an absolute ban on any such residues before the House Subcommittee on Health & the Environment, chaired by March 1, page 18). Reforms sought on rules (C&EN, The complete food safety reform Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D.-Calif.). They package is still not finished, but the Ad- will outline the completed food safety for pesticides in food ministration's goals are now clear. They reform policy, but it is not yet known The Clinton Administration will seek result from many groups—federal agen- whether they will offer implementing revision of current laws governing pes- cies, industry, farmers, and environmen- legislation then or later. Waxman has introduced a bill in this ticide residues and food safety, and has tal and consumer organizations—workprovided the first details of its plans. ing together to break the logjam that has Congress, as he did in the previous one, Central to the new policy would be delayed passage of a new food safety law to establish a negligible-risk policy for replacement of the complete ban on can- in Congress for years. Agreement on the certain pesticide residues, and is expectcer-causing residues in processed foods reforms required extensive cooperation ed to support the Administration. Howrequired by the 1958 Delaney amend- between EPA, FDA, and the Department ever, many environmental and consumment. The Administration would substi- of Agriculture, each of which regulates er groups—while supporting other parts of the package—are expected to vehetute a "negligible-risk" standard for can- some aspect of pesticides in foods. cer-causing pesticide residues in proRepresentatives of the Administration mently oppose any attempt to weaken cessed foods, but would leave intact the and regulatory agencies are expected to Delaney. David Hanson ban on other cancer-causing food addi- testify on the reform package on Sept. 9 tives. In addition to establishing a negligible-risk standard for pesticide residues, Mars probe loss would foil chemical data search the Administration's food safety package will: Total failure of the National Aeronautics and variations over the planet? What • Promote development and regis- & Space Administration's Mars Observ- long-term atmospheric variations are tration of safer pest management alter- er spacecraft—"lost in space" since Aug. there, especially in carbon dioxide and 21, as the media describe it—would be a water vapor—the two volatile componatives. • Move to eliminate cumbersome heavy blow not only to the embattled nents in the Martian system? How do procedures for canceling pesticide reg- U.S. space program in general, but also these components migrate from the polar to a planned intensive search for chemi- caps to soil to the atmosphere? And if waistrations. ter once flowed on Mars, as suggested by • Improve collection of data on pes- cal information about Mars. ticide use. At press time, NASA was continuing much previous data, where is it now? The spacecraft's gamma-ray spectrome• Provide the Environmental Pro- aggressive activities to try to restore contection Agency and Food & Drug Ad- tact with the spacecraft and to move it ter was to determine the chemical compoministration with the tools needed to into at least an initial orbit around Mars. sition of the surface, element by element, ensure pesticide laws are appropriately But as project manager Glenn E. Cun- by measuring the intensities of gamma ningham of the Jet Propulsion Laborato- rays emerging from the surface. These enforced. • Prohibit export of pesticides whose ry in Pasadena, Calif., puts it, "Every high-energy rays are created by natural registration has been canceled in the U.S. day without communications lessens decay of radioactive elements in surface materials, and by interaction of cosmic our probability of success." for health or safety reasons. Launched last September (C&EN, Oct. rays with the atmosphere and surface. • Enhance EPA's ability to make reA thermal emission spectrometer (a registration decisions in a timely man- 5, 1992, page 7) and slated to make the ner by increasing revenues for the pes- first visit by a U.S. spacecraft to the Red Michelson interferometer) was to measure Planet since Viking 2 landed there in infrared thermal radiation emitted from ticide program. Revising the Delaney amendment is 1976, the spacecraft was to move by a the atmosphere and surface, determining expected to be the most controversial series of adjustments into a nearly circu- the mineral content and thermal properpart of the Administration policy. The lar orbit by December, 234 miles above ties of the surface. It was also to study amendment prohibits addition to food Mars' surface and near its poles. It was both the advance andretreatof the polar of any chemical found to cause cancer to begin global mapping of the entire ice caps, and the distribution of atmoin animals or humans. Some pesticides Martian surface and atmosphere for a spheric dust and clouds during the four cause cancer in laboratory animal tests, Martian year (687 Earth days), and to seasons. And a pressure modulator infraand minute residues of them are some- send back many times more data than red radiometer was to sound Mars' atmosphere by detecting infrared radiation, did all previous missions to Mars. times found in processed foods. Myriad observations were designed constructing a global model over the seaEPA has tried to regulate these residues on the basis of negligible risk—saying the for the spacecraft's seven instruments sons of atmospheric pressure and carbon concentration of pesticide was so small by scientists from the U.S., Russia, Ger- dioxide, water vapor, and dust content. If Mars Observer is lost for good, that the cancer risk is negligible. (To be many, France, and the U.K. There was considered negligible, the calculated risk special interest in two chemical areas— French stresses that NASA is still commust be less than one excess cancer surface chemistry and atmospheric mitted to exploring Mars, and is formdeath per 1 million people exposed over chemistry—NASA's program scientist, ing a working group to promote intera 70-year lifetime.) But in February, the geochemist Bevan M. French, tells C&EN. national collaboration. And NASA may Supreme Court overturned that policy, Questions asked include: What is the not have to start from scratch to send ruling the Delaney amendment requires chemical composition of Mars' surface, another mission, he reveals. Mars ObAUGUST 30,1993 C&EN
