PESTICIDES
▸ Large-scale study finds no glyphosatecancer connection The latest data from a long-term study of the health of tens of thousands of people licensed to apply pesticides show no evidence of a link between exposure to the herbicide glyphosate and cancer (J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 2017, DOI: 10.1093/jnci/ djx233). The data come at a critical time for Monsanto, maker of the widely used glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup. The company is being sued by hundreds of Roundup users who OH O claim that expoO H sure to the product P N HO caused them to OH get non-Hodgkin’s Glyphosate lymphoma. The study involves more than 54,000 pesticide applicators from North Carolina and Iowa who enrolled between 1993 and 1997. Initial data from the study were published in 2004 and documented 2,088 cancers through 2001 (Environ. Health Perspect. 2004, DOI: 10.1289/ehp.7340). The latest report finds 7,290 cancer cases through 2013 in Iowa and through 2012 in North Carolina. Neither study found any statistically significant associations between cancer and exposure to glyphosate. The researchers did find, however, a possible association between multiple myeloma and glyphosate exposure that they say should be investigated further.—BRITT ERICKSON
DRUG SAFETY
C R E D I T: BR I T T E R I C KS O N/C& E N
▸ FDA finds deadly risks linked to botanical kratom Consumers should avoid using kratom, a plant native to Southeast Asia, to self-treat serious medical conditions such as pain, anxiety, and depression, the U.S. FDA warns in a public health advisory issued on Nov. 14. The agency claims that kratom acts similarly to opioids and has “similar risks of abuse, addiction, and in some cases, death.” Last year, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration proposed to
INORGANIC CHEMICALS
Restrictions needed on explosives precursors, report says Chemicals that could be used in deadly improvised explosive devices should be regulated by the U.S. government, a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine panel says in a report published last week. The panel identified 28 chemicals that had been or could be used in vehicular or personal bombs and recommended that sales of those chemicals be restricted at the retail level through bans, licenses, or registries. Of those chemicals, 10 (listed below) were flagged for immediate action because they pose the “greatest current threat,” the National Academies say. Most have been deployed in terrorist attacks in the past and could be used to make a homemade explosive device without adding other chemicals.—ANDREA WIDENER ▸ Aluminum (powder, paste, flake) ▸ Ammonium nitrate ▸ Calcium ammonium nitrate ▸ Hydrogen peroxide ▸ Nitric acid
temporarily classify two chemicals found in kratom—mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine—as Schedule I controlled substances, the most dangerous class of drugs. But patient groups and some members of Congress pushed back, citing the benefits of kratom as an alternative to opioids. DEA withdrew its proposal and asked FDA to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the safety and medical effectiveness of the two chemicals in kratom. FDA says data clearly show harmful effects of kratom, including increased calls to poison control centers and 36 deaths associated with its use. People who use kratom, represented by the American Kratom Association, dispute FDA’s data, claiming the deaths involved people who were taking multiple drugs, not just kratom.—BRITT ERICKSON
People rallied in front of the White House last year to keep kratom legal.
▸ Nitromethane ▸ Potassium chlorate ▸ Potassium perchlorate ▸ Sodium chlorate ▸ Urea ammonium nitrate solution
ENERGY
▸ Global energy markets in turmoil The world’s energy systems are being transformed, driven by rapid deployment and falling prices of renewable energy sources, more dependence on electricity for energy needs, a shift to a cleaner services-based economy, and a flood of oil and natural gas from the U.S., according to the International Energy Agency’s “World Energy Outlook 2017.” The annual report shows the U.S. is now the undisputed leader in oil and natural gas production and export. A predicted doubling of liquid natural gas shipments will allow the world to take advantage of this natural gas availability. Because natural gas emits half as much carbon dioxide as coal when burned for fuel, it helps limit climate change, IEA notes. However, that benefit is lost if methane, a strong greenhouse gas and the primary compound in natural gas, leaks during production. The report predicts 30% growth in electricity demand worldwide by 2040. Two-thirds of the growth is anticipated in Asia, largely because of demand in China and India, but the report also shows huge gains for energy efficiency in those countries and worldwide. Renewable energy sources, particularly solar, are rising sharply and displacing coal.—JEFF JOHNSON, special
to C&EN NOVEMBER 20, 2017 | CEN.ACS.ORG | C&EN
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