Whether Reagan was reviled for it or not, it happens to be true. Trees produce isoprenes and terpenes. Both cause ozone. Both are carcinogenic. The amount of VOC (volatile organic compound) produced by one tree exceeds the Bay Area Air Quality Management District threshold for Maximum Available Control Technology (MACT) by a factor or eight.
Yup.
It's so nice to see an article that doesn't devolve into a hit piece or become a paean to misty-eyed environmentalism.
Isn't it now illegal, in California, to plant certain types of trees because of the larger-than-average amounts of pollutants they naturally produce? Thought I read something here about that once.
That Reagan was really stupid, wasn't he? He should have been putting limits on human freedom instead, that's much easier and more just to the vegetable kingdom.