenged since it's initial discovery in 1956. The Pb-Pb dating was crucial in this process, but there was a problem. Pb-Pb dating analyzes the amount of lead in a sample of rock, and compares the concentration of radiogenic lead from decaying uranium to the concentration of common lead from external sources. They knew mathematically the approximate amount of lead that should be present in their rock samples, but strangely, the lead present greatly exceeded the amount of lead that should've been there. Little did he know, this revealed a far more sinister threat.
Lead-Lead Dating
One of his most important discoveries was the development of Pb-Pb dating from U-Pb dating. Pb-Pb dating was vital to the discovery of the age of the Earth, and is used commonly for geochemical tracing in the modern age. Unlike U-Pb dating, in which radiogenic lead is compared to uranium, Pb-Pb dating compares radiogenic lead to common lead. This dating technique is used to establish geological timescales, and is also used in archeology to find the age of fossils.
The Lead Crisis
Once upon a time, when automobiles were just beginning to thrive, engines would break down easily because a problem called "engine knock". The Ethyl Corporation swooped in to save the day, by creating the first anti-knock fuel, by using lead as an additive. The new invention thrived, spreading around the world like wildfire, creating one of the greatest environmental and public health threats of that generation. When leaded gasoline is consumed, it spews particulate lead into the air, and when multiple countries-worth of cars are running off it, you can imagine the consequences. The atmosphere slowly began to fill with lead, and from the atmosphere, it would settle onto everything under our great blue skies, contaminating the whole Earth. This continued for years, until Clair Patterson put an end to it.
Patterson Against the World
Clair Patterson faced almost the entire world when speaking out against the corrupt Ethyl Corp. The Ethyl Corp. was one of the most powerful companies in existence, and wielded their considerable influence to make Patterson's battle the most difficult in his life. They took his funding away, trying to silence his research, but with his project manager, Harrison Brown's quick wit, they managed to retain enough funding to survive. They also tried to pressure Caltech into firing him, which failed, as Patterson was easily one of their most skilled scientist. They hired quacks to critique his work, and even managed to snag the Robert A. Kehoe, the world's foremost toxicologist to publicly humiliate his work, debunking it with flawed research. The Ethyl Corp. convinced the world that Patterson was just some crazy, mad scientist - a total hack, and got him excluded from a national research council on atmospheric lead pollution, despite his obvious expertise. They also created an entire disinformation campaign on how the lead was both natural and completely harmless, and that humans had already evolved an immunity to lead.
He was additionally handicapped by the nature of the lead itself, which was in aerosolized particulate form. This meant that it would settle onto any evidence of a world without lead, making it biased and unusable. It would permeate the atmosphere, settling onto all personnel and tools as well.
This all adds up to a staggeringly strong opposition to him, and the odds look very bad. But even in such adverse conditions, where the entire world had been turned against him, and the very people he worked to protect dismissed him as a madman, he didn't do so much as flinch. He plowed forward through everything that ailed him until he reached the end, displaying his unwavering determination.
Patterson's Journey Around the World
In response to the lead, Patterson designed his very own clean-lab model, and replaced every pipe in his lab with his own two hands. With his lab newly outfitted with the newest filtration technology, his research would be safe from the lead. Though, he still needed research samples, but from where? In order to obtain enough data to disprove the falsehoods presented by the Ethyl Corp., Patterson would have to undergo multiple deep expeditions into both poles. In the Arctic and Antarctic, the ice acts like sediment, where layers of ancient ice lie under layers of new ice. This allows us to gaze into past atmospheric conditions, as particles get frozen in the layers of ice, leaving a all-natural record of the past. He and his team collected ice up to 2800 years old, from multiple distinct eras. The data he extracted was very grim. He found that the atmospheric lead levels had increased 300-fold. He did similar research on ancient Peruvian skeletons and compared surface and thermocline seawater to deep seawater, both bearing similar results.
Sweet Victory At Last...
