Document 3eLBO2JEwM4aaZJYv2d7V69XE

URL 04722 Chemical & Engineering News 1155-16tfc St., N.W.. Wmhington, D.C. 20036 Editor: Michael Heylin Muifiif Editor: William F. PiMl Aaawtoat Editors: David M. Kkfar. Jai&M H. Krisgsr. Donald J. Sajwan StoTT Editor: Ernaat L. Carpenter Sealer Editors: Earl V. Aadanoa (New York), Ua E. Ember, Jeffrey L. Ft*, Wilbert C. Lopkowski, Howard J- Sanders Aaeeciata Editors: Dome Dasani, Rebecca L. Rawlt, Richard J. Saltaar Aieant Editor: Pamela S. Zurw Editorial Aaaistaat: Tbaisaa L. Roux Editing Sorvteow Joyce A. Richard* (Head). Dolors* Miner (Editorial A*eirtrt) News Borsana: New York (212) 687-3223 William J. Storck (Busins* Editor), Pttrida L. Layman and Stephen C. Stineon (Associate Editore). Chicago: (312) 236-7325 Ward Worthy (Haad). Joseph Herein (Associate Editor). Houston: <713) 522-4125 Bruce F. Creek (Head). Whmfton: (202) 872-4496 Janice R. Loaf (Government Editor), David J Hanson (Aasociete Editor). West Coast (415) 665-4971 Rudy M. 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Cohraihus, Ohio 43210. ACS emumm ao responsibility for the statement* and opinions advanced by the contributor* to its publication*. Advertising Maaagemeat CBNtSON LTD. (Per Urn at oMIaea see page *1) Letters (f? Move solar hydrogen up front SR: Your report from Kansas City in tto Sapt. 20 laaua of CAEN, page 9. Knighted some experiments from Gabor Somoriai'a reaarti pot? 4t Berkeley which deserve much more attention from the chemical community, par-1 ticuiarty in view o< the recant report of the De partment of Energy's Energy Research/^Meory Board which "moves tolar energy to the back burner" (bid.). Chemists are rarely presented with an op portunity where ihe development of a technology could help solve tree ma)or national prebteme simultaneously. While the conversion of solsr energy to the fuel hydrogen is currently viewed as "visionery,''sucha stbetitution for otr foesfl and nuclear based energy futures would: (1)reduce the economic impact of a vanishing and largely monopoHwd fuel raeerm, (2) reduce be envbonmanui Impects of bdh the COi caused greenhouse effect end add rain, and (3) reduoe be risk of war we put ourselves under by ratytog largely on petroleum to energize our society. SolarJuydrogan Is thus a Wpteedptd sword and should instead be brust to a "front burner" na tional priority. Finally, may l respectively note bat a aoUd stale p/n photochemical dbda. similar to be p/n FesOs unit of Somorjai et a)., but instead con structed of p-QaP and n-Fe*0, was previously described by Howard Mattee, John Otvos, and Melvin Calvin [Sofcr Energy Mttrisfc, 4, p.4B3 (1991)]. The earlier heterodode also split water when exposed only to solar Mumtnstton. so that be announcement bat be p/n FejOg dode wee "be first electrochemical ceH that can phetodasociate water using only viable tight" wm in Howard O. Mattes Associate (Vobssor of ChembSy. YotngMown Slats OYversffy Ravaging our planet SR: I understand Gordon N. Weber's concern for destruction of our forests (C4EN, Aug. 29, page 4), but ha must adopt another view. The "power- and profit-oriented madmen" cm be slowed, but they wHI not be stopped. The rape of Earth oocura skrutansouely wtih research on gam etadora and communWeemd be oonquaet ol other planets end toeir ealalRba. Discovering and populating exotic regions to spite of mparendy Insuperable obstacles wHI continue into be fukee as It hm happened to be paw* Have you ever thou(bi bat the children and gsndchiliten tor whom unserimtontoadeclne batthey want to save Enb may not desks toe oU world? Nostalgia for a past home hm peychotogtoal benefit, but present reality and kbae inevitability persist. Yea, l am confident bat our race wb termi nally ravage our planet Develop a fibrtettc mental viata of ba aKJf-now mknown (except to our arts) iife beyond bis sphere. The effort may be excruciating or the view impossible to mekttato; neverihetoes our survivors wiH be Hvtog' bare. Waco, Tex. Carol lingle Mark Selenium and arsenic SR: Glo B. Oorts science policy review on reputation of cancer-causing substances (C&Bi Sept. 9. page 25) excels to appealing for a re alistic governmental approach to how little we know for sue about cancer. Unfortunately, It errs to stating. "Selenium can induce cancer to ani mals, and arsenic is a known human carcin ogen." Actus*?, setonkm wm never shown to cause cancer experimentally to animals. Largely be cause of its known toxicity, selenium wm Im pugned in 1943 ss s ikeiy cause of cancer and be idea was promptly accepted as real by on cologists generally. It then took about 30 years to prove bet selenium does not cause cancet(Symposium: Selenium in Biomedicine. Eds., Mub. Oldfield, Weswig. AVI. Westport, 1997. and Seienkm in Biology and Medicine. Eds., SpaNholz, Martin, Ganber, AVi, Westport, 1991). The