Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: QAA Podcast
Episode: Trickle Down Episode 15: Earth's Most Destructive Organism Part 1 (Sample)
Description: Thomas Midgley Jr. invented two things that were used all over the world. Firstly, he invented leaded gasoline. This helped car engines operate more efficiently, but at the cost of spewing poisonous gas everywhere. The second invention is Chlorofluorocarbons or "CFCs." These substances, which were sold under the brand name Freon, had widespread applications in refrigerators and aerosols. But it was eventually discovered that these CFCs were eating away at the ozone layer in Earthβs atmosphere. Ozone depletion allows more UV radiation to reach the Earth's surface, which can lead to skin cancer, cataracts, and weakened immune systems.
The fa...