Howdidyoufeelaboutthenegativeattentionyourfatherhasreceived?Howdoyoufeelnow?

Myparentstriedtoshieldmefromthebattlesmyfatherwasfightingwiththeleadindustry,thegovernmentand
academiaasachild.Myfatherwasoutragedbyeffortstocoveruptheextentoftheleadpollutionanditssource.A
lotofthatfrustrationwasdifficultforhimtoconcealinhishomelife.Thisresultedinmyfatherhavingmany
discussionswithmymotheraboutwhattookplaceduringthoseearlyyears.Asaresult,Ibecameawareofthe
viciousattacksonhischaracterandresearch.Lookingbackatallthebattleshefought,andtheincredibleamountof
timeandenergyheputintohisresearch,itmakesmeproudthathewasmyfather.Howeverinsomewaysitmakes
mesadandangryatthecriminalsintheEthylCorporationwhomadehimworksorelentlesslytodisprovethe
claimsbythosetheyhadinfluencedtodiscredithim.Theenergyheexpended,andthestressheenduredshortened
hislifeinhisbattletosavemillionsofpeoplefromcertainleadpoisoning.

DidyoufeelDr.Patterson'sworkwasimportantatthetimehewasworkingonit?

EvanatayoungageIknewthatmyfathersresearchmustbeimportantbecauseofthepassionandurgencyhe
exhibitedovercomingthemanyobstaclesinhispathtodiscoverthetruth.Hewasrelentless,andIcouldsensethe
stresshefeltinaracetopreventanimpendingdisaster.

Whatdoyouthinkishisgreatestlegacy?

Myfathersgreatestlegacywashisdedicationtothepursuitofthetruthasascientistinthepurestsense.Hismind
set,passionanddedicationtothethingsheaccomplishedarealastingexampletofuturescientistsandthetruths
theypursue.

WhatwashisbiggestdifficultygettingridofTEL?

Alloftheresearchanddatainthescientificliteraturerelatedtoleadintheenvironmentpriortomyfathersworkin
thefieldwashighlyinaccurateandmisleading.Asaresult,notonlydidhehavetoprovethecausesandthesources
oftheincreasedlevelsofleadintheenvironment,hehadtodisproveallthedatapublisheduptothatpoint.Allthis
faultydataclaimedthebodyburdenofleadintypicalAmericanswasatornearthenaturallevelsexpected.These
claimswereinspiteoftheincreasedlevelsofleadbeingproducedandusedingasoline,paint,plumbingandfood
containers.Provingwhatthenaturalbodyburdenofleadshouldbe,absentthemanmadesourcesintroducedinto
theenvironment,seemedanimpossiblepuzzletosolve.Oncemyfathersolvedthatpuzzlebeyondanydoubt,
convincingthegovernmenttotakeactiondespitethelobbyingandliesbytheEthylCorporationwasawholenew
battlemyfatherdespised.Hisrighteousindignationaboutthesituation,andhisangertryingtogettheattentionof
thosewhoseresponsibilityitwastoprotectthepublicwasdifficulttowitness,andtookatollonhishealth.Inorder
togettheirattention,realizingmanyhadnounderstandingofthesciencebehindhisresearch,hecreatedafamous
graphicdepictionofhowbadthesituationhadbecome.Thisexamplecalledthemeaslesdiagramshowedthree
silhouettes
ofahuman.Thefirstsilhouettewasofanancienthumanandhadasingledotrepresentingthenaturalbodyburden
oflead.ThesecondsilhouetteshowedatypicalAmericanandhadonethousanddots,eachindividualdot
representingthenaturalbodyburdenofleadcontainedinanancienthuman.Thethirdsilhouettewasofahuman
withclinicalleadpoisoningandhadseveralthousanddots.Oneglanceatthisdiagram,andonecouldseehowclose
weweretobeingchronicallyillwithleadpoisoning.

WhywashesopassionateaboutgettingridofTEL?

