When Congress empowered the Environmental Protection Agency in 1990 to police 189 air pollutants instead of just seven, lawmakers ignored one tiny detail: How would the EPA tackle such a monumental task ?

Lori A. Todd, a scientist at the University of North Carolina, may have an answer.

Dr. Todd, an assistant professor in UNC's school of Public Health, is exploring whether computed tomography - best known as the technology behind CAT scans and their wonderfully detailed images of hidden things, such as human organs - can be adapted to map air quality. Her goal is to provide continuous monitoring of an area and of myriad toxins all at once.

Industrial Hygienists, We Don't Just Clean Teeth (ESE Notes, June 1996)

My uncle thinks I clean teeth in industry, my cousin thinks I make sure there are no germs in industry, and my friend thinks I clean the air. They all agree that I must be obsessed with cleanliness. Anyone who has been in my office knows this is not true.

Actually, I am obsessed with finding those nasty contaminants in air. I'm more like the x-ray technician. I leave the actual cleaning to Mike Flynn.