After 33 long, grueling years, Patterson finally had enough evidence to tear through the impregnable fortress of lies. He had sacrificed almost half of his life, working tirelessly to save the public, and now the battle would finally end. He published his irrefutable research, and it was accepted by the government. They immediately began to phase the country out of leaded gasoline. A happy ending: against all odds, David beats Goliath, good prevails over evil, and the world is saved. It's quite a familiar tune, but how does this all tie in to the question: "What makes Patterson so eminent?"
Why Lead Was So Bad
Yes, very much so. Lead is a dangerous toxin, and causes a plethora of adverse health conditions, which can take years off your life. Lead exposure is particularly harmful to children and newborns, and is passed from mother to child during pregnancy. Lead can cause:
High blood pressure
Joint and muscle pain
Memory and concentration problems
Mood disorders
Miscarriage and infertility
Neurological damage
In children:
Developmental delay
Learning difficulties
Irritability
Weight loss
Sluggishness or fatigue
Hearing loss
Seizures
Clair Patterson cleaning his lab by hand.
"I dont have any pride, I'm sorry to say. I have zero pride in any award. All I feel is obligation, obligation, obligation..."
-Clair Cameron Patterson
Eminence
A little recap:
Discovered the age of the Earth
Developed a widely used geochemical dating technique
Saved the world from widespread lead pollution
His eminence will now be split into two parts:
Influence - how has he left a "ding" in the universe?
Quality - the caliber of his character
Influence
In case you haven't noticed, Clair Patterson has had quite a significant influence on the shape of our modern world. This is how.
Firstly, he found the age of the Earth, which was 4.5 billion years, later refined to 4.54 billion years. Now that we know the original age of the Earth, we have a specific time scale for which we can accurately predict what happened when. We could know that one event happened 10 000 years after another event, but unless we know when the first event happened, the second is a complete mystery. It also allows us to complete our cosmic calendar. Whilst finding the age of the Earth, he designed his own clean lab, which sported powerful filtration technology and required all personnel and equipment to be acid cleaned before use in the lab. This was considered to be one of the first clean rooms ever invented.
Secondly, he discovered lead-lead dating (henceforth Pb-Pb dating), which is a geochemical dating technique widely used by geochemists all over the world today, and opened a gate to many new discoveries (like the age of the Earth). Pb-Pb dating is based off the U-Pb dating technique, which utilizes the predictable half life of uranium to precisely pinpoint the age of early solar-system objects. However, this relies on the mineral having an abundance of uranium, which chondrites, the type of early meteorite used to find the age of the Earth, lack. Unlike U-Pb dating, Pb-Pb dating doesn't require anything of the sort, making it the most precise method of dating non-uranium-rich minerals. Before Pb-Pb dating was developed by Patterson, determining the age of any such materials was difficult and unreliable.
Lastly, and possibly his most influential accomplishment, is his work on atmospheric lead. Before the leaded gasoline was created, the lead levels in human blood have were at 0.016 μg/dL. In with the invention of leaded gasoline, the human lead levels spiked, raising the average to 15.2 μg/dL in 1976. That is a 950-fold increase. This was especially concerning, considering that NO level of lead is considered safe for the human body, but a lead level of 3.5 μg/dL is accepted as the maximum "safe" level. The lead levels in that time were 5 TIMES that much! The massive rise in lead levels has been linked to a massive spike in violent crime in the 90's, and most world leaders of the present day grew up during then. With the volatile political climate, it raises more than a few suspicions. In the atmosphere, compared to pre-human times, Patterson found that the atmospheric lead levels had multiplied by 300, but thanks to Patterson, those levels have decreased by 97% and by 2016, the median blood level had dropped to 0.7 μg/dL, a 95% decrease.
Clair Cameron Patterson also helped mentor the next generation of geochemists, and acts as a role model to new geochemists, even in death. His work is an example of excellence for the newest generations to follow. If it weren't for Patterson, the world would be a much darker place, in more ways than one.