question now. however. Is quite be op posite. it is quite dear bat selenium has value against bob be induction ol cancer m animals by known caretoogsns and spontaneous cancer in soma strains of mice, but Its value against human cancer cafls for more research. Somewhat almUerty, selenium s sister ele ment. arsenic, has been repeetedly shown in capable of causing cancer experimentally In animals, and them is stili no proof that arsenic causes cancer in humans (C4EN, Oct. 5,1991, page 4, and Apr! 12,1992, page 4). Alternative caums for be human cancers for which arsenic wm routinely Mamed tor wars canfcgy continue lo be round. Furthermore, It hm become dear that If anything, be human cancer rate may be tower In areas to the U.S. where be level of ar senic In dinktog water is somewhat above be WHO-&A timtt. This situation sppttos for FsBon, Nev., and hm been documented tor towns in Utah. Much evidence in animals hm indicated bat arsenic, ifce selenium, hm value against known carcinogens; also that a higpi but welltotorated intake of pertain srasnicals derremad spontaneous cancer incidence. As Gori noted, bob elements are essential and have rotoe in metabolism. The facts that bob arsenic and eetonhan have much to do with suffix metabo lism is wefl estabtahed; atoo tort aberrations in sulfur metabolism and DNA repair mechanisms may land to cancer. This totter is written not to criticize Oort's oberwtm readme appeal, but to Aed aiiantion to toe basic need to be rtfft about toe toxic Face elements, pariicuiarty amide. fradRtonaHy the most misunderstood. The tuty remarkabto sit uation new exists toat all sate uses of organic areadeals in animal production will be banned in toe European Economic Community oounelm 2 CSENNpv. 1, tM2 H of December 1982. This action stems from tends to weaken the industry's argument with belief in the "arsenic cancer in humans asso fxtolic critics. Corretabons among such complex ciation," a dogma that cannot be proven, values as GNP, energy consumption, and elec disproven. or even tested. It should be recog tricity sales ere exquisitely arcane M, indeed, nized that this association grew by reiteration of tiey can be made at ail. to the present case, an ides that seemed to make sense. Bui so did however, thsre ere meny, better, arRstients for the belief in selenium cancer. an Improved nuclear power industry fian to al Compounds of arsenic are tie beet antidotes lege tft tie GR is dependent t?on increasing to selenium totocfty, and weeniced were Is frit electricity demand. magic buNets to hunan medicine, a la becoming J. C.KeNettJr. ever more clear that selenium has remarkable Formerly Dkactor, Education OMeion. and T`,~rge1rr ranftTiinir-ffsaniaii nf Inmens Deputy Director. Office Comumer AfiWs. [Lancet. Oct. 27. 1979. p. 889. and July 24. U.S. Department of Energy 1982. p. 175j. The critical need is to learn how trace elements, particularly selenium and ar senic. function to minimize susceptibility to ! Correcting the record human diseases of aging. Including cancer. Schenectady. HY. Oougies V. Fraet SR: This letter is submitted In order to correct whet we con conaidw tockai errors to tie recent Nuclear/electrical energy SR: "Tmtotod nuclear power trios to recover" (CAEN, Sept. 20, page 11) is an excellent and objective analysis of a difficult sttoject R cor rectly identifies the need for end the wtout problems associated with developing a efrong nudear power industry. One Raw mars toe dtocuaaton: tie asstfnption that the pou national product la dependant artide by Gio B- Gori. "Regulation of Cancer- Cauetog Substonoes: Utopia or Reality" (CAEN, Sept 8. page 25). to dtocueetog tie ED01 study conducted at tie National Cantor for Toadootogical flmech. Oort smm: "At tie same tone, low dcoee of AAF had tie kmexpected effect of Increasing the We ex pectancy of the tested animals. These mica lived longer tien the oontde and predtotobly experienced a Ntfwr tocMsnce of andle he cancer hardy atfrfbutobto to AAF." upon growth in electricity demand. In tie early seventies, R was widely assumed that the GNP was dependent on increasing total energy coo- The data from tie B)q 1 etudy do not eitoport the above quote. From Selabirg [Sefsburg. D., Adjusting for time on study. Ftnd. Appd. Tat, 1. sunption. At the time R was easy to bettetm tot. sfrioe the GNP dUsofter as a result of the rtrupt reduction to oil supply, and U.S. energy use was built on cheap, subsidized energy. That basic assunption was proven Mae aftor legislative policies--notably the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (1975) and tie Energy Conservation Policy Act (1978) ettobltohed fiscal incentives for energy efficiency and, 87 (1981)). the meantime on study In tie life time roup was 737 itoy* to tie coned snfrnali end 739 days at 30 ppm, a dffierenoe of only two days. The average Kaplen Meier esttmtoee of medton eirvival tfmas ware 783,773,784,781, aid 781 (toys tor 0,30,36,45, and 60 ppm AAF, respectively [Kaplan, E. L. Met. P.. Nonpwametric eetlmailon from Incomplete observe tone, J. Am tieftoNnef Aaaoc.. 