National Agricultural Chemicals Association president Jack D. Early's reaction was also different. "The NAS report deserves careful study," he said, but added that it is important to note that the "report really calls for measures to further reduce the remote possibility of dietary risk from chemicals." NACA suggests that EPA establish a high-level interagency panel to review the report's methodology, findings, and recommendations and determine how to eliminate inconsistencies in pesticide regulation. D
Material inhibits aging process in skin cells Cosmetic companies and dermatologists have invested considerable effort and money into slowing the normal aging of human skin. But despite the many claims of extending the look of youthfulness, the goal hasn't been achieved. A recent chance discovery at D e n m a r k ' s Aarhus University, however, may have brought the dream closer to reality. The research was performed by a team led by Brian F. C. Clark, professor of biostructural chemistry there. Patent filing considerations would not allow Clark and his associates, Suresh Rattan and Pardeep Bhatia, to detail the specifics of the material they are working with. They acknowledge, however, that some 72 hours after adding their "natural product" to cultures of human dermal fibroblasts, there is a several-fold increase in the level of total proteins the cells produce. At the same time, the structure of the cells appears younger. Their lifespan, however, is not prolonged. A human cell in culture goes through an average of about 50 divisions before it dies. As the cell ages, its ability to produce the normal range of proteins declines. The consensus is that when dermal fibroblasts grow older, the effect is a loss of elasticity, "tone," and appearance of the outer skin layer. "We are not looking for another cosmetic," Clark insists. "Our main objective is to gain a better understanding of how dermal fibroblasts
function at the molecular level." He adds that this area of study receives little attention, compared with the amount of effort going into cancer research, for example. The work is funded by a grant from Senetek, a company set up four years ago, of which he is the chief scientific consultant (C&EN, Nov. 14, 1983, page 36). Much remains to be done before the Aarhus findings come anywhere close to commercialization, he adds. Toxicity tests and preclinical trials, he says, could take up to five years. Other agents that produce similar effects in skin cells have been found previously, according to Vincent J. Cristafalo, director of the Center for the Study of Aging at the University of Pennsylvania. For example, his own research group found some 15 years ago that hydrocortisone can make skin cells appear younger and prolong their life span. "The acid test of an antiaging compound is antiaging. Apparently, Clark's substance doesn't do that. The interest is probably not from the point of view of cosmetics but in finding out just what kind of substance can produce these effects." D
Military use of space station debated Controversy is flaring over U.S. plans to have a permanently manned space station orbiting Earth by 1996. Already embroiled in continuing scientific, economic, and political disputes, the space station is now caught in a crossfire between Congress and the Department of Defense regarding use of the station for military purposes. House committee markup of the spending authorization for the National Aeronautics & Space Administration has been postponed until the matter is resolved. The latest dispute erupted when Secretary of Defense Caspar W. Weinberger attacked an effort in the House of Representatives to forbid use of the station for "any national defense function or activity." In a letter to Rep. Robert A. Roe (D.-N.J.), chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space & Technology,
Space shuttle (lower right) carries supplies to proposed phase one of space station in Earth orbit, with four photovoltaic solar arrays at each end, and three lab modules and one habitation module in center supporting an eight-member crew Weinberger charged that legislation introduced by a committee member, Rep. Norman Y. Mineta (D.Calif.), would be "harmful" to national security, endanger the future of both civilian and military space programs, and make success of the space station "problematic." "It is particularly disturbing," Weinberger added, "to witness within our own Congress the resonance of Soviet propaganda that U.S. military activities somehow taint the peaceful realm of outer space." The Defense Secretary also accused Congress of trying to "dictate the outcome" of the executive branch's delicate negotiations with international partners in the space station (Canada, Japan, and the European Space Agency) on management and use of the station. In a letter last month to Secretary of State George Shultz, Weinberger warned against "paying too high a price for international cooperation," and said the U.S. must "be prepared to go forward a l o n e " if it cannot obtain agreement on military use and other conditions. Roe, in an angry response to Weinberger, said he was "affronted by what seems to be your questioning of Congressional loyalty and moMay 25, 1987 C&EN
