Chemtrails? Contrails? Conspiracy?

A friend brought this subject up while we were playing golf in Phoenix. It was interesting enough to take another look - just to consider. Here's a brief tour of the issue.


The chemtrail theory is a group of conspiracy theories regarding unnatural vapor trails in the sky which allegedly hold "chemicals." Chemtrails form when certain aircraft (in certain places and at certain times), leave behind contrails thought to be laden with "chemicals." Contrails are formed by condensation of water vapor in the aircraft's exhausts.

Proponents of the theories maintain that some trails have an appearance and quality different from those of normal water-based contrails, i.e. that chemtrails are not consistent with the known properties of contrails. The general unifying factor is the generally conspiratorial belief that some kind of chemical or biological agent is being secretly released. The term "chemtrail" should not be confused with other forms of aerial dumping (e.g. crop dusting, cloud seeding or aerial firefighting). It specifically refers to systematic, high-altitude dumping of unknown substances for some undisclosed purpose resulting in the appearance of these supposed chemtrails.

Among the theories proposed for the purpose of the alleged "chemtrails" are: atmospheric and weather modification, biological warfare, mind control or occult purposes. They are also theorized to be part of a system to counter the effects of global warming, to create a cheap wireless communications network for the military, or to create a more sophisticated radar system ...(for both defensive and scientific application).

General Description

The chemtrail theory apparently first achieved prominence in mid-to-late 1990s. Chemtrails have been discussed on radio programs hosted by Art Bell and Jeff Rense with investigative journalist William Thomas who first reported on Chemtrails . According to a FAQ posted at Jeff Rense's website, "chemtrails (CTs) look like contrails initially, but are much thicker, extend across the sky and are often laid down in varying patterns of X's, tic-tac-toe grids, cross-hatched and parallel lines. Instead of quickly dissipating, chemtrails expand and drip feathers and mares' tails. In 30 minutes or less, they open into wispy formations which join together, forming a thin white veil or a 'fake cirrus-type cloud' that persists for hours."

Lacking proper scientific equipment, most chemtrail theorists can only speculate about the composition of the alleged chemtrail. However, one chemtrail theorist, Clifford E. Carnicom, operator of a website entitled "Aerosol Crimes and Cover-ups", claims to have analyzed ground-level air samples following chemtrail events. It is not clear what his experience or expertise in chemical analysis is, but he carefully detailed the methods and procedures he used. He claims to have found airborne aluminum, barium, calcium, magnesium and titanium, and "microscopic fibers" in areas supposedly exposed to chemtrails.

Dr. Leonard Horowitz, a graduate of Tufts University and former faculty member at Tufts and Harvard University, discusses chemtrails in his 2001 book Death in the Air: Globalism, Terrorism & Toxic Warfare.

"Chemtrails" are mentioned in House Bill HR 2977, the Space Preservation Act of 2001, introduced by Congressman Dennis Kucinich, where it appears as one of a list of "exotic weapons system[s]" to be banned under the bill. Proponents of the reality of chemtrails point to this as official acknowledgment of the possibility, at least, of such weapons systems. The reference to Chemtrails was omitted from the version of the bill re-introduced by Kucinich in 2002 as HR 3616 or in 2003 as HR 3657.

An article entitled "The Chemtrail Smoking Gun" by Bruce Conway, suggested that chemtrails represent the implementation of technologies suggested in a 1992 National Academy of Science study, Policy Implications of Greenhouse Warming; specifically, that chemtrails are part of a secret project intended to mitigate global warming. Some science has corroborated this phenomenon as global dimming.

The Las Vegas Tribune, a free weekly broadsheet, ran an article on September 9, 2005, entitled "Chemtrails - Coming Out Of The Closet?", wherein that publication's managing editor, Marcus K. Dalton, stated that United States Air Force scientists working at Wright-Patterson Air Force base in Dayton, told Columbus Alive - a weekly entertainment magazine - that they had been conducting two aerial spraying experiments: "one involved aluminum oxide spraying related to global warming and the other involved barium stearate and had to do with high-tech military communications." Dalton basically rehashes William Thomas's article in Convergence Weekly, though some new information is presented.

Skeptical groups, including the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, assert that contrails normally exhibit a wide variation in appearance and that the descriptions and photographs of "chemtrails" are perfectly consistent with those of ordinary contrails. They also voice various objections to the idea of chemtrails:

Depending on what the alleged purpose of the chemtrail spraying would be, spray released above 30,000 feet is likely to be highly unpredictably dispersed due to high-altitude winds.

How do aircraft accused of depositing "chemtrails" manage to pass inspection without the deception being discovered? Assuming drugging the population is the purpose, the people behind the conspiracy would breathe the same air the population breathes, so any harm inflicted on the population would also be inflicted on those in charge of the conspiracy, unless they were made immune through vaccination.

Official and governmental bodies have consistently denied the existence of such spraying.

In addition, condensation trails behind aircraft have displayed characteristics attributed to "chemtrails" since the 1930s development of high-altitude planes. As these vapor trails are created in the exhausts from engines, they contain not only hot gases but also microscopic droplets of oil and every other component of the fuel, including traces of lead (in fuel used by piston engines), which can break light into various colors. This phenomenon is observed in sundogs, which have been seen throughout recorded history.