I didn’t comment on this much at the time, but there was a relatively silly argument over increased efficiency standards for light bulbs a couple of years ago. It focused, in part, on what would or would not be allowed under the new standards. There was a great hew and cry in some circles over the alleged banning of incandescent bulbs. Like many political debates involving scientific terms, other issues were the real source of conflict.
A recent We The People petition response has the seeds of another such squabble. Responding to a petition to make the U.S. measurement standard the metric system, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) noted something that is likely not well understood.
The U.S. has – officially – been using the metric system for over a century. Its older system of measures has been defined in metric terms for nearly as long. Yes, it only started being taught in schools in the 1970s, but it has been legal to use since the 1860s. From the Director’s response:
“So contrary to what many people may think, the U.S. uses the metric system now to define all basic units used in commerce and trade. At the same time, if the metric system and U.S. customary system are languages of measurement, then the United States is truly a bilingual nation.
“We measure distance in miles, but fiber optic cable diameter in millimeters. We weigh deli products in pounds, but medicine in milligrams. We buy gasoline by the gallon, but soda comes in liter-size bottles. We parcel property in acres, but remote sensing satellites map the Earth in square meters.
“While many countries mandate the use of the metric system by law, the U.S. Congress has repeatedly passed laws that encourage voluntary adoption of the metric system. We use a mixture of metric and customary units depending on the context. We also have a long tradition of voluntary standards and our bilingual system of measurement is part of that tradition.”
So, we are a metric nation, but we don’t insist on it for absolutely everything. Where this might get the dander up of those concerned about the supposed death of incandescent bulbs and high-flush toilets is in an item nearly at the end of the Director’s response.
“NIST is currently working to make it possible for manufacturers to label their products with metric units only (.pdf) if they choose to do so because it will reduce their costs or improve their international competitiveness.”
In the report linked to in the last quote, there are indications that metric-only labeling has met with little to no resistance. Of course, all it takes is one complaint to a member of Congress with a desire for outsize outrage, and we have a righteous windmill-tilter on our hands. I’m so (not) looking forward to it.
Pasco Phronesis 