representatives of Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minne sota, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Wisconsin. Opposing efforts for an immediate ban on chlorofluorocarbons are a number of industry groups repre senting chlorofluorocarbon makers, container makers, and the air con ditioning and refrigeration industry, among others. One such group is the Council on Atmospheric Sciences, jointly sponsored by industry. Ac cording to Dr. James P. Lodge, an atmospheric scientist and industry spokesman, "It is assumed—but not proven—that chlorine which is liber ated from fluorocarbons in the stratosphere is a cause of ozone de pletion. Yet we do not have a single measurement of reactive chlorine anywhere in the earth's atmosphere to bear out laboratory experiments upon which this theory is predi cated." D
EPA takes action on two pesticides, PCB Environmental Protection Agency administrator Russell E. Train has suspended the major uses of the pesticides heptachlor and chlordane, on grounds that their contin ued use would create an "imminent hazard" of cancer in man, and that this risk outweighs the benefits of continued use. In this action, Train has gone against the recommenda tion of the agency's administrative law judge Herbert L. Perlman, who 10 days earlier had dismissed a sus pension order against the pesticides because he could not conclude that they are indeed imminent hazards to human health. In another action, Train has recommended a total ban of polychlorinated biphenyls, even though his agency doesn't have jur isdictional authority to enforce such a ban. Whether the pesticides suspen sion will remain in effect will de pend on the outcome of cancella tion hearings that have not yet begun and may last for as long as 18 months when they do begin. Train issued a notice of intent to cancel heptachlor and chlordane in November 1974, and a notice of in tent to suspend the pesticides last July. In differing with Judge Perlman's recommendation, Train says that "it is not necessary to find conclu sively that actual harm to man will occur if the use of the pesticides is continued; rather, the finding re quired is that continued use during the cancellation proceeding is likely
to result in any unreasonable risk to man or the environment." Train says in his decision that he is allowing minor uses of the chemi cals, such as for control of the im ported fire ant, the harvester ant, and for preplant soil treatment for strawberries. He also is allowing the major use of the pesticides on corn through Aug. 1, because, he explains, discontinuing their use now would create too much finan cial hardship on farmers. Train is suspending the major uses of the chemicals on lawns, gardens, turfs, and for household pest control. On polychlorinated biphenyls, Train says that although the agen cy lacks the authority under exist ing laws to regulate these com pounds, he is calling on "society" to totally eliminate the production, importation, and use of PCB's "as rapidly as possible." PCB's, he points out, are used primarily in transformers, capacitors, paints, inks, paper, plastics, adhesives, sealants, and hydraulic fluids. And, he adds, they are known to cause significant adverse effects in fish and aquatic life and have been found to cause reproductive fail ures, gastric disorders, skin lesions, and tumors in laboratory animals. Among other things, Train rec ommends that major users of PCB's assume the responsibility for controlling the use and disposal of the compounds. The agency, he says, also has proposed to regulate spills of PCB's under the 1972 Fed eral Water Pollution Control Act. And he calls again on Congress to pass the Toxic Substances Control Act, which would give EPA the au thority to ban the chemicals. G
Air Products' Poof dies at age 69 Leonard P. Pool, founder and chairman of Air Products & Chemi cals, died Dec. 27, 1975, of a heart attack at age 69. Active to the end, Pool hjelped guide Air Products through the past recession with minimal inter ruption in the company's 35 years of growth. Air Products' 1975 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, was the 15th consecutive year of record sales, net income, and earnings per share. Sales reached $699 million, and net income $54 million. For this phenomenal performance in the traditionally cyclical in dustrial gases, chemical, and construction industries, Pool re ceived the prestigious Chemical Industry Medal of the American
Pool: phenomenal performance
Section of the Society of Chemical Industry (London) three months ago (C&EN, Oct. 13, 1975, page 12). At press time, Air Products had made no announcement on man agement changes. α
Recovery in paper industry continues Unlike some big chemical markets such as textiles, the paper in dustry had no pause in its re covery this fall. Production of paper and paperboard, commodi ties which usually parallel the overall U.S. business cycle, moved up rapidly as the year closed, the American Paper Institute estimated last month in New York City. As a result, paper and paperboard production is now about three fourths of the way back to its prerecessionary peak in secondquarter 1974. API's numbers, seasonally adjusted at annual rates, show paper and paperboard output climbing 7% in the fourth quarter from the third quarter to reach 58.9 million tons. The gain in the final 1975 quarter follows quarter-to-quarter jumps of 3% and 11% in the second and third quarters. For 1975 as a whole, API esti mates paper and paperboard out put at 52.8 million tons. This mark is 13% less than the 61 mil lion tons of 1974 and 15% less than the all-time high of 62 million tons in 1973. Paper had a hard time world wide in 1975. Edwin A. Locke, API president, summarizes, ''Total production of six of the major countries in Europe—the U.K., France, West Germany, Italy, Finland, and Sweden—in the first half of 1975 was 21.4% below the production level in the first half of 1974. Production in Canada was Jan. 5, 1976 C&EN
5
