good for science. "As scientists, we cannot believe that the inherent value of our research is recognized by Congress anymore," says David Schutt, assistant director of the ACS Office of Legislative & Government Affairs. 'We have to clearly articulate the link between research and the quality of life we now enjoy." ACS governance and staff have been closely monitoring Congress as it debates the fiscal 2000 federal research budget, and all are very concerned. And with good reason. Referring to the House version of the appropriations bill that funds the National Science Foundation, the VA, HUD & Independent Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee chairman, Rep. James T. Walsh (R-N.Y.), said: 'We have reduced funding for [NSF] by over $200 million. That is the last thing that I wanted to do in this bill. But the balance that we had to strike was very, very fragile; very, very difficult"
Attempts to get that money back into NSFs budget have failed so far in the House, but the Senate is proving to be somewhat more generous. The research budgets of the National Aeronautics & Space Administration and Department of Energy are in similar straits. The e-mail message that went out to about 60,000 ACS members last week asks them to go to a web site (http:// legislators.com/chemical/) where they can identify their legislators simply by entering their zip code. From there, the web site provides a predrafted message and will send either a personalized e-mail or a letter from chemist constituents to their representatives in Congress. The e-mail also asks recipients to join the ACS Legislative Action Network so they can receive timely alerts and communicate with their representatives. Recipients also can opt out of the system. Linda Raber
Paring of persistent pollutants progresses Delegates from about 110 countries met in Geneva earlier this month to work on a treaty to control 12 persistent organic pollutants (POPs). They agreed to the international phaseout of the pesticides aldrin, endrin, and toxaphene without exemptions. They also decided to severely restrict the use of four other pesticides—chlordane, dieldrin, heptachlor, and mirex—and one industrial chemical, hexachlorobenzene, allowing only some residual uses. However, much of the weeklong meeting, held under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Program
Chemicals affected by POPs treaty Phased out completely Aldrin Endrin Toxaphene Phased out with exemptions Chlordane Dieldrin Heptachlor Mirex Hexachlorobenzene Still under discussion DDT Polychlorinated biphenyls Dioxins Furans
(UNEP), was taken up by arguments over the pros and cons of phasing out the use of DDT (see page 41). Countries are aiming for a global treaty because these persistent bioaccumulative chemicals can be transported by wind and water far from where they are originally used and can cause damage to wildlife. They also are suspected of causing diseases of the immune system, reproductive disorders, and abnormal child development in humans at low doses. All the delegates agreed that agricultural uses of DDT should be stopped immediately, and that the use of DDT for malarial control should be phased out sometime in the future. But for much of the week, they argued over whether to set a date for completing that phaseout. At the start of the meeting, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) was pushing for a complete DDT phaseout date of 2007 on the grounds that alternative methods for controlling malaria-carrying mosquitoes— such as bed nets soaked in synthetic pyrethroids or ponds stocked with fish that eat mosquito larvae—already exist. But the World Health Organization, public health specialists, and some developing countries want DDT kept available for malaria control until equally inexpensive alternatives are developed. UNEP Executive Director Klaus Topfer told the negotiators: 'We must ensure that we move toward reducing and eliminating releases of DDT into
the environment, but not at the cost of lives lost to malaria or other diseases." And WWF has backed off from its demand for a firm phaseout date. "WWF suggested a phaseout of DDT by 2007 as a motivational tool to accelerate the development and funding of alternatives," says WWF senior program officer Richard Liroff. 'This has succeeded in raising awareness of DDT and the malaria issue." In addition, the delegates did not reach consensus on polychlorinated biphenyls. While agreeing that PCBs should not be produced, they could not agree on how existing equipment— such as electrical transformers insulated with PCB-containing oils—can eventually be retired. Another sticking point was dioxins and furans. The U.S. said legal commitments for reducing these chemicals are not feasible because of a lack of precise baseline emissions data. But the European Union said countries should set binding reduction targets. Two more negotiating sessions on POPs are planned: one in Bonn in March 2000 and one in South Africa later in 2000. The delegates are aiming to have a treaty ready to be signed in Stockholm in the spring of 2001. Bette Hileman
Protective enzyme yields to structural analysis In a collaborative effort, two laboratories have obtained the first structure of an epoxide hydrolase from an animal, have elucidated the enzyme's mechanism of action, and have discovered potent small-molecule inhibitors for it. Epoxide hydrolase is a protective enzyme that hydrolyzes mutagenic and carcinogenic epoxides, forming relatively benign 1,2-diols that are usually less reactive, more soluble, and more easily excreted than the epoxide substrates. The enzyme is also believed to be involved in regulation of fatty acid signaling compounds associated with inflammation and hypertension. The collaborative studies on epoxide hydrolase from mouse cells were carried out by graduate student Maria A. Argiriadi and chemistry professor David W. Christianson at the University of Pennsylvania and by postdoctoral fellow Christophe Morisseau, entomology proSEPTEMBER 20,1999 C&EN 9
