Clair Cameron Patterson (1922 - 1995) was a geochemist born in Iowa, USA.

Patterson developed the uranium-lead dating method and, based on lead and uranium isotopic data from the meteorite Canyon Diablo, calculated an age for the Earth of 4.55 billion years.

Beginning in 1965 with the publication of Contaminated and Natural Lead Environments of Man, Patterson tried to draw public attention to the problem of contamination of the environment and the food chain with lead from industrial sources.

Further Reading