Leadisadeadlyneurotoxin,andmyfatherknewcontinuingdownthispathinwhichwespewtonsofleadintothe
environmentwouldresultinmanydeathsandunimaginedsuffering.Mostimportantly,theonethinghumanshave
thatmakesthemuniqueistheirbrain,anditspowerofreasoningandselfawareness.Theleadintheenvironment
wouldpermanentlycompromisemansabilitytofunctionrationally,resultinginacivilizationwhosecollective
mindswouldcreateahellonearth.

Whatkindofleadershipdidheportray?

Myfathersresearchleadhimtomanycountriesandinteractionswithawholehostofscientists,laborers,politicians
andenvironmentalistsaroundtheworld.Hewasascientistinthepurestsenseoftheword.Hehadnointerestin
thelimelightorbeingfamous.Hebecametheultimateteacherasaresultofpursuingthetruthsaboutlead
pollution.Hiscleanlab,thefirstofitskind,andhisanalysisofsamplesinitproducedthefirstaccuratedataonlead
levelsintheenvironment.However,inorderforscientificfindingstobeacceptedasfact,theymustbe
reproducible.Nooneelsewasabletoreproducemyfathersresults.Asaconsequencehebroughtmanyscientists
fromallovertheworldtoworkandbetrainedinhiscleanlab.Hiseffortstoteachothers,andspreadthe
knowledgehepossessedresultedinawholenewwaythatscientistsworldwidecollectedandmeasuredtrace
elementsinourenvironment.Allthosewhohadtheprivilegeofinteractingwithmyfather,friendorfoe,wereleft
withalastingrespectforhishonesty,passion,generosityandwillingnesstosharehisknowledge.

Doyoubelievehisworkisoftenunrecognizedintoday'ssociety?

Untilrecently,myfathersresearchhasbeenrecognizedonlybythoseinthescientificcommunitywhohave
benefitedfromthatknowledgeinpursuingtheirownresearch.Untiltherecentpublicationofbooks,andnational
televisionprogramsabouthisbattlewithleadpollution,littlewasknownaboutthemanwhosavedthehumanrace
fromleadpoisoning.Societytakeslittlenoticeofsilentlethalthreatsthathavebeenpreventedbyheroesthrough
theirresearch,asopposedtothosedisastersthatcausedevastationandarelaterdealtwiththroughscientificmiracles
oringeniousengineeringsolutions.

WhodidDr.Pattersonlooktoforinspiration?

Myfatherlikemanytruescientists,drewhisinspirationfromallthosewhomentoredhimasayounggraduate
student,andthewellknownscientistsattheUniversityofChicagoheworkedwith.Whenascientistisableto
solveoneofnaturesmysteries,theemotionsandfeelingsfeltatthatmomentofdiscoverymakealasting
impression,andleadtoalifetimeofinspirationandpursuitofknowledge.Whenmyfatherdiscoveredthetrueage
oftheearth,theemotionsandexhilarationhefeltknowingnotwhathehaddone,butwhatsciencehadachieved
gavehimtheinspirationandstrengthheneededtopursuehislifelongbattlewithbadscience,criminalsinthelead
industryandthepoliticianstheyinfluence.InhislateryearshesoughtoutpeoplelikeSaulBellowthenobel
laureate,neurobiologists,artists,musiciansandyoungchildrenforinspirationandcluesintounderstandinghuman
consciousness,thoughtandthenonutilitarianpartofthehumanbrain..Hisnextpuzzletosolve,wasprovingthe
adverseneurologicaleffectsofleadinourenvironmentonthehumanbrain,andhowithaschangedthewaywe
thinkandevolveasacivilization.

Ifsocietycouldonlytakeonethingfromyourfather'swork,whatwouldyouwantittobe?


Thereisnoquestionthatmyfathersresearchprovidedsocietywithastrikingexampleofthedangermankind
presentstoitself,andthatfutureyoungscientistsoftheworldseekingtosolvenaturesmysteriescanmaketheworld
abetterplace,inspiteofthegreedandignorancethatsurroundsanddiscouragesthem.

