Book reviews 163

Aerosols. By S. D. Lee, T. Schneider, L. D. Grant & P. J. Verkerk. Lewis Publishers Inc., 1986. Pp. 1221, ISBN 0 87371 051 7. Price: £115-00.

This enormous volume contains the papers from the Second US-Dutch International Symposium on Aerosols, held in Williamsburg, Virginia, in May 1985. Papers cover the whole range from sources, sampling, analysis and character of aerosols to their transport, intake, physical and biological effects, and methods and strategies for control. Definitely a book for the cognoscenti. As the introduction explains, such a vast array of information was assembled that integrated summary or synthesis was impracticable.

The Big Smoke. By Peter Brimblecombe. Methuen & Co. Ltd, 1987. Pp. 185, ISBN 0 426 90080 1. Price: £25"00.

A history of air pollution in London from the 13th century, when sea-coal arrived, to the 1980s. The excuse is taken to discuss many fascinating aspects of London's social history, with, for instance, a suggestion for the traditionally black colour of umbrellas. Numerous illustrations, and portraits of notable people, enliven the text. Underlying the humour and whimsy is a serious interest in the development of air pollution, both as a problem and the attempts to understand and control it. A good bed-time read.

The Bird of Time: The Science and Politics of Nature Conservation. By N. W. Moore. Cambridge University Press, 1987. Pp. 290, ISBN 0521 338719. Price: £27.50 (h/b); £9.95 (p/b).

First, I must declare a personal interest is this book. I had the good fortune, during my first decade at Monks Wood, to be a member of Norman Moore's research team.

This is the personal statement of a committed conservationist, always willing to listen to and understand the opposing arguments, but also willing to put all his efforts when appropriate into defending and developing the conservation of wildlife. It is a selective account of Professor Moore's life- long experience in conservation, with about one-third devoted specifically to problems of pollution. The underlying theme is that the conservation of nature is very important, can provide a new political ethic, and that unless we act soon much will be irrevocably lost.

Many topics are discussed, and two of general importance in pollution control should be mentioned here. First, the conservation of wildlife can be defended as essential for the future physical well-being of our own species. In

164 Book reviews

addition, though, there is, in most of us, a love of 'nature' in at least some of its forms, when questions of value arise about naturalness, rarity, scientific interest and so on. There is an illuminating account of how a representative example of an ashwood in south-west England came to be selected. This may seem a bit remote from pollution problems, but the same value judgements need to be made before effective biological monitoring schemes can be devised: monitoring schemes for pollution often fail on this count.

Secondly, how much scientific proof of biological effect should be demanded before steps are taken to control, let us say, acid deposition? The economists' division of costs into internal and external, or self- and other- interest, could perhaps provide a partial explanation of how, in practice, these matters are decided.

I strongly recommend this book to all involved in work on pollution who care about its social context. It should be read at leisure, and pondered. The title's bird of time urges us to take present opportunities before it is too late.

Arctic Air Pollution. Edited by B. Stonehouse. Cambridge University Press, 1986. Pp. 328, ISBN 0521 330009. Price: £30.00.

The proceedings of a symposium held in September 1985 in Cambridge, Great Britain. The printed publication date, 1986, gives a spurious impression of very speedy publication, but the publisher's note with my review copy gives 5 March 1987 as the publication date.

This is a nicely presented book, although the proof-reading could have been better. One author is omitted from the list of contributors, and the Figure on p. 209 has an unfortunate version of exponent values. The theme is said to be 'arctic haze', extensive obscuring of the arctic atmosphere, known thirty years ago to be caused by particles less than 2pm in diameter. Subsequent work showed this haze to be much more severe in the winter, when most of the particles result from human activities.

The book aims to review current knowledge. It covers composition, source and transport of this atmospheric contamination, effects on solar radiation and climate, possible effects on human health and on other species, with a final session on the social implications for the indigenous human population and the possibilities and needs for international co-operation. Most of the chapters on biological effects deviate rather from 'arctic haze'. Three that discuss human health, particularly in the USA, are relevant to the arctic only by implication, and other chapters discuss the incidence of cancer in Alaska after radioactive fall-out from tests of nuclear weapons, and exposure of Invit in Greenland to heavy metals from marine and atmospheric pollution. Evidence for biological effects from 'arctic haze' is at present speculative.

F. Moriarty