Quality
Clair Patterson has displayed many exemplary qualities throughout his struggles, namely courage; perseverance; selflessness; resourcefulness; modesty; and a positive, can-do attitude. Not only was he an amazing scientist, he had a strength of character that elevated him above the rest.
Whenever he made a discovery, he would always say "We did it", displaying his modesty and gentle nature, as he would share his glory with everyone around him, instead of keeping it for himself.
When he published his papers documenting anthropogenic lead contamination in the atmosphere, he knew that it would cause a stir, and quite possible cause him to lose his job at Caltech. This was because Caltech was heavily funded by oil companies, including Ethyl Corp. He was essentially biting the hand that fed him, which would eventually cause many oil companies to rescind their funding at the behest of Ethyl Corp. But despite the grievous consequences, Patterson followed through anyways. This showed an unwavering courage and selflessness to stand up to powerful figures, despite the major personal cost. After that, the Ethyl Corp attempted to bribe him out of the scene, subtly implying the consequences of disobedience. He refused, again, showing conviction and courage.
Experts from around the world soon began to critique his work, biting away at his reputation like hyenas. The Ethyl Corp hired the world's foremost toxicologist, the revered Dr. Kehoe to champion their cause, who wielded his significant scientific influence to humiliate Patterson. They called him a madman, attempting to silence him, destroying his reputation. They turned the entire world against him. Almost anyone would have crumpled under the pressure, but Patterson could not be deterred. He persevered through everything with a devout belief that the truth would always win in the end. When the skeptics would not be swayed by his current evidence, he found two new ways to find differences in atmospheric lead, both of which confirmed his theories to the skeptics. This shows clever resourcefulness, as he already used the most obvious option, he found two extra methods. Furthermore, when creating his clean lab, he pretty much built it himself. It was of his very own design, and he switched every single pipe out himself. He meticulously sterilized the lab daily, not trusting another to do it correctly. His obsessive tendencies drew the frustration of his coworkers, but in the end, it is probably what made him so indestructible against the constant heckling he faced. Even when the whole world was convinced he was a madman - that he was on a fool's journey, searching for an answer that didn't exist - he did not waver. He decided the best way to proceed would be to return again with even more evidence, more research, more answers, until they believed him. This is the aforementioned positive, can-do attitude. It was the ultimate growth mindset. As a bit of a pessimist, I believe I could truly learn from this.
By the time his work was finally recognized by the government, 33 long, grueling years had passed. He had risked his reputation, his career, the respect of the public and scientific community, and almost half of his life for the sake of others. Could you imagine a greater sacrifice to make? This is itself is enough to make someone a hero. But the fact that this was all done out obligation to the health of the public, voluntarily, when he easily could've taken their bribe money and slid back into the shadows, shows volumes about his character. Almost his entire life was devoted to scientific improvement and for the sake of the human race. He demonstrated blazing passion for his field of study, excellent scientific skills, resourcefulness and innovation, devotion to the public's health, and uncanny tenacity to hold onto his cause when all seems lost. With his heroic willingness towards major self sacrifice for an altruistic goal, I do not doubt that he would have worked tirelessly until his final days, trying to save the rest of us from a horrible, lead-filled fate.
What is a "clean room"?
A clean room is a type of laboratory that is heavily filtered, and follows harshly stringent protocols. Clean rooms are labs intended to provide the most control over an environment, and protects any research inside from outside influence.
Interview with Dr. Dominique Weis of UBC
As part of my eminent person project, I was required to interview an expert of our eminent people in order to ensure varied research on different sources and perspectives. While I was nervous and apprehensive at first, the interview was NOT a waste of time. Dr. Weis turned out to be a gold mine of knowledge, having studied under Patterson as a student at Caltech. I was able to get the opinion of an expert in the field, which is very helpful when analyzing the long-term influence of Clair Patterson. Here is everything I learned from the wonderful Dr. Weis:
What was the significance of Patterson's various discoveries, and how has he affected the modern geochemistry scene?
