News of the Week instruments. In contrast, the Antarctic phenomenon was first noted by ground-based instruments, then verified by data from both the SBUV and the total ozone mapping spectrometer (TOMS) instruments carried on the Nimbus 7 satellite. "We can't confirm Heath's conclusion because we haven't yet reprocessed the TOMS data for the Northern Hemisphere in a way that would allow us to verify such small changes," says Richard Stolarski, also at NASA's Goddard center. "The southern phenomenon is very much easier to see. We haven't looked carefully enough yet at the North." D
ICI restructures chemical operations Imperial Chemical Industries continued moving from commodities toward specialties w h e n it announced last week the biggest restructuring in the British chemical giant's history. Western European operations of ICI's petrochemicals and plastics, fibers, fertilizers, and inorganics divisions will be merged, rolling the company's commodity chemicals into a wholly owned subsid-
Correction on aspartame C&EN made an error in a government concentrate (Sept. 8, page 26) entitled "Aspartame approval process under scrutiny." The General Accounting Office found no illegal dealings or meetings involving six former Department of Health & Human Services employees regarding approval of the synthetic sweetener aspartame. Cleared in the GAO investigation, requested by Sen. Howard M. Metzenbaum (D.-Ohio), were: Arthur Hayes, former FDA commissioner; Sherwin Gardner, former FDA deputy commissioner; Stuart M. Pape, former associate chief counsel for foods at HHS; Howard R. Roberts, former deputy director of the bureau of food at FDA; Wayne L. Pines, former associate commissioner for public affairs at FDA; and Robert A. Dormer, a former trial attorney for the food and drug division of HHS.
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iary, called ICI Chemicals & Polymers Group. On a world basis, the four divisions' total sales last year were $8.6 billion ($1.00 = £0.771 for 1985), 62% of the company's sales of $15.1 billion. Earnings for the four divisions amounted to $454 million, 36% of the company's overall total. In 1985 the European operations accounted for about $4.5 billion in sales and more than $250 million in profits. The new subsidiary thus will be significantly larger than ICI's remaining divisions, which are unaffected by this decision. For example, sales of the pharmaceuticals division in 1985 were $1.2 billion, 9% of the total, and those of agrochemicals and plant breeding products, and of paints, each about 6%. However, these divisions' profit contributions were proportionally higher than their sales percentages; pharmaceuticals, for instance, contrib-
uted 28% of earnings in 1985, and agrochemicals 8%. The m a n u f a c t u r i n g bases are spread across northern England in major complexes at Wilton, on Teesside; at Harrogate, in Yorkshire; and at Runcorn, near Liverpool. Headquarters for the new subsidiary will be at Runcorn, with regional and R&D activities on Teesside. One of the obvious major reasons for the move is to give the company greater ability to streamline operations and manpower. ICI officials predict eventual savings of "tens of millions of pounds." Based on earlier restructuring efforts, the savings will come roughly equally from improved efficiency and manpower cuts. As a wholly owned entity, the subsidiary will coordinate ICI's commodity chemical businesses in Europe. And it will have its own board of directors, which will report to the main ICI board. D
EPA debates restricting Monsanto herbicide Monsanto's widely used herbicide alachlor is the subject of debate within the Environmental Protection Agency this month. Recently, a draft position document being prepared for the reregistration of the chemical, sold under the name Lasso, reveals a disagreement between the agency's Office of Pesticide Programs, which wants to approve the compound, and the Office of Drinking Water, which believes the data show enough of a hazard to humans that consideration should be given to suspending use of alachlor. The revised position document is not expected to be released until next month. Two facts not contended are that the compound at high concentrations can cause cancer in laboratory animals and that some surface and groundwaters are contaminated where alachlor is used. The pesticide programs office concludes that concentrations in water from normal use of the herbicide typically run between 0.2 and 2.0 ppb, and higher concentrations are the result of spills or problems with holding ponds. But, the drinking water office says concentrations are sometimes as high as 580 ppb and
concludes that, because of its carcinogenicity to animals, use of the compound might have to be suspended. The drinking water office explains that the harshest option considered by the pesticide office for the chemical, which is cancellation, is not viable because, during the normal eight-year cancellation process, the chemical would continue to be used. A suspension could halt use immediately. A Monsanto spokesman says the company has not seen the draft document and probably will not until it is completed. He says the company is confident that alachlor will not be suspended or canceled and that Monsanto will try to convince EPA during the public comment period on the position document that no additional restrictions are necessary. In addition, Monsanto has some doubts about the accuracy of the high numbers reported in drinking water. The company's own studies performed for the registration of alachlor do not show such high levels. Monsanto also does not believe there is any evidence that alachlor at the levels normally found in water will cause cancer in humans. D
