n e w s of t h e w e e k atile organic compounds (VOCs) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)—are used worldwide each year as both solvents and cleaning agents. Until recently, carbon dioxide was not a suitable solvent for many cleaning applications in which VOCs and CFCs are traditionally used because of the poor solubility of surfactants and other cleaning agents required in the detergent formulations. Chemistry professor Joseph M. DeSimone at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, received the Academic Award for developing surfactants that can be used in carbon dioxide. Applications that could benefit from this technology include precision cleaning of microelectronics and optics, medical device fabrication, and dry cleaning. "The key to solving problems for many academics," notes DeSimone, "is simply knowing what the problems are and knowing where to focus their interests." At the award presentation ceremonies, ACS President Paul S. Anderson announced the establishment of the ACS Division of Environmental Chemistry's Kenneth Hancock Memorial Award in Green Chemistry. Hancock, who died in 1993, was director of the National Science Foundation's Chemistry Division and one of the early advocates of environmentally benign chemical synthesis. The award, which will be presented for the first time at next year's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award ceremony, will recognize students who are furthering the goals of environmentally benign chemistry. Linda Raber
Clinton backs ozone, soot standards President Bill Clinton last week threw his support behind a significant tightening of the nation's ambient air quality standards for ozone and particulate matter. At a family values conference in Tennessee last Wednesday, Clinton said, "I approved some very strong new regulations today that will be somewhat controversial. But I think kids ought to be healthy." Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Carol M. Browner, who has steadfastly supported stricter standards (C&EN, April 14, page 10), called the president's move "a major step forward for protecting the health of the people of this country." Clinton approved the standards just one day before addressing a United Nations environmental summit in New 8 JUNE 30, 1997 C&EN
York City at which the U.S. was taken to task for being a major polluter and chastised for its reluctance to set firm, shortterm targets for reducing its carbon dioxide emissions (see page 10). Barring any action by Congress, which has 60 days to review the rules once they are published next month, the Administration's endorsement of the air quality standards all but ensures that they will be adopted, pretty much as they were proposed last November, but with a somewhat relaxed implementation schedule. Last week, EPA announced that the revised ozone standard would be 0.08 ppm based on an eight-hour time-weighted average, with the fourth highest reading obtained over three years determining whether an area is in or out of compliance. Use of the third highest reading had been proposed in November. The agency says using the fourth highest reading will provide greater stability for an area's compliance designation. In addition to a new ozone standard, the nation will have a new standard for fine particulate matter that specifically covers particles 2.5 pm in diameter and smaller. The standards have been controversial since they were announced. EPA and supporters of the standards say they are needed to protect the health of asthmatic children and other sensitive populations. Opponents, including most U.S. industries, have waged an unrelenting attack on the standards, which they believe will economically hobble them without saving anywhere near the 15,000 lives per year that EPA claims they will. Clinton's decision was hailed by envi-
Browner: major step for health protection
ronmental and public health groups and blasted by industry. "President Clinton and Vice President Gore took what is probably one of the most important public health protection steps of the entire Clinton-Gore Administration," said Phil Clapp, executive director of the Washington, D.C., Environmental Information Center. "They stood up to enormous industry pressure .. . and they deserve an enormous amount of credit." "The new standards will inflict terrible economic damage to our urban areas and undermine existing programs that are already working to make the air cleaner," said Jerry J. Jasinowski, president of the National Association of Manufacturers, the group that has been spearheading resistance to the standards. A few members of Congress, including Rep. Ron Klink (D-Pa.) and Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) have called for an all-out "war" with the Administration. They and a number of other congressmen are threatening to use the powers they have under the new Small Business Enforcement Fairness Act to block adoption of the standards. "Such an attack would be unwise and certainly unsuccessful," said Gregory S. Wetstone of the Natural Resources Defense Council. "That doesn't mean it won't happen." Linda Raber
Europeans negative on biotechnology Although the European public's knowledge of relevant basic biology has increased slightly since the start of the decade, optimism about the contribution of biotechnology and genetic engineering to improving their way of life has actually declined. This is the conclusion of a "Eurobarometer" survey that gauged the attitudes of more than 16,000 people in Europe [Nature, 387, 845 (1997)]. George Gaskell of the London School of Economics and John Durant, assistant director of the Science Museum and a professor of the public understanding of science at Imperial College in London, coordinated the October/November 1996 survey conducted by the European Commission Concerted Action Group on Biotechnology. Support for medical or diagnostic applications of biotechnology is stronger among the European public than is support for its use in food production or
