tillion Btu of it. And none of the mutagenic and possibly carcinogenic. forum speakers foresaw any techno Based on these findings, environ logical problem in getting it out of the mentalists fear that children could ground. But they also agreed that absorb the compound through their industry and government nre plagued skin, or swallow some of the material with environmental, social, and legal by chewing on their garments. Tris is uncertainties. used at levels from 5 to 10% of the On the production side, it was weight of the garment, adding further pointed out that there is no clear concern about ingestion. Surfacefederal policy on how fast—and deposited Tris, however, does wash where—coal should be developed. off with repeated laundering. What are to be the standards for the Rep. Benjamin Rosenthal (D.reclamation of strip-mined land? N.Y.), chairman of the Commerce, What will be the leasing policy on Comsumer & Monetary Subcom federal lands? mittee, declared that up to 45 million Industry spokesmen in particular children could be exposed "to the complain that the rules keep chang enormously serious risk of developing ing. Without a stable body of law and cancer." Rosenthal also seriously policy, they warn, industry will be questions CPSC's handling of the very reluctant to make the huge in Tris safety question. vestments necessary to expand pro Environmentalists have dogged duction. CPSC for nearly two years to take On the consumption side, envi action on the compound. Robert J. ronmental concerns seem paramount. Rauch, a lawyer for the Environ "Expand coal burning and relax en mental Defense Fund, told the sub vironmental controls/' says Lester B. committee that CPSC "was aware of Lave, an economist at Carnegie- the potential hazards presented by Mellon University, "and by 2010 the Tris" since late 1975 but failed to take whole nation will look like Pittsburgh action. In March 1976, the Environ in 1945." mental Defense Fund petitioned Technology exists to overcome the CPSC to require that labels be placed problems. Stack scrubbers can absorb on garments treated with Tris warn sulfur dioxide in limestone, and ing consumers to launder garments at physically washing the coal before least three times before wearing. burning will remove clay that forms Commission chairman S. John Bysooty particulates. But environmental ington told the committee that CPSC technologies are expensive, about 10 didn't act sooner because it couldn't to 20% of the cost of a new plant. And make a case strong enough to stand until controversies over clean air up in court. standards are cleared up, few indus Apparel makers, meanwhile, have tries seem willing to make that in attempted some last-minute moves to vestment. D blunt the impact of a ban on the in dustry. The American Apparel Manufacturers Association met with the commission and suggested that Ban on flame retardant the industry be allowed to sell already treated fabric. The association pre Tris appears imminent viously had said that industry The Consumer Product Safety planned to stop using Tris-treated Commission (CPSC) appears ready to fabric with this year's spring sales D ban the flame retardant Tris, and season. environmentalists who have been seeking such a ban say it's none too soon. The issue came to a head at Chemical employment House subcommittee hearings last week in Washington, D.C. At press picks up strongly time, a vote to ban the chemical was expected by week's end. There has been a notable pickup in Tris, or tris(2,3-dibromopropyl) jobs across the board at chemical and phosphate, widely used to treat chil related companies in the past few dren's sleepwear made from polyester weeks, a number of independent and acetate fibers, imparts the need surveys indicate. Professionals as well ed flame resistance to conform with as production employees are in 1972 federal standards. But labora stronger demand than just a few tory studies have shown that the months ago. compound produces kidney cancer in The chemicals and allied products rats, the National Cancer Institute's industry averaged 10,000 more Dr. Marvin Schneiderman told a employees in the first quarter this House government operations sub year than in the final quarter of 1976 committee last week. Previous in and 19,000 more than in the first vitro studies using the so-called Ames quarter of 1976, according to prelim test also showed the compound to be inary seasonally adjusted figures from 8
C&EN April 11, 1977
the Labor Department. The March total of 1,046,000 settled back 4000 from the revised February peak. Despite the slight drop in total March employment, the chemical industry pushed up work hours once again in March for the third straight month. And the chemical work week, though down from the extraordinary pace in February, stayed quite high at 41.9 hours. The Labor Department's workhour data for March support a num ber of company comments that the late winter was an upbeat period for chemicals (C&EN, April 4, page 8). Companies noting the improved tempo include some of the largest U.S. chemical producers, such as
Chemical jobs move up in first quarter Thousands
1025
η» ι ι ι ι ι ι ι Ι Ι ι ι I M A M J J A S O N D J F M 1976 1977 Note: Seasonally adjusted total employment in chemicals and allied products industry. Figures for February and March 1977 are preliminary. Source: Department of Labor
Borden, Diamond Shamrock, Koppers, NL Industries, Olin, Reichhold Chemicals, and Union Carbide. Scientific and technical profes sionals have participated fully in the new hiring wave. The latest demand reading for this group from Deutsch, Shea & Evans, New York City con sultants, shows a February index of 125.7 (1961 = 100). This level is only a bit lower than the 30-month high of 128.3 in January. In February 1976, the index stood at 93.2. Similar strength in demand for chemists and chemical engineers has shown up this year in C&EN's own classified job advertising. The chemical job thaw this year breaks the frozen state of chemical employment during the business pause in 1976. As in a number of other business indicators last year, em ployment went through a curious holding pattern from last spring through the fall. During this time, chemical employment fluctuated between 1,030,000 and 1,040,000. D
