(affecting the kidneys), and fine particles and aerosols.
TECHNOLOGY A new system for treating contami nated groundwater has been de signed and developed by Environ mental Data Inc. (Grand Rapids, Mich.), using AquaDetox technolo gy developed by Dow Chemical. The system is now in use at Chemcentral/Detroit where, according to its developers, it "consistently" reduces organic contaminant con tent and COD from 100-10 000 ppm to -"Cs), a 42A
Environ. Sci. Techno)., Vol. 18, No. 2, 1984
highly radioactive by-product of nuclear fission, has been'suggested as a means of killing diseasespreading organisms in sewage sludge. Geoffrey Eichholz of the Georgia Institute of Technology has proposed that 1 3 7 Cs from reac tors at the Savannah River Plant be used for this purpose. Sludge sterilization could convert it from a health danger to a safe agricultural fertilizer. Eichholz added that the irradiated material does not be come radioactive and that sewage irradiation would pose fewer envi ronmental problems than largescale conventional chlorination. Treatment of groundwater contami nated with organic compounds is possible with adsorption on granu lar activated carbon (GAC), air stripping, or both methods in com bination, according to Calgon Car bon Corporation (Pittsburgh, Pa.). Their Interphase system offers these treatment options. For in stance, air stripping can take out 60-85% of volatile contaminants. Adsorption on G A C would take care of remaining volatile, plus nonvolatile compounds, both of which, the company says, can be reduced to "non-detectable concen trations." New computer modeling programs for air stripping and ac celerated test techniques for ad sorption enhance the system's capabilities for industrial and mu nicipal users, Calgon says. BUSINESS Public concern and anger about hazardous waste sites is increasing because cleanup is going so slowly, says William Simeral, a Du Pont executive vice-president. He says
Simeral: warns of public anger that "Superfund is in trouble, and the chemical industry is trying to find ways . . . [to] speed things up. After all, who knows best how to handle chemicals, clean them up,
and store them, using the latest technologies?" Simeral adds that "public anger is directed against all chemical companies because a few firms have rejected reasonable re quests to clean up their messes . . . to establish a margin of advantage over their competitors. Such con duct is hurting the rest of the in dustry and should not be defended or tolerated." Public opposition to nuclear power plants could continue to increase if government regulations are weak ened, Bill Freudenburg and Rod ney Baxter of Washington State University (Pullman, Wash.) told the American Sociological Associa tion's 78th annual meeting. They analyzed 35 different surveys of public attitudes conducted over a period of more than 15 years. A major factor seems to be the ques tion of how effectively government is regulating nuclear facilities. The scientists said that public distrust of nuclear power appeared to grow after the 1979 Three Mile Island episode. Also, support for nuclear power seemed to decline more in host communities than in the na tion in general. TRC Environmental Consultants, Inc. (East Hartford, Conn.) will monitor and assess air quality in the Lake Calumet area of south eastern Chicago under a contract funded by several Illinois state agencies. This project represents the first major effort by a state agency to measure toxic air con taminants in real time with the Trace Atmospheric Gas Analyzer (TAGA). Some 35 toxic contami nants in air are to be measured. To make crop plants resistant to broad-spectrum herbicides, they should be genetically engineered, according to L. William Teweles & Co. (Milwaukee, Wis.), a leading international seed and plant con sulting firm. Advantages of this ap proach would be moderation of the amount of herbicides used and in creased yields. It could also miti gate the problem of weeds becom ing resistant to herbicides or the use of herbicides in amounts insuf ficient to achieve good weed con trol. This approach, which would use recombinant DNA, might now become possible because scientists have isolated genes responsible for destruction of herbicides by plants and bacteria, Teweles says.