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NEWS OF THE WEEK server "was developed as a kind of generic spacecraft to explore the solid planets." NASA purchased many spare components, envisioning the spacecraft as the first in a series of observer missions to different planets. One possibility under study is reconstituting much of Mars Observer from these components. Richard Seltzer
Three inorganic firms fused into new company D. George Harris, one-time president of SCM Chemicals, is forming a new chemical holding company with nearly half a billion dollars in annual revenues from salt, soda ash, boron, and potassium sulfate. The new inorganic chemical firm, Harris Chemical Group, would rank as the 80th largest U.S. chemical producer, between Ferro and Stepan, were it included in C&EN's 1992 ranking of the Top 100 producers (C&EN, June 28, page 50). The three companies that will make up the firm are North American Salt, Great Salt Lake Minerals, and North American Chemical. Since 1988, Harris, 60, has headed a management buyout group, D. George Harris Associates, based in New York City. He explains, "We are bringing these companies together as the Harris Chemical Group in order to establish it as one of the world's major inorganic chemical companies." Once formation of the firm is complete next month, it will have corporate headquarters in New York City and operating headquarters in Overland Park, Kan. The new company will start life with a heavy debt load: It will soon float $635 million in bonds. Harris plans to use the money to "repay existing debt and make payments to stockholders." A spokesman will not say who holds outstanding debt, nor who the stockholders are. With operations in the U.S. and Canada, North American Salt is composed of the former American Salt Co., Carey Salt, and the Sifto Salt division of Domtar. Great Salt Lake Minerals, Ogden, Utah, is the largest U.S. producer of potassium sulfate, with a capacity of 240,000 tons, more than half of total U.S. capacity. Its competitors include its new sister company, North American Chemical, and IMC Fertilizer. North American Chemical, based in 8
AUGUST 30,1993 C&EN
come from contributions by ACS members, corporations, and foundations, and from an endowment established by the Campaign for Chemistry. Project SEED's founding was spearheaded by former ACS president Alan Nixon and the ACS California Section. In 1968, Nixon urged ACS to become involved in what has become the society's only social action program. Speaking at the anniversary symposium, James P. Shoffner, a retired researcher at Signal UOP Research Center, noted the important contributions of W. Lincoln Hawkins, one of the earMarc Reisch ly benefactors of SEED and first chairman of the ACS Committee on Project SEED, and Milton H. Harris, chairman of the ACS Board from 1966 to 1970. From Chicago Harris contributed the initial funding for Project Catalyst, which later became Project SEED. Harris died in 1991; Hawkins died last year. The keynote speaker at a SEED lun"Opening doors and fulfilling dreams" cheon, Alfred Bader, founder of Aldrich was the theme as the American Chemi- Chemical Co., discussed the significance cal Society celebrated the 25th anniversa- of Project SEED Π. Initiated in Novem ry of its social action program, Project ber 1991, SEED Π allows participants to return for a second summer. Second-year SEED, at its meeting last week. Project SEED (Summer Educational students receive an educational award of Experience for the Disadvantaged) gives $1700. Support for SEED Π is provided by talented high school students from low- the Bader family foundation. Bader noted that he supports SEED income families the opportunity to spend eight to 10 weeks during the sum- because "when kids do not want to go mer conducting research in academic, into chemistry, the improvement of life industrial, and government laboratories. will slow down." Chemists, he said, are Almost 4000 students have participated. "the locksmiths to a better life." At the symposium, Theodore Goodson, Students work under the supervision of research scientists and receive an edu- associate senior organic chemist at Eli cational award of $1500 at the end of the ' Lilly and an associate of the ACS Com summer. The funds for these awards mittee on Project SEED, presented a retroSearles Valley, Calif., is the former KerrMcGee Soda Products division, which Harris Associates acquired in 1990 for $210 million. It is the only U.S. producer of soda ash from brine, with 1.3 million tons of capacity—roughly 11% of total U.S. capacity. Major competitors include FMC, Rhône-Poulenc, and Solvay—all of them larger than North American Chemical—who produce soda ash from trona. It is also one of three U.S. boric acid producers, with 44,080 tons of capacity, 23% of total U.S. capacity. Competitors for this product are U.S. Borax and In-Cide Technologies.
Project SEED celebrates 25 years of student aid
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Project SEED students and teachers at luncheon celebrating 25th anniversary of SEED surround Alan Nixon, cofounder of Project SEED (eighth from left); Alfred Bader, major SEED contributor and luncheon speaker; Dennis Chamot, chairman ofACS's Committee on Project SEED; John Harris, son of the late Milton Harris, an early supporter of SEED and former ACS official; and Martha Turckes, staff liaison to Project SEED Committee
