EDITORIAL
Editor: Russeii F. Christman WASHiNGTON EDiTORiAL STAFF Managing Editor: Stanton S.Miller Assistant Editor: Julian Josephson Assistant Editor: Lois R. Ember MANUSCRIPT REVlEWiNG Manager: Katherine I . Biggs Assistant Editor: David Hanson MANUSCRiPT EDiTiNG Associate Production Manager: Charlotte C. Sayre Assistant Editor: Gloria L. Dinote GRAPHiCS AND PRODUCTiON Head: Bacil Guiiey Production Manager: Leroy L. Corcoran Art Director: Norman Favin Artist: Gerald M. Ouinn Advisory Board: P. L. Brezonik, John H. Seinfeld' Published by the AMERiCAN CHEMiCAL SOCiETY 1155 16th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036 Executive Director: Robert W. Cairns BOOKS AND JOURNALS DiViSiON John K Crum, Director Ruth Reynard, Virginia E. Stewart, . Assistants to the Director, Charles R . Bertsch, Head, Editorial Processing Department D. H. Michael Bowen, Head, Journals Department Bacii Guiiey, Head, Graphics and Production Department Seidon W. Terrant, Head, Research and Development Department ADVERTISING MANAGEMENT Centcom. Ltd. For offices and advertisers, see page 178 Piease send research manuscripts to Manuscript Reviewing. feature manuscripts to Managing Editor. For author's guide and editorial policy, see June 1974 issue, page 549. or write Katherine I Biggs, Manuscript Reviewing Office, ES&T
Ocean dumping continues Legislatively, the call for ocean-dumping controls in the U S . was answered with the enactment of an oceandumping law, P.L. 92-532. Despite the fact that this law became effective on April 23, 1973, much remains to be accompli shed. The issuance of permits under this act may give an apparent impression that dumping activity is strictly regulated, protective of the ocean environment, and on the decline. On closer inspection, one finds that ocean dumping continues and is on the increase. However, the number of dumping sites has decreased from 246 to 142-as this month's feature author Cox points out; in 1973, the total tonnage of materials dumped had increased 22% overall from the time that the first data, the 1968 ocean dumping survey was made. The Environmental Protection Agency, with overall responsibility for management of this law, has not as yet published regulations governing the designation, management, and monitoring of ocean disposal sites. Its ocean-dumping management team involves seven staff members at headquarters, one or two persons in each region, and an expenditure of $1.3 million for operations representing a total of about a 24 man-year effort. One challenge that lies ahead is to find alternative ways, if possible, to handle sewage sludges and industrial wastes, the two major classes of dumped material. Over the short term, the volume of sewage sludge to be dumped is expected to increase. On the other hand, a downturn is expected in the dumping of industrial wastes. Knowing a bit more about U.S. dumping regulations or the paucity of such regulations, according to your point of view, and recognizing that ocean dumping is an international problem, one wonders what the international dumping experience would reveal. Simply, is there an organization minding the international ocean-dumping store? Enacting legislation is a first step to any environmental cleanup progress, but certainly many more steps must be taken before it can safely be assumed that ocean resources are being protected.
V o l u m e 9, N u m b e r 2, F e b r u a r y 1975
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