SOOTPRINTS 
The following is an article that appeared in Earthtimes 8/31/96 - 9/14/96, Reprinted by Zero Waste America

"Scientists can pinpoint where certain particles of air pollution come from."

"Three scientists at a U.S. university have developed a technique that can pinpoint precisely where certain particles of air pollution come from. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology professors can track the source of soot, a process that would permit regulators to accurately track offending polluters. An electron microscope is employed to reveal exactly how the carbon atoms are arranged in a particular sample of soot; the resulting "sootprint" reveals the particular combustion process that produced the soot.

One of the scientists told the worldwatch Institute that the technique can easily distinguish broad categories of combustion's sources - diesel engines, gas turbines and others-as well as compute how much a particular factory is producing.

Transportation officials in Massachusetts are considering a pilot program to determine to what degree airplanes contribute to Boston's pollution; clean-up efforts have lagged because regulators have been unable to point fingers at who is to blame and to what extent.

The scientists have also petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to set up a project in Denver, Colorado, where the air is badly polluted with particulate pollution.

The scientists hope within a year to have the cost of a system down to about $250,000, a price that regulatory agencies could afford."