down 11.3% over this period, and in Japan, 23.5%. Recovery in paper and paperboard production in these countries is still lagging behind the U.S." The Canadian slack in paper, aggravated by strikes, helped push up U.S. production. API says that 1975 paper exports to Canada from the U.S. jumped 59% over 1974 for the months of July through October. Similarly, news print imports from Canada, tradi tionally important for U.S. con sumers, were down 24% during this period. This drop, API notes, no doubt contributed to the strength in U.S. newsprint, which was one of the three paper grades staying close to 1974 production levels. The other two areas are tissue and paperboard milk carton stock. Contributing further to progress in paper last year was a better bal ance of inventories and sales. De partment of Commerce figures show this ratio falling to 1.28 in October for paper and allied products after a high of 1.60 in March. α
Additive cuts cattle feed needs 10% A new cattle feed additive said to improve feed efficiency about 10% has been cleared by the Food & Drug Administration for use in feedlot cattle. The additive, Rumensin (monensin sodium), was de veloped by Eli Lilly & Co. It will be marketed by Elanco, Lilly's agri cultural division. In tests performed by Lilly and by several universities, cattle fed Rumensin at a rate of 30 grams per ton of total ration, on average, re quired 8.46 lb of feed per pound of weight gain, compared to 9.46 lb of feed per pound of gain in animals not fed the additive. Cattle won't eat more than they need, Elanco says, so a typical animal, fattened from 700 to 1050 lb in the feedlot, would eat 350 lb less feed. At about $100 a ton for feed, that's a gross saving of $17.50 per animal. De ducting the cost of the Rumensin ($2.22) and minor charges leaves a net saving of about $15 per head. Rumensin is not a hormone, Elan co points out. Unlike diethylstilbestrol, for example, it can be used right up to marketing time. It leaves no detectable residues and has no effect on the quality or com position of the meat. Instead, the additive works by altering the di gestive process in the beef animal's rumen. 6
C&ENJan. 5, 1976
In the rumen, enzymes convert cellulose and starch to sugars. Anerobic bacteria convert the sugars to pyruvic acid and then to volatile fatty acids. These fatty acids— mainly acetic, propionic, and buty ric—are the ruminant animal's source of energy. Normally, the rumen bacteria produce about 60% acetic acid, 10% butyric, and 30% propionic. With Rumensin added to the feed, propionic acid increases to about 40%, and acetic drops to 52% and butyric to 8%. In conversion to acetic and butyric acids, some of the energy contained in the sugars is wasted in formation of carbon dioxide and methane, which the cattle belch to the atmosphere. No gases are formed in the production of propionic acid, so more of the original energy is available to the animal. That's what happens, Lilly says, but it doesn't yet know why. Mon ensin, made by a fermentation pro cess, is by strict definition a polyether antibiotic; a different form of the chemical is used to control coccidiosis in broiler chickens. How ever, Lilly says that Rumensin has no strong antibacterial activity, and there's no good evidence that it alters the bacterial content in the rumen. D
China's mineral wealth assessed "China is one of the world's rich mineral areas, fully capable of sup porting a modern first-rank indus trial economy," according to a just-released report. In 1974, it was one of the top three world producers for eight major indus trial minerals, and it is in the top five for overall output value of crude minerals. Furthermore, the report says, China's production "should grow significantly in the decade ahead, judging from the resource potential and the many developments al ready under way," and give it eventual industrial parity with the U.S., U.S.S.R., Japan, and West Europe. For example, it may be come one of the five largest oil producers in the 1980's. Its natural gas potential is excellent, and its coal output is nearly on a par with that of the U.S. and U.S.S.R. The report, titled "The Peo ple's Republic of China—A New Industrial Power with a Strong Mineral Base," is an up-to-date survey of China's overall mineral and energy position, notes its
China is among top world producers of many minerals Thousands of metric tons, 1974
Output
Coal Iron ore Salt Cement Phosphate rock Pyrite Manganese ore Magnesite Fluorspar Barite Asbestos Tin Antimony Tungsten Mercury Bismuth
450,000 60,000:1 25,000 25,000" 3,000 2,000 1,000 1,000 270 200 160 20 12 8.5" 0.90 0.27
World rank
3 5 2 7 5 3 Τ 4 6 8 3 5 3 1 3 5
a Calculated at 50% iron-grade equivalent. b Estimated as between 20 million and 30 million metric tons, c Tungsten content of concentrate. Source: Study by K. P. Wang for Bureau of Mines
author, Dr. Kung Ping Wang of the Office of International Data & Analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Mines. China has never pub lished comprehensive economic or industrial statistics, and Wang's estimates are based on fragmentary data and evaluations from many sources. The report points out that China's export metals, famous for decades, are again reaching world markets ($150 million sales in 1974). The nation leads the world in tungsten production, for instance, and is thought to have the largest reserves of tungsten and antimony. It also exports tin, manganese, bismuth, and mercury. On the other hand, China cur rently imports nickel, chromium, aluminum, copper, lead, and zinc. However, the country has sizable developable deposits of copper, aluminum, and possibly other metals. U.S.-China trade in metals and minerals is expanding rapidly, notes Nicholas Ludlow of the National Council for U.S.-China Trade. For example, in the first 10 months of 1975, Ludlow says, the U.S. bought $32.4 million worth of tin—the largest single import from China last year by far. Stepping up contacts in this area, the council will host a dele gation from the China National Metals & Minerals Import & Ex port Corp. later this month. First in its field to visit the U.S., the six-member group will tour the U.S. for seven weeks, discussing sales of tin, tungsten, antimony, rare earths, and other minerals, and possibly purchases. G
