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Sporting a Science Is Fun sweatshirt, University of Wisconsin, Madison, chemistry professor Bassam Z. Shakhashiri demonstrates that "Chemistry Is Fun!" for a symposium by that title at last week's AAAS meeting. The sym posium brought experienced teachers together to emphasize that chemis try—the central science—must be communicated to audiences of all ages in effective ways in both formal and in formal settings. Here, in one of his ex periments with chemical "magic," Shakhashiri filters the juice of red cab bage from a blender to use as an acid/ base indicator for a variety of house hold chemicals, such as vinegar and milk of magnesia.
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rector James O. Mason said, "If flu oride presents any risks to the pub lic at the levels to which the vast majority of us are exposed, those risks are so small that they have been impossible to detect in the epidemiological studies to date. In contrast, the benefits are great and easy to detect." Mason requested the study after receiving preliminary results of the rodent carcinogenicity tests on fluo ride conducted by the National Tox icology Program. In NTP's bioassay, four male rats drinking water with elevated levels of fluoride devel oped a rare form of bone cancer, os teosarcoma. In the analyses commis sioned for the study, NCI found that the incidence of osteosarcoma in hu man males under the age of 20 has risen since 1973, but decided that the increase is not related to the on set of fluoridation. The incidence of dental fluoro sis—mottling of teeth caused by ex cessive fluoride intake during tooth eruption—has clearly increased in some parts of the U.S., according to the report. It also says that rather than reducing the severity of os teoporosis, fluoride may actually augment the incidence of bone frac tures associated with osteoporosis. To counteract the trend toward in creasing dental fluorosis, the report says PHS should sponsor scientific conferences to recommend "both
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Science Is Fun! Chemistry Is Fun!
the optimal level of total fluoride exposure from all sources combined (including drinking water)" and the appropriate use of fluoride dental products. PHS will sponsor two con ferences dealing with these topics in April. To answer questions concerning osteoporosis, the report says that an alytical epidemiological studies should be conducted "to determine the relationship, if any, among fluo ride intake, fluoride bone levels . . . and bone fractures." In addition, the report recom mends that the Environmental Pro tection Agency review its standards for natural fluoride in drinking wa ter—the mandatory one is now a maximum of 4 ppm—in light of this review and of the upcoming April conferences on total fluoride expo sure. Bette Hileman
Panel proposes more consistent biotech rules Regulation of biotechnology may be gin to take a more systematic shape if recommendations of a report re leased last week by the President's Council on Competitiveness are fol lowed. To date, such regulation has been somewhat haphazard, with fed eral agencies and states using a vari
ety of approaches. The council is chaired by Vice President Quayle. The key recommendation of the report is that regulation should fo cus on a product's characteristics and risks, not on how it is made. Consequently, existing regulatory structures are considered adequate and should be applied to biotech nology products as they are to other products. While the Food & Drug Adminis tration has been operating under this premise in approving biopharmaceuticals, the Environmental Pro tection Agency and the Department of Agriculture have not yet estab lished guidelines for field testing genetically engineered microorgan isms and plants. Many are encour aged that EPA will respond to the new report by publishing draft reg ulations it has had in the works for some time. Delays, costs, and regulatory un certainty discourage new research in regulated areas and curtail develop ment of new products, as well as un dermine public confidence, con cludes the report. Maintaining and improving U.S. competitiveness in biotechnology will require strong support for scientific research, suffi cient training of scientists and engi neers, preservation of vital intellec tual property rights, and protection of public health and the environ ment through risk-based regulation. The report makes 15 recommenda tions for action and study in the areas of technology transfer, funding of basic and supporting technologies, regulations, and legislative activities. As a matter of Administration policy, the council states that any effort to create new or to modify existing reg ulatory structures for biotechnology through legislation should be op posed. Specifically, these include op position to changes in the orphan drug law, which provides economic incentives for the development of many biopharmaceuticals, and sup port for patent legislation that would protect against overseas infringe ment. Instead, proposals to improve interagency coordination, streamline evaluation processes, periodically re evaluate regulations, and address problems with state and local law should be considered. Ann Thayer February 25, 1991 C&EN 7