Her answer was a vehement affirmation of this. The development of Pb-Pb dating from U-Pb dating was a total game changer, and opened up many new venues of research, now that it was possible to date a much broader selection of rocks. The usefulness of either technique depends on why While U-Pb dating is more important for finding resources and geology, Pb-Pb dating is vital to geochemical tracing.
She also taught me the difference between Pb-Pb and U-Pb dating, which is that U-Pb dating analyzes the amount of radiogenic lead and the amount of remaining uranium. Since uranium decays into radiogenic lead after a reliable and predictable amount of time, it allows geochemists to accurately pinpoint the time frame wherein the rock was formed. This relies wholly on the rock containing uranium, making it useless if it doesn't. Pb-Pb dating, conversely, compares the amount of different isotopes of lead, allowing you to find the age of a rock.
She tried to explain to me the chemical intricacies of it, using all sorts of scientific jargon, none of which I understood. Oh well, another inquiry for another day. Though, she very thoughtfully sent me many resources that would add some clarity on the topic, which has brought me to my rudimentary understanding of it.
In addition to his saving-the-world-from-lead business and geochemical discoveries, he also designed his very own "clean lab", which is now considered to be one of the first "clean rooms" ever invented. His clean lab is what allowed him to research in the first place. Without the clean room, there would never have been victory.
What is the significance of what is considered Patterson's greatest achievement - his magnum opus, of sorts: the age of the Earth?
She told me that it not only was it important for the dating of many cosmological, evolutionary, and geological events, but it was also important as a humbling reminder of our responsibility to the cosmos. While we, as a species, are only 200'000 years old, we have managed to damage our 4.54 billion year old planet more than any other known species in little over a century. Compared to the age of the planet, we are little more than overconfident fetuses. To the rest of the cosmos, we are even less. On a brighter note, we also got to finish our Cosmic Calendar, which has been documented above.
Intrigued by his many adventures to extreme environments, I had to ask: does every geochemist get to do that?
I learned that grand adventures, while not everyone gets to go to Antarctica, are actually not uncommon. Geochemistry, as an environmental, commonly requires trips to different regions to conduct the research required.
What are the consequences of the lead, and is there anything we can do to mitigate the effects?
The lead is a heavy metal, and unfortunately, once settled in the oceans or soil, will remain there forever. There is no known way to remove heavy metals from an environment. Our only protection is prevention. Since the lead permeated the atmosphere, it would settle onto anything below, like our oceans and environments. From there, it would soak into the flora and fauna, and when a leaded animal or plant was eaten by another animal, it would absorb all of the lead. The lead gets added up through all levels of the food chain. This is called bioaccumulation. Bioaccumulation is especially prevalent in predators, like tuna, wherein we end up eating more lead. The lead gets absorbed by crops and plants as well, meaning that while the lead was in the air, nothing was safe. Fortunately, because of Clair Patterson, this problem has all but passed.
What was Clair Patterson like?
Dr. Weis knew Patterson in person, and actually worked under him at Caltech. She described him as a tall, skinny man, with a strange sense of humor, and many quirks. The Ethyl Corp. pounced on the opportunity to highlight Patterson's idiosyncrasies, painting him as some sort of lunatic. They eventually tried to get him thrown in a mental asylum, a place where Patterson dearly did not belong. While he was a quite a kooky fellow, he was not a madman in the slightest. He knew exactly what he was doing, and was one of the most skilled experts on atmospheric lead pollution, contrary to the lies of the Ethyl Corp. He was gentle and encouraging, and is a personal role model to Dr. Weis. She, and many others have been inspired by Patterson's geochemical journey.
Thank you very much Dr. Weis for the boatloads of information! If you are reading this, you have been extremely helpful!
This information is all condensed and paraphrased, as I could not write down Dr. Weis' exact words fast enough, and the call recording got corrupted, leaving me with only my scrawled notes as evidence.