New* of the
Weeh
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Biological Avar fa re described as weapon o f still in development stage · · · IVavy open for s y m p o s i u m · · · Teflon to g o into New refinery for high-grade chloride s e t Τ Ν an effort to correct widespread mis*•· understanding as to the potentialities of biological warfare, Secretary of Defense James Forrestal recently issued an official statement on the subject. The last previous official statement, the Merck & Co., Inc., report of Jan. 3, 1946, did not reveal details of the extent of progress in this field or evaluate the capabilities and limitations of this new weapon. As a re sult, many unofficial statements which have overshadowed more sober and rea sonable reflections on the subject have subsequently been made in print and on the radio. Enemy activity in this field during World War I I prompted British-Amerioau-Canadian collaboration to develop protective measures against possible enemy use of such a weapon. · The Chemi cal Warfare Service, now the Chemical Corps, in cooperation with the Navy and the Office of the Surgeon General, is re sponsible for research to provide adequate defenses and to enable us to use this wea pon, should it become necessary. Mr. Forrestal stated that "while it would ljpCplly to underestimate the poten tialities of biological warfare, there is no factual basis for extravagant claims of the existence of a biological super-weapon." Maj. Gen. A. H. Waitt, chief of the Chem ical Corps, also stated that biological war fare is practicable and has great potenti alities but is a weapon of the future. An important defense lies in early identifica tion of diseases. Federal, state, and muni cipal agencies which in peacetime are con cerned with the control of natural out breaks of disease, in time of war, with the assistance of the armed forces, would play an important role in counteracting the implantation and spread of disease. In recognition of the possibility of bio logical sabotage, appropriate steps are be ing taken to ensure the coordination of activities of our protective agencies as a first line of defense. In addition, a re search program for the prevention and treatment of diseases which might result from biological warfare is being con ducted.
Nondestructive Testing Symposium Held at NOL The most complete laboratory of x-ray and other nondestructive testing appara tus in the world was officially introduced to the scientific world on March 24 and 25, when the Naval Ordnance Laboratory, 986
great potentialities destructive t e s t i n g full-scale production u p a t Carlsbad, Ν .
but lab . · '· Μ.
White Oak, Md., held its first symposium o n nondestructive testing, with representa tives of industry and government, includ ing the armed forces, participating. The purpose of the laboratory is to set standards in nondestructive testing meth ods which will make them more effective in raising the quality of equipment used by t i e Navy and to decrease the cost of such besting for Navy suppliers. New x-ray and other nondestructive testing methods will be the object of research. Work is under the direction of L. W. Ball. The laboratory building contains eight rooms, one of which houses a 10 millionvolt mobile betatron and a 2 million-volt x-ray machine. There are also a 400,000volt machine, a crane-mounted and a truck-mounted 250,000-volt machine, a 160,000-volt fluoroscopic unit, a photofluorographic machine, and apparatus for ^c-ray diffraction.
3M Plant at Bristol, JSotv in Production
Pa.9
Production of adhesives and coatings at. the former Plancor plant No. 80 at Bristol, Pa., was begun March 7 by the Minnesota Mining & Mfg. Co. The company, head quarters for which are in St. Paul, Minn., purchased the plant last summer from the War Assets Administration. Manager of the unit is Robert N . Wolfe. Other lines, including some adhesive tapes, will go into production about May 1, and the plant will ultimately employ about 350 workers.
ECA. Oil
Advisers
Economic Cooperation Administrator Paul G. Hoffman has appointed a group of consultants to investigate and analyze fac tors which should be considered in deter mining competitive prices on shipments of Middle East oil financed by ECA. Con sultants named are: Max Ball, Washing ton, D. C ; E. S. Mason, Harvard Uni versity; Sumner Pike, Atomic Energy Commission; G. W. Stocking, Vanderbilt University; and L. S. Wescoat, Pure Oil Co.
First Full-Scale Teflon Production Planned E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc., will build a new unit at its Washington Works, near Parkersburg, W. Va., for the first CHEMICAL
full-scale manufacture of Teflon, its tetrafluoroethylene resin. Construction begins in the late spring or early summer of this year and will be finished in about 12 months. Du Pont for some time has been producing Lucite acrylic resin, nylon, and polythene plastics at the Washington Works. Teflon is now being made in a small semiworks at Arlington, N . J. In dustrial research during the past six years has developed enough improved products using Teflon to require expansion of capac ity to manufacture it, the company states, pilot plant production having started in 1943.
Low-Grade Anaconda Ore to Be Blasted from Hill Anaconda Copper Mining Co. is making preparations for blasting 130 million tons of low-grade ore from Anaconda Hill at Butte, Mont. It is estimated that the yield will be 1.3 million tons of copper, or 20 pounds of copper per ton as compared with the 85 pounds per ton of ore mined from richer veins. The operation will cost about $20 million; 50 years of de velopment work, mining, and geologic mapping are said to lie behind the de cision that enough copper could be ol> tained to make the project worth while.
Ammonia Allocation to. Phillips Called Unfair Phillips Chemical Co. has stated that it will be forced to close its $3.5 million ammonium sulfate plant on the Houston Ship Channel by April 17 unless the gov ernment's allocation system is changed. The Houston plant of Phillips makes am monium sulfate from ammonia produced at the Cactus ammonia plant at Etter, leased by Phillips, but the amount allowed Phillips from that produced a t Etter will only keep the Houston plant in operation until April 17, Phillips officials state.