Whatdoyoubelieveyourfathercouldaccomplishwithtoday'stechnology?

Ifmyfatherhadbeengivenmoretimetopursuehistheoriesusingmodernbrainimagingtechnologies,andthe
advancesinneurobiologyatacellularlevel,hewouldhavebeenabletodemonstratehowtheleadinour
environmenthasaffectedthewayhumansthink.Thisisyetanotheroneofmyfatherstheoriesdoubtedbythosein
thefieldofneurosciencewhowouldsay,justastheenvironmentalscientistsdidwithhisleadpollutionwork,that
heisonceagainpursuingtruthsoutsidehisfieldofknowledge,andinwhichhehasnoexperience.Hewouldhave
provedthemallwrongonceagainbyundertakingthetediousandcostlytaskofraisingsuccessivegenerationsof
animalsinaleadfreeenvironment,toprovehownervecells,thebrainandultimatelythoughtisaffectedbythe
amountofleadthatnowexistsinourenvironment.

HowdidyourfatherfeelabouthisworkontheManhattanProject?

Myfatherasayoungmanlikeothershisage,hadthedesiretodefendinnocentpeoplebeingkilledbytheGerman
andJapanesegovernments.Becauseofhisnearsightednessandextensiveknowledgeofmassspectrometryhewas
notallowedtoenlistbuttoldtojointheManhattanProject.Thedevelopmentoftheatomicbombwasinevitable,
thequestionwaswhichcountrywouldpossessthebombfirst.Myfatherwasinstrumentalinprovidingtheenriched
fuelthatwasusedinthebomb.Howeverheneverimaginedthatoncetheracewaswon,thebombwouldbeused
oninnocentpeople.Manyscientistsinvolvedinthedevelopmentofthebombfeltanobligationtolobbythe
governmentnottousethebomboninnocentcivilians,buttheirpleaswereignored.Ratherthanademonstrationof
itsdestructivepotentialinaremotesite,hundredsofthousandsofinnocentpeoplewerekilled.Henevertalked
aboutit,butifthesubjectcameup,heexpressedangerandregrettedhowthebombhadbeenused.Heconsidered
himselfpartlyresponsible,howeverIbelievehefeltsomereprieveinthefactthathisresearchandfightwiththe
leadindustryresultedinsavingmillionsofinnocentpeoplefromtheeffectsofchronicleadpoisoning.

DoyoubelievetheremovalofTELfromoursocietywouldhavebeenaccomplishedwithoutthededicationfrom
yourfather?

MyfatherwasinstrumentalinprovidingtheproofthatwewerebeingpoisonedbyTEL.Itwasonlyamatterof
timebeforemillionswouldhaveshownclinicalsignsofleadpoisoningifTELhadnotbeentakenoffthemarket.
Unlikemostenvironmentaldisasterswheresolutionsaresoughtafterthefact,myfatherseffortsleadtominimizing
thepotentialcatastrophiceffectsonsocietybeforetheycouldoccur.Despitemyfatherseffortsinproviding
irrefutableevidencethatthelevelsofleadintheenvironmentwerenearinglethallevels,ittooktheeffectsofvisible
andirritatingtoxicsmogtoconvincesocietythatnotonlywasleadpoisoningpeople,itwaspoisoningthecatalyst
incatalyticconvertersthatwererequiredtoeliminatethesmog.Thesmogwastheonlyvisibleandimmediate
evidencetothehazardsofburninggasolinethatultimatelyforcedthegovernmenttoactmuchmorequicklyin
removingtheleadfromgasoline.Thousandsofirreversiblebraindamagedchildrenwererequiredbeforethelead
wasremovedfrompaint.Asadcommentary,butevidencethatthenonutilitarianpartofthehumanbrainhasbeen
effectedbytheleadinourenvironment,andmayultimatelyleadtotheextinctionofthehumanrace,notunlikethe
falloftheRomanEmpireduetoitsloveaffairwithleadinitssociety.