News of the Week problem. The state, which calls the valley the birthplace of the country's chemical industry, wants to keep its industry healthy and growing. The new institute has $300,000 to get started; half from the governor's contingency fund, the other half from industry contributions. Two of the original sparkplugs were Russell S. Wehrle, president of Mcjunkin Corp. of Charleston, a distributor of pipe valves and fittings; and John F. McGee, publisher of the Charleston Daily Mail. Carbide was not represented initially but now has Thad Epps, Carbide's director of public affairs in the valley, as a member of the planning group. No environmentalists are represented yet, but the group anticipates an advisory board that would include a cross section of interests. "When we first met, our intention was to ask what we could do to help Union Carbide," says McGee. "We said it is a good company, it has had an absolutely safe record, it has done a lot for the valley, and it is going to catch hell for Bhopal. We didn't want to see it crucified." The new institute has just completed its bylaws and is seeking, according to McGee, "a figure of national prominence, preferably a native West Virginian," to run the operation. D
National Medal of Technology awarded Presentation ceremonies for the National Medal of Technology last week provided President Reagan his second o p p o r t u n i t y w i t h i n two weeks to use a White House function to bring words of encouragement and support to the nation's scientific and technological community. In presenting the medal to 12 individuals and one corporation, the President drew attention to the crucial role of technological innovation in the growth of the economy. According to Reagan, it has been the driving force behind the creation of 20 million new jobs in the U.S. over the past 15 years. Wider o p p o r t u n i t i e s for e v e r y o n e , increased self-esteem in the workforce, 8
February 25, 1985 C&EN
an expanding economy, increasingly competitive goods, and improved health care were also among the benefits he cited. Reagan stressed his Administration's commitment to creativity and innovation through its R&D, tax, and regulatory policies. He also emphasized the opening up of space to private enterprise. Reagan also spoke enthusiastically of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), still commonly known as Star Wars. He described it as a dramatic effort to make nuclear weapons obsolete, and stressed it is not a bargaining chip. He stated: "We will see it through." The President had brought many elements of the same overall message to a White House luncheon he hosted earlier this month for close to 100 scientists and engineers. On that occasion he reaffirmed support for basic R&D and asked his guests not to dismiss SDI out of hand. The National Medal of Technology was established in 1980. Its goal is to give Presidential recognition
to outstanding contributions that improve the well-being of the U.S. through the promotion of technology and technological manpower. This was the first time the award was made. Among the recipients were two from the chemical c o m m u n i t y Ralph Landau for his contributions to the development of new petrochemical processes and Marvin M. Johnson of Phillips Petroleum for catalyst developments. The other individual recipients were: • Bob O. Evans, Frederick P. Brooks Jr., and Erich Bloch, all formerly of IBM. • Steven P. Jobs and Stephen G. Wozniak of Apple Computer. • John T. Parsons and Frank T. Stulen, of John T. Parsons Co. • Allen E. Puckett and Harold A. Rosen of Hughes Aircraft. • Joseph F. Sutter of Boeing Commercial Airplane. The company honored was AT&T Bell Telephone Laboratories for its contributions to modern communication systems. D
Methyl isocyanate facilities in U.S. found safe "Extremely remote" is how the Occupational Safety & Health Administration describes the chance that an uncontrolled reaction of methyl isocyanate such as that leading to the tragedy in Bhopal, India, could occur in the U.S. The agency bases its conclusion on a 10-week investigation of safety practices at the one plant where MIC is manufactured in the U.S. and the four where it is used. In its investigation report, OSHA says that "Industry practices to prevent, control, and neutralize an uncontrolled reaction rely on the redundance of safety systems (one backing up another, in turn backed up by a third and often a fourth), and the professional manner in which these are maintained. . . . In the unlikely event that an uncontrolled reaction should occur, the redundant safety systems will serve to prevent a substantial release of MIC into the atmosphere." The report also notes that all the plants are well equipped to deal with spills and leaks of MIC, that
in all but one plant worker protection and training are more than adequate, and that all have good emergency repsonse plans. For its study, OSHA inspected Union Carbide's Institute, W.Va., and Woodbine, Ga., plants; FMC's at Middleport, N.Y.; Morton Chemical's at New Iberia, La.; and Du Pont's at La Porte, Tex. OSHA issued citations under its general duty clause to both the Woodbine and Middleport facilities. In the first instance it said it had not been provided with sufficient documentation on the capacity of a scrubber, installed on a 3000-gal bulk container unloading tank, to handle a worst-case situation of an uncontrolled reaction. In the case of the Middleport plant, OSHA said there were not sufficient facts to support FMC's assertion that the process thermal oxidizer installed on a 42,000-gal storage tank was fully capable of neutralizing MIC vapors that might evolve from an uncontrolled reaction. Both companies disagree with OSHA's assertions. D
