Chemical world This weeK
PGC chairman Richard Murdy
duction of liquids should follow closely production of gas and liquids content of the raw gas. For many gas fields, the reduction in liquids content seems to correlate with depth of the formation from which the gas is produced. As more gas is produced from deeper wells, average liquids content of the raw gas likely will decrease; therefore liquids production could increase more slowly than will gas production, say some experts. ALASKA PIPELINE:
Dow's plan for permafrost Interior Secretary Rogers Morton is "optimistic" that the transAlaska pipeline can be built with adequate safeguards for the environment. He says he will make a decision on the line's land-use permits about July 15. However, the Secretary says, he won't actually issue the permits until claims filed by Alaska natives have been settled and until injunctions obtained by conservation groups and others have been withdrawn.
A major concern of ecologists has been that a bare, hot pipeline, buried in the permafrost, could cause the permafrost to melt. In unstable soils, this could allow the line to sag, perhaps to split and develop leaks. To prevent this possibility, engineers at Dow Chemical are working on a system that they say would ensure that permafrost would never be exposed to temperatures above its melting point. The system has to be engineered section by section, Dow says. In some areas, 6 to 8 inches of insulation—perhaps a urethane foam— surrounding the 48-inch cast iron pipe would suffice. In other regions, however, insulation alone would not be enough to prevent melting during the summer. In such cases, Dow would surround the insulated pipe with a heat sink. In Dow's design, the sink consists of a tubular shell surrounding the insulated pipe. The shell's inner and outer layers would be a tough material, such as polypropylene, kept apart by a thin, dimpled separator of the same material. The shell would contain a fluid, such as a calcium chloride solution, that would store heat during summer and release it during winter. In critical sections of the line, where mean temperature of the permafrost is as high as 31° F., Dow would add a thermal bleed to the heat sink and insulation. The device, a jacket surrounding the pipeline and containing a heat-transfer fluid, would be connected to the surface. As the fluid absorbed heat, it would rise by convection, dissipate its heat through aboveground radiators, then return to the jacket. Alyeska Pipeline Co. says it is evaluating the Dow system, among others. However, Alyeska proposes to lay almost all of the transAlaska pipeline either above ground or in stable subsoil that
won't allow the line to sag and split even if the permafrost melts. The firm believes that the Dow system, or a similar one, would be required for at most several hundred feet of the 800-odd miles between Prudhoe Bay and Valdez. Dow retorts that Alyeska has underestimated the ecological hazards of an overland line—not to mention the political clout of conservationists—and that it may have to bury most, if not all, of the line to get approval to build. JOB SAFETY:
Citation for excess mercury An Allied Chemical Corp. mercury cell chlor-alkali plant in Moundsville, W.Va., has received the first federal citation for an alleged violation of the new Occupational Safety and Health Act. The citation, issued by the Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, alleges that areas in the plant contain airborne concentrations of mercury that exceed levels generally accepted to be safe. OSHA has proposed a penalty of $1000 and ordered the alleged violation corrected. OSHA acted after Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union, on May 14, demanded action under the imminent-danger clause of the act. OCAW based its demand, in part, on a Public Health Service survey made at the plant in February which showed high mercury concentrations in the air and in workers' urine samples. Mercury vapor levels in the air were as high as 0.84 mg. per cubic meter, compared to a threshold limit of 0.1 mg. per cubic meter. Mercury levels in workers' urine were as high as 860 micrograms per liter, compared to an excretory threshold limit of 250 micrograms per liter. On May 19 OSHA inspected the
A lone oil drilling rh breaks the monotonous expanse of Alaska's frozen North Slope
plant and took air samples. On May 20 one worker was hospitalized with suspected mercury poisoning; he is still undergoing tests. In addition, eight other workers have filed claims with the state of West Virginia for workmen's compensation for mercury exposure. Thomas Capps, plant manager for the Allied facility, says he believes the plant is in full compliance with the generally accepted standards referred to by the citation. Mercury found by the inspectors was the result of minute pipeline leaks that occurred when the mercury cell operation was closed down several hours for scheduled maintenance and equipment installation. He attributes the leaks to cooling and contraction of the pipelines during the shutdown. Following return to normal operations the same day, the mercury droplets were cleaned up, he says. The company has taken steps to tighten maintenance and housekeeping procedures and to make greater use of a mercury vapor depressant as recommended by the inspectors. Recent air sampling of the cell rooms and adjoining areas show that mercury vapor levels meet generally accepted standards. CANADA:
Similar science problems Unemployment among scientists and engineers; poor job outlook for graduating classes; national science policy—all are topics that could characterize an American Chemical Society meeting, or a meeting of most any other U.S. scientific society for that matter. Last week they were echoes from across the border, issues confronting the Chemical Institute of Canada at its 54th Canadian Chemical Conference in Halifax, N.S. No hard actions resulted from that confrontation. In moving to increase its involvement in the issues, however, CIC may have succeeded in better defining the dimensions of problems facing the Canadian chemical community. One of those problems is a shortage of employment opportunities for chemistry and chemical engineering graduates, at least in the short term. Layoffs of scientists and engineers have been taking place in Canada, as they have been in the U.S. A recent CIC survey shows that of some 1800 chemistry and chem-
ical engineering students graduating from 34 universities with bachelor's, master's, or doctor's degrees, about 40% up to that time had been unable to find employment in their fields of specialty (C&EN, April 26, page 26). CIC plans to conduct another survey in the fall to detail what happened to 1971 graduates. That there are as many students in science and engineering curriculums as there are people employed in R&D activities in Canada seems likely to keep the issue alive. Employment opportunity is also one of the factors behind CIC's desire to provide an input to the development of a national science policy in Canada. A draft position paper on science policy presented as a basis for initial discussion by the membership notes that the impact of government policies in other areas has had a profound effect on the utilization of science in Canada, much of it negative. Taxation policy, according to the paper, has left little money in the hands of corporations to use for developing new technology. Liberalization of trade has made export of raw materials more profitable and processing of them in Canada less attractive. Uncertainties regarding the government's position on Canadian ownership and the role of multinational corporations in Canada has also influenced business decisions on use of science and technology in Canada. Judging from discussion, it will be some time before CIC comes up with an official position. But with the appointment by the government of a minister of state for science expected shortly, some members feel a statement can come none too soon. FDA:
A stinging critique The Food and Drug Administration's total science effort has received a stinging critique from an ad hoc science advisory committee at the invitation of FDA commissioner Charles C. Edwards. The committee says FDA suffers from, among other things, poor morale, a poor reputation, and in some instances, poorly managed laboratories. To remedy the problems the committee makes some 50 recommendations. Only one—a call for abolishing the Bureau of
Veterinary Medicine—is unacceptable, Dr. Edwards says. Many have already been implemented. Dr. Edwards requested the study about a year ago to determine which aspects of FDA's scientific activities needed improvement. Dr. Roy E. Ritts, Jr., of the University of Minnesota's Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, chaired the committee of five academic scientists. The committee faced no restrictions, Dr. Edwards says, and was free to speak to anyone, look at any records, and inspect any facilities. The committee did just that, and spared few harsh words in reporting its thoughts. For instance, it C&EN: Fred H. Zerkel
FDA's Charles Edwards
says that certain FDA labs have advanced technology, good morale, and high productivity, but others are "so poorly managed that scientists seem to be unable to describe their work coherently." Some senior chemists have to perform "menial chores," the committee observes, in order to proceed with their work, partly because of inadequate numbers of technicians. The committee says conditions at certain labs are a disgrace to the agency. At Chicago and Philadelphia, for instance, FDA lab facilities are "antiquated, crowded, and unsafe," and at Denver are "only barely adequate." FDA regulatory actions also draw criticism from the committee, which notes that some regulatory decisions have been made apparently without adequate scientific input. For example, FDA's action on cyclamates illustrates JUNE 7, 1971 C&EN 13