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News of the Week tivation." Roe added that he found "unacceptable your insistence that Congress has no role or proper interest in the international negotiations." Ironically, after months of thrashing through the many disputes surrounding the space station, the committee was about to resolve them. Mineta's original proposal has been modified to language in the markup—supported by Roe and committee Democrats—that would permit the Defense Department to conduct research in materials, communications, or other areas of interest, but forbid it to test or deploy actual weapons systems, such as those related to the Strategic Defense Initiative. Meanwhile, NASA has issued requests for proposals from industry for detailed design and construction of the station. The Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee is expected to authorize the full $767 million NASA requested for the space station this year. And aerospace firms are sponsoring an advertising campaign to win public support for the station. D
Dow to prosper under Popoff, say analysts Chemical industry analysts are upbeat over the future growth of Dow Chemical following the announcement at the firm's annual meeting that Frank P. Popoff, 51, has succeeded Paul F. Oreffice, 59, as president and chief operating officer of the company and will succeed Oreffice as chief executive officer Dec. 1. Popoff has served as executive vice president of the company since May 1985. He held a number of positions at Dow Europe, including vice president of marketing and sales, commercial vice president, and president. Theodore Semegran, executive vice president of Shearson Lehman Brothers, describes Popoff as "very personable" and applauds "the global nature of his approach." Semegran says he has just raised his estimate of Dow's 1987 annual earnings from $4.75 a share to $4.90 a share. Dow's 1986 earnings were 6
May 25, 1987 C&EN
$3.87 per share, more than 11 times 1985 earnings. Peter Butler, chemical industry analyst with First Boston Corp., says he has known Popoff for many years. He thinks Popoff is well liked within Dow and can motivate "Dow's overachievers" with the "superior management skills" he has acquired in Dow's overseas operations. "Look for evolutionary changes at Dow because Oreffice has done a superior job repositioning the firm," Butler says. "Popoff reminds me of Oreffice. He is exuberant, optimistic, and gregarious," says Paul Leming, chemical industry analyst with Morgan Stanley. N o t i n g the dramatic restructuring Dow has undergone and improvement in earnings it has achieved since Oreffice took the reins in 1978, Leming says he'd be surprised if Popoff makes any dramatic changes in direction. The new Dow president also has received glowing praise from European analysts who knew Popoff when he headed Dow's European operations. Says Stuart Wamsley, an analyst in London with Greenwell Montagu: "Popoff was largely responsible for triggering the first and all-important round of European chemical restructuring in 1982. I think he will bring a much needed down-to-earth and enlightened in-
Popoff: international approach ternational approach to the U.S. chemical industry, which still is very much an insular industry." According to Tony Church, a broker with the London firm of Wertheim Schroder, Popoff is a "great talker," who "surprised me by how well he listens." He is impressed with Popoff's marketing background and personable nature. Oreffice, who will remain chairman after he relinquishes the chief executive title to Popoff in December, says: "I feel very good about turning the reins over to Frank Popoff." D
MIT starts new hazardous chemicals program A novel attempt to resolve conflicts on the use, storage, and disposal of hazardous chemicals is being made at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Called the Program on Hazardous Substances Management, the endeavor will attempt to integrate basic and applied research already under way in several departments at MIT and to apply it directly to real-world problems. The research to be integrated into the new program is not just technological. Work in decision making and public policy as they relate to environmental issues also will be part of the new program. Says John R. Ehrenfeld, coordinator of the program: "We are trying to embed our work in a policy context, to say not just that we need a better incinerator, for example, but to couple that
to the issue of public acceptance. We are very concerned with the question of acceptable technology." Ehrenfeld, a chemical engineering graduate of MIT, has returned to the school to head the new program from a career as an environmental m a n a g e m e n t consultant. Also working with the program are faculty members from many departments and centers at MIT, including chemistry, chemical and civil engineering, applied biological sciences, urban studies and planning, environmental health sciences, and the Center for Technology, Policy & Industrial Development. The university is seeking 10 corporate or governmental sponsors for the new program, each to contribute $1 million over five years. So far it has one sponsor, Dow Chemical. D
