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Griggs v. Allegheny County
The US Supreme Court in Griggs v. Allegheny County ruled that airports must compensate people living in the near vicinity for noise and vibrations. -
Senator Gaylord Nelson suggeste1st Earth Day
The first Earth Day and Earth Week was celebrated and millions protested pollution on Earth and their concern for the environment. The event was organized by a 33-member committee in Philadelphia.Organizers later identified 12 anti-environment members of the US House and Senate, 7 of whom son lost their seats. -
Noise Control Act
The US Noise Control Act of 1972, Public Law 92-574, allowed states or US territories to set noise-control laws. -
former steelworks contributed birth defects
The huge British Steel plant at Corby, central England, closed and the site was redeveloped. In 2009 a British court ruled in favor of a group of young people who said pollution from the former steelworks contributed to their birth defects, which included missing fingers and deformed hands and feet. -
unique fuel blends
California started using its own unique fuel blends to combat air pollution. No other state adopted the standards. A premium for the special blends resulted and became larger as the number of state refineries shrunk. -
wintertime cloud of air pollution
Scientists reported a wintertime cloud of air pollution the size of the US over the Indian Ocean. The soot and sulfur cloud covered an area of 3.8 million sq. miles. -
noise from a US air base
A Tokyo appeals court ordered the Japanese government to pay more than $27 million in compensation to residents affected by noise from a US air base, raising the amount awarded by a lower court. -
Paul MacCready
Paul MacCready (b.1925), designer of the Gossamer Albatross, died in California. His bicycle powered plane crossed the English Channel in 1979. He founded AeroVironment in 1971 to monitor air pollution. -
Somali pirates
Somali pirates attacked the Maersk Alabama for the second time in seven months, though private guards on board the US-flagged ship repelled the attack with gunfire and a high-decibel noise device. -
Tehran, home to over 12 million people
In Iran for the second time in a month, heavy air pollution in the smog-filled capital of Tehran, home to over 12 million people, has forced authorities to close government offices and schools and declare a two-day public holiday because of the health dangers of being outdoors.