88, 457 tmupi deregulation, reduced fiscal lubakfisi 0958)). lor production. The resulting improvement In Altiou^i these aatfrnatoe indtoato between energy efficiency la probably why. in 1979. we see a sharp reduction In energy cenetanpden while the GNP remains steady or siowty rises. a one* to 2<Mtoy dffiarenee to medton swivel for low does animals over that of oontde, onesided Cox tests (Thomas. Basics, and Gat Electricity demand, howew, is not so easily correlated with either energy consumption or GNP. to 1975, for example, aierlricky danwid went iqi while GNP (and total energy consump 1977) of each low-doee roup (30.36,48. and 80 ppm) egetoat oontois for each of six animal moms do not show a stadettcady afyiHIcent dWIerenca in wrvtval time [Thornes, D. Q., tion) went down; and aftor 1979. wh*s efanfrlcfty demand remained essentially constant, energy consumption dropped sharply. One could infer from these data that atom Icily (and nuclear Breelow. N.. QarL J. J., Trend and homogeneity eneiysai of proportiona'and Bfa tobto dtoa, Cornput Biomad. Baa.. 10.373 (1977)]. Of 24 oomparisons (4 doses X 8 rooms) only one test power) is making significant panafraBon into N yielded a P-vakie leas fian 0.06. whloh is what total energy market during a period of sharply one would expect by chance atone. increasing efficiency, but even tiwt is probably too simple an assumption. Thwe is no stong evfctonoa tadtodtog taf low doees of 2-ecetytaminofluorene Incraaaad tie The kernel of tie problem seems to be a lifetime of mice In tie EDqi study. three-tiered exaggerated Importance of (1) tie Father, tumor Incidence rates were com- dependence of the GNP on eneqyoonstaipiion. (2) the dependence of energy consumption on pared by NCTR using techniques given by Peto del. [Peto, R., Pfre. M. C.. at al. Quidslines tor electricity demand; and (3) the dependence of simple, seneRfve eignificanoe teats tor oerefr elecWcfty demand on nuder power. The reeuR nogenic sheets to long twmartowla^erkiwrto. Is an umealistic link between nudear power >nd p. 311. toe 'long-term end then lerm acreentog GNP, utokto strains credtoUity and, eirtouely. assays tor carcinogens: a critical appratoaL" (ARC Monoyapha. Supplement 2. (1980). Lyons. France). These techniques essentially compare age specific tumor rates which remove the effects ot differences to mortality, should IhayaxieL David W. Gtoytor Director, Division of Biomatry Lawrence Fhhbeto Acting Deputy Director, Netionai Canter for Toxicological neeaarch, Jaftaraon, Ark. Zeolite production patents SR: 1 have read the article on tie axpandtogtae of zeoiitee (CAEN, Sept 27, page 10) with more twn usual interest Therefore, the stotomarttito general end increased application for twee materials was now developing as a reedt of tie expiration of the zeolite production patents puzzled me. The aarileet pelade describing menufeckstog processes tor these materials tosued to a aeries of seven from 1950 to 1958.1 was the inventor of six and tie coinventor wSh A. E. Qseetor of $e seventh. Hence they were available tor public un from 1967 to 1973. Thaee patents and an article by Kientoe end Gassier [MS Eng. Cham., 48,3(1953)] which summarized five manufacturing proceases, in cluding supporting x-ray data were cited by tie Federal Patent Cart oi West Germany to tovaR- deting Union Carbide's German patent No. 1038 017 as lacking novdty. The ptototiff to trie case was the Ferbenfebrfcen Bayer A.G. The decision wee published on Ocl 24,1907. Further details d the prooeeses dlactoeed to tie Sevan patents and to or above mentioned article we described to D. W. Brack's excellent freebee entitled "Zeotite Selves,'' John WRey. 1974. However, no reference to the original publications is noted to an otherwise detailed and an encompassing bfeitopaphy. pemeps re tocreeeeo application enorts now being expended coidd have been storied 10 to 15 years sooner If tie piddle avaittWtyoftie manufeekrtog processes tor theee aharitoosJI- toatei were batter known. I Rough! Me Httie altos of history of these Importoni compounds would be of tototesi to your readers. Cheriee A. Kumtos GtoeeMMs, Ohio Potential for ttUgativ chaos BR: Your article on industry concerns rstotive to tie MwwHto sRuatton (CAEN. Sapt 8. page 5) is very nub tot* point pertaps even more eo than the wtiele indfeetae. Contrary to the atotament "The sutto ere being Wed by workers exposed to aabeetos when they worked tor the company's johns-MwMIe subekfiary," only a very smal percentage of tie suite toM Into tde netignry. Gontkumdonpage40 Nov. 1.1982 CAEN 8