NEWS OF THE
WEEK
tube corrosion that forced Quantum to r e place tubes once at Kellogg's suggestion and a second time because Kellogg^ suggestions did not improve the unif s performance. Quantum claims Kellogg sold it an unproven, experimental design that was not commercially demonstrated. Kellogg's spokesman counters that "all plants must be debugged during startup." He claims Kellogg has successfully put in 30 ethylene furnaces using technology similar to that used in the Quantum plant, including eight furnaces for Hyundai of South Korea, and Westlake's new ethylene plant just started in Lake Charles, La. Others using Kellogg technology similar to the engineering firm's design for Quantum include Lyondell and Polysar, says Kellogg's spokesman. Marc Reisch
Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS), whose daily maps of global ozone concentration have been used to follow the annual development of the Antarctic ozone hole. Analysis of the first 11 years of TOMS data also uncovered the more subtle ozone losses that are taking place over midlatitudes year round (C&EN, Oct. 28,1991, page 4). "We have a 14-year continuous record with one, well-understood instrument/' NASA research scientist Richard Stolarski tells C&EN. "It's an absolute shame to turn this thing off before its useful life is over." Another TOMS is flying on a Soviet Meteor-3 satellite, but its orbit is inclined in such a way that for several weeks every few months it cannot collect ozone data. Data from ERBS, which measures incoming radiation from the Sun and radiation emitted from the Earth, are used in climate models. They are being used to understand the complex role that clouds play in global warming, according to V. Ramanathan, professor of ocean sciences at Scripps Institute of Oceanography. 'It would be a big disaster to shut ERBS off," he says. "There will be a critical data gap. We really need uninterrupted operations in climate monitoring." NASA also may reduce the number of ground staff that support analysis of data from the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), the first space craft dedicated to studying the stratosphere, which was sent aloft only a year ago (C&EN, Sept. 9,1991, page 5). The final decision on the fate of the satellites will be made sometime this month by Lennard A. Fisk, associate administrator of NASA's Office of Space Science & Applications. Pamela Zurer
Miscarriages linked to two widely used glycols
Two chemicals widely used in the manufacture of semiconductor chips may significantly increase the risk of miscarriage. The suspect compounds are diethylene glycol dimethyl ether and ethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate. They are used as solvents in clean rooms in work on silicon wafers. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore studied potential health problems for women at two IBM plants from 1980 to 1989. They found that among 30 women who handled the chemicals directly and then became pregnant, 10 had miscarriages—a 33% rate. Among women who did not handle the solvents, the miscarriage rate was normal—16%. Even though the total number of pregnancies and miscarriages was small, the researchers believe the effect was significant because these same two chemicals cause adverse reproductive effects, Diminishing funds have led the Nationincluding fetal loss, in animal tests. al Aeronautics & Space Administration to propose shutting down two aging satThe chemicals are also used in a numellites that carry instruments used to ber of other industries, among them the monitor ozone depletion and global clirubber and plastics industries and silkmate—a possibility that scientists who screen printing. The National Institute for rely on data from the satellites are callOccupational Safety & Health estimates ing disastrous. that about 600,000 U.S. workers are potentially exposed to these glycols. Cutbacks are necessary, says agency spokesman Brian Dunbar, because ConIBM spokesman Les Szabo says that gress carved $15 million from the $117 since 1989 the use of these chemicals has million NASA requested for fiscal 1993 been reduced 40% at IBM. Workers are satellite operations in its Earth sciences diusing improved techniques for handling vision. The agency may turn off Nimbus the chemicals, resulting in lower expo7, launched in 1978, and the Earth Radiasures. Therefore, "it is important to realtion Budget Satellite (ERBS), launched in ize that the environment the Johns Hop1984, before the first of the year. kins researchers looked at from 1980 to 1989 is much different than the environPolar-orbiting Nimbus-7 carries the ment from 1989 to 1992," Szabo continues. IBM is, however, encouraging job transfers for women who now work with the glycols and plan to become pregnant. The results of the Johns Hopkins study are preliminary and will not be published until next year, says Angela Newlove of the Semiconductor Industry Association, San Jose, Calif. The association has commissioned a broader study of workers in the semiconductor industry. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, are looking at general health effects in both men and women and plan to complete their work by the end of the year. TOMS has tracked Antarctic ozone hole from 1979 (left) through 1992. Blues and purples Bet te Hileman represent lowest ozone concentrations
NASA may shut down ozone, climate satellites
8
OCTOBER 19,1992 C&EN
