Chemical & Engineering News 1155—16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 Editor: Albert F. Plant Managing Editor: Michael Heylin Assistant Managing Editors: David M. Kiefer, James H. Krieger, Donald J. Soisson, Fred H. Zerkel Senior Editor: Earl V. Anderson (New York) Senior Associate Editor: Howard J. Sanders Associate Editor: Ernest L. Carpenter Assistant Editors: P. Christopher Murray, Rich ard J. Seltzer, Karen Joy Skinner Editorial Assistant: Theresa L. Rome Editing Services: Joyce A. Richards (Head) Editorial Reference: Barbara A. Gallagher (Head) Graphics and Production: Bacil Guiley (Head). Leroy Corcoran (Manager). Norman W. Favin (Art Director). John V. Sinnett (Designer). Linda McKnight (Artist). NEWS BUREAUS: New York: William F. Fallwell (Head), Rebecca L. Rawls (Assistant Editor). Chicago: Ward Worthy (Head), Joseph Haggin (Staff Writer). Houston: Bruce F. Greek (Head). Washington: Fred H. Zerkel (Head), Ling-yee C. Gibney, Janice R. Long (Assistant Editors) FOREIGN BUREAUS: London: Dermot A. O'Sullivan (Head). Tokyo: Michael K. McAbee (Head) ADVISORY BOARD: Alfred E. Brown, Marcia Coleman, Arthur W. Galston, Derek P. Gregory, James D. Idol, Jr., Gerald D. Laubach, Paul F. Oreffice, Edward R. Thornton, Herbert L. Toor, M. Kent Wilson Published by AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY (202)-872-4600 Robert W. Cairns, Executive Director Division of Public, Professional, and International Communication Richard L. Kenyon, Director Arthur Poulos, Editorial Promotion Marion Gurfein, Circulation Development EDITORIAL BOARD: Mary L. Good (Chair man), Herman S. Bloch, Bryce Crawford, Jr., Robert W. Parry, B. R. Stanerson; PresidentElect: Glenn T. Seaborg; Representative, Coun cil Publications Committee: Arthur Fry; PastPresident: Bernard S. Friedman © Copyright 1975, American Chemical Society Subscription Service: Send all new and renewal subscriptions with payment to: Office of the Con troller, 1155—16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. All correspondence and telephone calls re garding changes of address, claims for missing issues, subscription service, status of records and accounts should be directed to: Manager, Mem bership and Subscription Services, American Chemical Society, P.O. Box 3337, Columbus, Ohio 43210; telephone 614-421-7230. On changes οξ address, include both old and new addresses with ZIP code numbers, accompanied by mailing label from a recent issue. Allow four weeks for change to become effective. Claims for missing numbers will not be allowed if received more than 60 days from date of issue plus time normally required for postal delivery of journal and claim; if loss was due to failure of no tice of change of address to be received before the date specified above; or if reason for claim is "issue missing from files." Subscription Rates 1975: nonmembers, U.S., 1 yr. $15, 3 yr. $32; Canada and Pan American Union $20.50, $48.50; other nations $21, $50. Air freight rates available on request. Single copies: Current $1.00. Rates for back issues and volumes are available from Special Issues Sales Dept., 1155—16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. An annual index is available for $20. Standing or ders are accepted. Back and current issues are available on microfilm. For further information, contact Special Issues Sales, ACS, 1155—16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. Published by the American Chemical Society from 20th and Northampton Sts., Easton, Pa., weekly except the last week in December. Second class postage paid at Washington, D.C, and at additional mailing offices. The American Chemical Society assumes no re sponsibility for the statements and opinions ad vanced by the contributors to its publications. Views expressed in the editorials are those of the editors and do not necessarily represent the offi cial position of the American Chemical Society. Advertising Management CENTCOM, LTD. (For list of offices see page 83)
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C&EN Sept. 22, 1975
Editorial
Is it the little things that hurt? Not too many years ago, many of our analytical analyses lay in the milli gram range. We've refined that in the intervening years until now we confidently work in the realm of nanograms and picograms. Lest one underestimate this change in analytical levels, it is a significant and unique accomplishment. One in which all chemists can be justifiably proud of their contribution. Remarkably enough, however, this accomplishment seems to create problems rather than generate plaudits. The lower we seem to go in our analysis, the more hazardous our world becomes. Consider, for example, the extremely low levels of chloroform that have been de tected (along with many other compounds) in our drinking water. The methods and men of detection are left essentially unnoticed and un noted, as we rise up in arms over this contamination of our water sup plies. I, for one, am not prepared to add chloroform to my daily diet, but the furor over this chemical seems to indicate that this is actually what's happening to people in cities like New Orleans. How much is there— about 100 ppb? At that level, one would have to be very thirsty to ingest what might be dangerous levels. We need to know it's there and why and work toward reducing or eliminating it if necessary. But this should all be done with the proper perspective to the level of the hazard in volved. We seem to daily get tied up in knots over the little things, while the big ones are left unmolested to bury us. It's a well-used comment but the government subsidizes tobacco and smoking (the tobacco subsidy was raised this year in seeming ignorance of their own warning I notice on my pack), at the same time as we seem to be legislating against innocuous levels of other materials. I'm in no way against smoking, but this does seem to illustrate widely varying degrees of legislation. I've always been a "better safe than sorry" individual, but I never felt that that meant an antiseptic life style. No one needs a triple-distilled label on the water supply. For many materials there is a minimum ac ceptable level. Selenium is a poison, but try to live without a trace level in your system. With this material, there is an acceptable, and even re quired, level. Is it so hard then to accept this same philosophy for other materials—that there is a level below which no dangerous effects will occur? We have a similar fear with arsenic and are working hard to drive it out of use, and yet this material has been shown to have many positive and curative uses. It has been used in chemotherapy and for disease control and treatment in animals and humans. In fact, for those who might be interested, a Dr. D. V. Frost, a consultant in. nutrition biochemistry in Schenectady, N.Y., reported in 1970 that lung cancer has steadily increased in smokers since arsenic compounds were dis continued in tobacco processing. Frost feels there is a fair body of evidence suggesting that a relatively high nutrient intake of arsenic may reduce susceptibility to cancer. If we drive down to zero levels for this material, we may do more harm than good. With many others, I remain a staunch advocate of pollution control and cleanup, but we need to take a more sober look at some of our cur rent control levels. Massive doses of almost anything are harmful, but a pure extrapolation of this to zero levels of everything doesn't seem to be a necessary and proper corollary. Albert F. Plant
C&EN EDITORIALS REPRESENT ONLY THE VIEWS OF THE AUTHOR AND AIM AT INITIATING INTELLIGENT DISCUSSION.
