Mario J. Molina was a Mexican-American chemist who made several notable contributions to the fields of atmospheric chemistry and environmental science.
Molina and F. Sherwood Rowland published a groundbreaking paper in the journal Nature, in which they proposed that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) could destroy stratospheric ozone and potentially lead to a "global catastrophe."
This discovery led to the development of the Montreal Protocol in 1987, which phased out the production and use of CFCs worldwide.
Molina and his team conducted a study that linked airborne lead pollution to health problems in children in Mexico City, leading to the introduction of regulations to limit lead levels in gasoline and other sources of pollution in Mexico and other countries.
Molina co-founded the Mario Molina Center for Energy and Environment, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable development and addressing environmental challenges in Mexico and other countries.
Overall, Molina's contributions to atmospheric chemistry and environmental science have been highly influential and have had a significant impact on global environmental policy and public health.
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