International Mineral Potash Refinery Completed Output of chemical grade potassium chloride at Carlsbad, Ν. Μ., will be in creased as production gets under way at a new refinery completed by International Minerals & Chemical Corp. early in March. Coincident with the production of the high-grade chloride, a revised process for the production of improved potassium sulfate is now being used at the refinery in Carlsbad, the company states. Starting with the standard grade potassium chlo ride, the refining process for the high pur ity chloride employs a crystallization tech nique developed by International's reAND
ENGINEERING
NEWS
search staff at Carlsbad. In addition to the crystallization process, the production of the chloride has been tied in with the existing sulfate production through an improved base exchange process. The new refinery cost approximately $1.5 million and was constructed by the Steams-Roger Mfg. Co. of Denver. Pre liminary layout design was handled by Western-Knapp Engineering Co. of San Francisco. Output capacity is expected to be upwards of 20,000 tons annually when full production is achieved later this year.
AEC Permanent Security Review
Personnel Board
The U. S. Atomic Energy Commission has established a permanent Personnel Security Review Board to succeed the original board which completed its work last year. Members of the new board are : Charles Fahy, an attorney, of Washing ton, D. C , who will serve as chairman of the board; A. S. Flemming, president of Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio; and B. D. Smith, director of the united Corp., New York, Ν. Υ., and of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co., Philadelphia, Pa. The primary function of the new board will be to review and make recommenda tions regarding individual personnel secur ity cases. Individual cases are first heard before a local Personnel Security Board. In the event of an adverse recommenda tion by the local board, the individual con cerned has the right to appeal his case to the board in Washington.
New Butyl Rubber
Ruling
Inner tube manufacturers are now re quired to use only 60% butyl rubber rather than the 80% formerly required, according to a new Commerce Department ruling. The ruling applies only to popu lar-size tubes with a cross section of 9.00 inches or less. Although this change could reduce butyl use from 60,000 tons to 40,000 tons annually, officials believe con sumption will not be materially decreased, since butyl has had wide acceptance and use. Details of the ruling appear in the Federal Register, Vol. 14, No. 51.
Scholarships Iowa Science
for Students
2 7,
NO.
1 4 » »
Export Controls
Eased
Recent rulings of the Department of Commerce's Office of International Trade have eased export controls over certain. additional liquid petroleum items. The export of aviation and other motor gasoline, kerosene, gas oil, and distillate fuel oil are no longer subject to quota limitswtions. In addition, export controls on.certain antimony, bismuth, lead, and coal-tar chemicals have been removed. Validateci licenses are still required to export these items.
Pharmaceutical
Firm Gijt
The Ernst Bischoff Co., of Ivory ton, Conn., has donated over $1,500 worth o p sulfa drugs and aminophylline tablets to> "Save the Children,1' an organization, associated with CARE. The drugs have been marked for distribution among: indi gent children in Finland and Greece.
Rayonier
Laboratory
Rayonicr, Inc., in reply to reports that its central chemical laboratory will be moved from Shelton, Wash., to a new laboratory building in Pleasantville, N.Y.,
and that construction has been started, has stated, "Construction of a new labora tory has not been started and the date that such construction shall begin has not been decided upon at this time."
N e w s o f the Industry The American Brake Shoe Co. is ex panding its sales activities in Cleveland with the addition of National Bearing Division in its sales offices at 915 Midland Bldg. Appointment of G. D. Culbert, 1006 DuPont Circle Bldg., Washington, D. C.f as sales representative of American Dis trict Steam Co. has been announced. M. A. Self has been made president of the Bee Chemical Co., Chicago, 111. Sales manager of the company for the past year, Mr. Self will continue in that capacity also. J. J. Drucker has been named manager of the estimating and cost control depart ment of Catalytic Construction Co.» Mr. Drucker has been associated with FosterWheeler Corp. and with Arthur G. McKee and Co. The Cerium Metals Corp., New York, Ν. Υ., and the General Cerium Co., Edgewater, Ν. Υ., have the Cerium Export Association established for the ex portation of cerium misch metal under
J)iethaaokmine Warehouse stocks of Diethanolamine
are
available in principal industrial areas. Larger quantities a r e
shipped
directly from
our
plants. Boston
Albany Phone or write our nearest office for complete information.
Now York Newark Philadelphia Charlotte
Establishment of Clinton Industries Science Scholarships to assist promising young Iowa scientists has been an nounced. The scholarships will be awarded to the top nine Iowa contestants in the science talent search conducted an nually by the Science Clubs of America. Cooperating with the Iowa Academy of Sciences, Clinton Industries, Inc., a manu facturer of corn products, at Clinton, Iowa, has appropriated necessary funds. Pres entations will be made early in April, V O L U M E
with a first award of $500, three second awards of $200 each, and five third prizes of $50 each offered.
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CARBIDE »NO CARBON CHEMICALS CORPORATION CORPORATION CHEMICALS UNIT OF UNION CARBIDE AMD CARBON CORPORATION 3 0 EAST 4 2 n d STREET
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