cuted, resulting in 10 convictions, with fines or suspended sentences. "In the 18-year history of OSHA/ 7 the report noted, "no one has ever spent one day in jail for a criminal violation of the OSHA Act." The act provides for criminal prosecu tions only in cases that involve fa talities, advance notice of an OSHA inspection, or knowingly providing false information to OSHA. The report clearly stated that if the Justice Department wasn't going to bring criminal charges under the act, both it and OSHA should take the official position "that the states have the clear authority under the federal OSHA Act as it is written to prosecute employers for acts against their employees which constitute crimes under state law," which is what Boyd did. Some industry spokesmen believe the decision will unleash a host of overeager prosecutors. However, many legal experts doubt that will happen. As one law professor puts it, "It really has to be egregious before any prosecutor is going to antago nize the business community." Joseph A. Kinney, head of the Chicago-based National Safe Work place Institute, agrees that most com panies don't need to worry. "It's going to affect companies that don't pay attention to worker safety," he says. Nevertheless, he adds, the re cent developments make it clear that companies that "fail to manage their risks" face the prospect of more criminal prosecutions. Ward Worthy and Janice Long
on binding of gpl20, the viral en velope protein, to CD4, a protein on the surface of Τ lymphocytes susceptible to HIV-1. Previous re search at Genentech, Harvard, and other laboratories has established that a soluble version of CD4 binds to HIV-1 particles and blocks their ability to infect lymphocytes in vitro. Dubbed "immunoadhesins" by the scientists, the newly reported molecules represent what appears to be at least a partially successful effort to combine the anti-HIV-1 ac tivity of soluble CD4 with desirable properties of antibodies [Nature, 337, 525(1989)]. A feature that has made soluble CD4 attractive as a therapeutic is that it is unlikely that HIV-1, which appears to elude the human immune system through a highly variable envelope, can afford to vary the re gion of gpl20 that recognizes and binds to CD4. Thus, CD4 should be effective against all of the many strains of the virus. However, a prob lem with soluble CD4 is that it is cleared from the body fairly rapidly. Soluble CD4 is already undergo ing Phase I clinical trials in AIDS patients. No results from those tests have yet been reported. Soluble hu man CD4 has also been shown to have a beneficial effect on rhesus monkeys infected with simian im munodeficiency virus (SIV), which
Antibodylike molecule made tofightAIDS In an elegant bit of molecular cut ting and pasting, scientists at Genen tech, the National Cancer Institute, and Harvard Medical School have produced an antibodylike molecule that contains the receptor for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1). The properties of the molecule "make it a good candidate for ther apeutic use" against HIV-1, accord ing to Daniel J. Capon, who directed the research at Genentech. The infectivity and pathogenici ty of HIV-1 are critically dependent
Capon: candidate for therapeutic use
is related to HIV-1 and causes an AIDS-like disease in monkeys. To produce the immunoadhesins, the Genentech scientists spliced to gether DNA sequences that encode the CD4 protein and the constant domain of a human immunoglobu lin molecule. Two immunoadhesins are active against HIV-1 in vitro, and one has a half-life in rabbits nearly 200 times longer than that of soluble CD4. Whether the immunoadhesins stimulate an active immune response against HIV-1 and virus-infected cells has not yet been determined and is the subject of ongoing research. Rudy Baum
Dow boosts European consumer market stake In one of those ironic twists of cor porate fate, Dow Chemical, which has long seen its Ziploc brand plas tic bags competing with First Brands Corp.'s Glad bags, will, because of a pending acquisition, be able to use the Glad tradename in Europe. DowBrands Inc., an Indianapolisbased subsidiary of Dow Chemical Co., has entered into an agreement w i t h First Brands, of D a n b u r y , Conn., for purchase of First Brands' European household products busi ness. This acquisition is a major ad vance for Dow's position in the con sumer products markets in Europe. Currently, the company's only po sition in these markets is through its Domopak business unit in Italy, which produces similar items to those manufactured by First Brands. "Europe is a very high priority for us," says Robert M. Baughman, pres ident and chief executive officer of DowBrands. "With this acquisition, DowBrands becomes a leading mar keter of household disposable prod ucts in Europe." By acquiring both facilities and business offices, Dow Brands will gain access to key mar kets in France, Spain, and West Germany. DowBrands manufactures and markets plastic film wraps and bags, household cleaners, and hair prod ucts. First Brands was created in mid-1986 w h e n U n i o n Carbide Corp. sold its home and automotive February 13, 1989 C&EN
