From: JIM.DIXON@f240.n353.z1.fidonet.org (JIM DIXON)
Newsgroups: k12.ed.science
Subject: environment
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 92 08:39:00 PDT
Organization: FidoNet node 1:353/240 - The Polish Connecti, Westbank BC

 Jim Dixon is responding to Olivia Schauble's bytes to Jim Dixon
 about environment

Hello Olivia;

 OS> Science Forum. I am interested in chemicals which are
 OS> potentially dangerous to the environment and/or its inhabitants
 OS> (such as birds, fish, and wild animals). How many harmful
 OS> chemicals are being exposed into our environment today? What can

The International Registry of Potentially Toxic Chemicals announced
recently that The American Chemical Society's Chemical Abstacts Service has
recorded the 10 millionth chemical substance in its computer-based registry
of chemical substances. The CAS chemical registry, contains information on
essentially all new chemical substances reported in the world's scientific
literature since 1957.

The 10 millionth substance to be registered was synthesized by two Japanese
scientists at Kyushu University. The substance has the chemical name;
cis-(+)-4,6,7,8,8a,8b-hexahydo-6,6,8b-trimethyl-3H-naphtho[1,8-be]furan
an intermediate in the synthesis of Forskolin, a naturally occuring
chemical regulating cellular processes in animals and plants.

 OS> certain chemicals do to the vegetation etc.? I am worried about
 OS> what is happening to the earth at the fault of humans. In

That is a very _big_ question for it covers many thousands of different
chemicals. However, properly used, chemicals a are boon to mankind.  Only
recently have we come to recognize that more intensive testing is needed.
For example a chemical used to control nemtodes in orchards (locally) was
used by many orchardists.  The orchardists have bee hives installed in
their orchards to have the bees pollinate their trees...a cooperative
between orchardists and bee keepers.  The orchardists, in spraying the
trees for nemtodes killed off 80% of the bees.  This affected the price of
honey and the honey that was produced was found to have high concentrations
of the chemical used.  Not fit for sale.
Some chemicals,  when injested are passed out of our systems while others
remain in fatty tissue.  Some chemicals are cancer causing while others can
alter genes while others are proven safe.  Heavy metals, such as cadmium,
mercury, lead etc., also products of mans needs, affect humans.  Tomatoes
grown near roadways were found to have high concentrations of lead.  The
lead came from auto emmisions.  It is assumed that the lead was taken into
the plant from the gruond.

So, with these small examples, you can see that tho some chemicals are
beneficial, they can have dire effects.

 OS> was wondering if you have any information about how wood smoke
 OS> affects the air. Most homes in and around Bonners use wood heat

There is a great deal of conjecture on this subject.  Locally, we burn a
great deal of dead wood (logging community too).  As to the environmental
impact of buring wood, Furans and dioxins are naturally occuring chemicals
resulting from forest fires.  Studies were conducted were conducted in 3
regions of the u.s. (15 miles west of Midland MI, 20 miles N. of Grand
Marias MN (an area characterized by logging) and Cape Cod.))  The test were
conducted on Residential Wood Combustion (RWC) units.  To post back all the
data would require 5-6 messages 200 lines in length.  However, the
conslusion showed that, by comparing skin, liver, etc. samples of present
and historical samples, a noted increase in the amount of CDD was observed.
Typically, forest fires in the u.s. account for a range of 0.5 x 10^6 and
54 x 10^6 tons/year (15) of CDD paticulates.  The report concluded that the
concentrations of CDDs are caused more by industrial fly ash and
associated effluents, oil refineries and the such, than by RWCs.
Of note is that it was also found that nursing mothers breast milk
contained TCDDs in amounts exceeding "safe levels" set in foods.

 OS> for the winter. Spokane, only 100 or so miles from here, has air
 OS> pollution laws about burning wood. How long do you suppose it
 OS> will be until towns like Bonners Ferry will be forced to have
 OS> laws like these? I will be eagerly waiting for your reply.

I think that will depend on anti-burning groups and how hard and heavy they
lobby for a ban.  In my view, when the particulate level reaches an
unacceptable level, I would look for the main contributor.  It might be
industry that is also held back from releasing particulates (PTs).  By
reducing or shutting down RWCs, it allows industry to release _more_.  I
would question exactly what is industry releasing as compared to what RWCs
release.  If, for example, PTs reach max 30 PPM and 10% of that is via RWCs
and 20% by industry, shutting down RWCs reduces the 30 to 20, allowing
industry to expell  a further 10%...but 10% contains what?  Depending on
the industry, just what does their 20 or 30% contain?

If you have a particular interest in any chemical, such as dioxin may be as
related to RWCs, please feel free to ask and I'll post the IRPTC/UNEP
reports/studies/tests etc.  As an example, because you mentioned RWCs and
emission PTs, I have sent a 2nd post to you called TCDD2.  It is a sample
excerpt from the IRPTC/UNEP databanks.  Keep in mind, that this excerpt is
from a search on TCDDs and is 151k bytes in size.  If you post me a mailing
address (home or school), I'll mail out the complete data to you on any
chemical you chose.
Take care, and if I don't hear from you by next week, have a very merry
Christmas.


... Better hide when Father Nature finds out what we've done to his wife.
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.11
                                                                                                                             

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