creating transgenic animals for research and organ transplants. People view geneti cally engineered crops and transgenic ani mals asrisky.More significantly, many find transgenic animals morally unacceptable. The results of the survey, which follows others from 1991 and 1993, are not surprising in light of events taking place as the biotechnology industry grows rapidly in Europe. Although the European Union has been approving greater numbers of biotechnology prod ucts, individual countries and consumers have had strong negative reactions, even going so far as to ban the importation of genetically engineered products, particu larly agricultural products. However, many biotechnology compa ny executives say European farmers who believe they are being put at a competi tive disadvantage by these antibiotechnology stances are starting to put pressure on government authorities to change them. Among the political and regulatory issues that still challenge producers are policies on the approval and labeling of genetically modified foods. The EU has begun reviewing those policies this year. When it comes to regulating biotech nology, the survey found that trust in public authorities generally correlates with a more positive view. The excep tion is Austria, where the public trusts regulators, but both the regulators and the public expressed some opposition to food and agricultural biotechnology. Germany's distrust of biotechnology parallels that of Austria's. They are followed by Denmark, Sweden, and Lux embourg in showing the least support for biotechnology. Portugal and Spain are most supportive of biotechnology, fol lowed by Belgium, Finland, and Greece. National and cultural differences aside, the authors suggest that where the industry is more developed, familiarity has provided greater opportunity for the emergence of concerns. In other regions, the potential economic importance of biotechnology is paramount, they say. The survey results also apply broadly to public views of science, for which conventional wisdom holds "knowledge is a crucially important determinant of support." And the authors do find that people with greater knowledge are more likely to express a definite opinion. However, that opinion could just as well be negative as positive. The main lesson, they conclude, is that public confidence in emerging applications of biotechnolo gy cannot be taken for granted. Ann Thayer
Pathfinder is designed to pave the way for future missions by characterizing optimal study sites, as well as to further understand ing of the nature of early Mars. If all goes as planned, July 4 will mark the Once it hits the martian atmosphere, first time a spacecraft from Earth has land Mars Pathfinder is programmed to deploy ed on Mars since the 1976 Viking a parachute with a lander that will mea missions. sure atmospheric density, temperature, and The National Aeronautics & Space Ad pressure as it descends. The lander is to ministration's Mars Pathfinder is sched touch down 500 miles southeast of where uled to make its descent onto the martian the Viking 1 spacecraft landed in 1976, at surface at about 1 PM eastern daylight the mouth of a catastrophic outflow basin. time, send back the mission's first image Scientists presume the rocks at this location about six hours later, and begin scanning to be 3.5 billion to 4.5 billion years old. the planet's rocky and dusty orange The lander will then deploy the 16-kg, terrain the next day. tricycle-sized Sojourner, which scientists After the recent catastrophic failures of will send out each day for a week, choosing destinations with the help of % images captured by cameras %• aboard the lander and the < rover. Meanwhile, the lander will continue to monitor the martian atmosphere. Sojourner's APXS will de termine the elemental com position of the rocks and soil. As directed remotely by scientists on Earth, Sojourn er will sidle up to a speci men and APXS will bom bard it with α particles and record spectra from the generated protons, X-rays, Six-wheeled, remote-controlled "Sojourner,"only 28 cm high, will traverse Mars' surface. and scattered particles. From this information, researchers two Mars-bound spacecraft—NASA's Mars will then be able to develop models that Observer (lost contact near Mars) and Rus could predict the presence of species such sia's Mars 96 (exploded shortly after take as carbonates or nitrates, Economou says. Although data collection from the off)—scientists are eagerly anticipating the success of the upcoming mission. "It's lander is scheduled to take about a very exciting. We're hoping for the best," month, the mission may be extended if says Thanasis E. Economou, senior scien the lander and rover continue to operate. On the heels of Mars Pathfinder will tist at the University of Chicago's Enrico Fermi Institute and codeveloper of one of come the Mars Global Surveyor, which the mission's primary instruments, an was launched last November. When it reaches Mars in September, Mars Global alpha-proton-X-ray spectrometer (APXS). The $150 million Mars Pathfinder, Surveyor will orbit the planet, collecting which was launched last December, is one much of the data that was to have been of a new breed of spacecraft, designed, gathered by the ill-fated Mars Observer. Elizabeth Wilson built, and launched in a fraction of the time required to loft more ponderous vehicles such as the U.S.'s Galileo and Magellan spacecraft. The star of this lean mission is a diminutive, remote-controlled robot named Sojourner, which will rove over the planet's surface, traversing areas up to the size of a football field to analyze the makeup of martian rocks. The mission's purpose is not to look for Research into new contraceptives has possible signs of life on Mars, explains been hampered by politics, economics, Matthew P. Golombek, Mars Pathfinder and legal forces, but some scientists in project scientist at the Jet Propulsion Lab the field persevere. One such researcher oratory in Pasadena, Calif. Rather, Mars is Joseph C. Hall, assistant professor of
Scientists cross fingers for Mars landing
Compound inhibits enzyme that sperm use to recognize eggs
JUNE 30, 1997 C&EN 9