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News of the Week products division to First Boston Inc. for $800 million. A spokesman for First Brands indicates that the European businesses are less than 10% of its entire operations, which will still total more than $1 billion in annual sales after the acquisition. In Europe, First Brands manufactures plastic wrap, food and garbage bags, and aluminum foil under the Albal and Glad brand names, with sales for 1989 estimated to be nearly $100 million. Under the terms of the agreement, which is expected to be finalized in March, DowBrands will become owner of the Albal trademark and will have licensing rights to the Glad tradename in Europe. DowBrands will also obtain a plastics extrusion and conversion plant in West Germany and an aluminum foil converting facility in France. Financial details of the sale have not yet been disclosed. Ann Thayer
an interim period as the U.S. and the Soviet Union move away from deterrence based on mutual assured destruction toward deterrence based on mutual assured defense. There have already been indications that the Bush Administration will have decreased expectations of SDI. In testimony at his confirmation hearings, Secretary of Defense designate John G. Tower acknowledged that the more ambitious goals of the program are unrealistic. Reagan Administration officials made strong pleas for unwavering support for SDI in their departing messages. In his annual report to Congress last month, former Secretary of Defense Frank C. Carlucci stated, "All the technical promise [of SDI] may never be realized if the program does not receive adequate funding." Reagan's proposed fiscal 1990 budget includes a 54% increase for SDI over fiscal 1989—$5.59 billion compared with $3.63 billion. At press time President Bush's proposed 1990 budget had not been released. But in light of both the continuing budget deficit and clear indications that defense spending will be under particular scrutiny, it The Strategic Defense Initiative, one appears likely that the Bush Adof the largest R&D projects in the ministration will be substantially U.S. today and the cornerstone of less generous toward SDI. Also, Conthe Reagan Administration's arms gress has persistently been less encontrol and national security poli- thusiastic toward SDI than has the cies, is due for substantial réévalua- White House. For fiscal 1989 Contion. It now seems likely that its gress held SDI funding at the 1988 ambitious goal of rendering nucle- level despite a request from the Adar missiles "impotent and obsolete" ministration for a large increase. will be abandoned. Michael Heylin However, strong support for the development of more limited ballistic missile defenses will remain. Speaking at the end of a meeting of largely SDI advocates organized by the Global Foundation in Washington, D.C., last week, O'Dean P. Judd, During the eight years of the Reagan chief scientist for SDI, claimed that Administration, scientists and engitechnological progress made under neers became increasingly disturbed the program over the past six years at the escalating secrecy restrictions indicates that, for instance, defense applied to U.S. research and technolof missile silos could be feasible and ogy by Reagan's security watchdogs. However, the onset of relaxed remilitarily useful. Judd claims that there is no need to lations with the Soviet Union, culwait for development of the "silver tivation of China as an ally and bullet" of a perfect missile defense. trading partner, and the recogniHe indicates that the phased deploy- tion that technology advances too ment of less capable systems would quickly to be easily contained have give greater control over deterrence resulted in the loosening of many and lead to increased stability during restrictions. Still, the free exchang-
Sights to be lowered for missile defense effort
Loosening of science secrecy rules urged
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February 13, 1989 C&EN
ers think more needs to be done to open the system. One group, the Benton Foundation of Washington, D.C., is calling on President Bush to accelerate the job. A report for the foundation prepared by John Shattuck and Muriel M. Spence of Harvard University's office of government affairs, says Bush needs to establish an overall "initiative on information policy with special attention to programs on science, the economy, and national security." The foundation wants: • An executive order by Bush based on a "thorough review" of the classification system. • A review of current restrictions on technology and scientific communications with the aim of "substantially" reducing areas of control. • More participation by Congress and the public in reviewing proposed national security directives. • More interagency discussions of what scientific information should and should not be restricted. • Limitation on the Office of Management & Budget's influence in government decisions on dissemination of technology. • Restoration of access to information through revision of currently restrictive Freedom of Information Act guidelines. • Ending the "inappropriate secrecy" in Defense Department budget documents. Matters currently are fairly quiet on the security/science front. Deborah Runkle, head of the American Association for the Advancement of Science's scientific freedom and responsibility office, says scientists aren't complaining much lately. But a detailed list of restricted items remains on the books, and, she says, a study needs to be done on who and what are being affected in academia. There are signs that the Administration is indeed moving toward a loosening of restrictions. Secretary of State James A. Baker III is on record as being in favor of freer exchange, and the Central Intelligence Agency is going public with its own classification methodologies. The result, says Runkle, is that the CIA's criteria for what is and isn't classifiable are "much more liberal" than those of the Defense Department. Wil Lepkowski
