trena? imanalytical chemistty, vol. 3, no. 2, 1984 V

of saccharin could be by inducing or carcinogens. ogy, immunotoxicology and neurotox-

producing cancer by some as yet The next 3-5 years will be critical to icity will also undoubtedly see the

unknown mechanism. The mechanism the future of short term in-vitro test increasing application of such short

of action in such instances is of systems and their application for safety term in-vitro test systems.

paramount importance before regula- evaluation purposes. Carcinogenicity

tory decisions can be made which and mutagenicity are only two areas of Dr R. M. Dagnall is Senior Vke-Presi&nt and would distinguish between nongeno- consideration which are moving ahead General Manager of Hazelton Raltech, Inc.,

toxic carcinogens and genotoxic strongly. Other areas, such as teratol- Madison, WI, USA.

MEETING REPORTS

COZ and ecological problems

A report of the GDI meeting ‘Carbon Dioxide -A Hazard for our Environ- ment? (Actual State, Prevention and Long Term Solutions)‘, held in ROschlikorVZiirich, Switzerland, 25 April 1983.

Under the Chairmanship of Eduard Pestel (Hannover) more than 200 participants evaluated and discussed the COz situation at this meeting. In 1899 the American geologist Chamber- lain and the Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius discussed the possibility that burning of fossil fuel could warm the globe. In the late 1950s Nierenberg (in La Jolla, California), Heisenberg and Flohn began to study the increas- ing concentration of COz in the atmosphere and calculated possible climatic scenarios for future develop- ments. Unfortunately, it is still not possible to balance quantitatively COz sources and sinks (oceans and air). Other considerations include the future rate of increase in environmen- tal concentrations (will there be an acceleration?); the interactions and effects of a rise in CO2 concentration; and the fact that a further doubling of the COZ concentration in the atmos- phere from 300 to 600 p.p.m. could lead to an average temperature increase of 3°C. Economizing on energy usage would have other benefi- cial side-effects, including the saving of rare fossil fuel.

In developing countries CO2 is also emitted through clearing of woodland and erosion of soil, but more than 70% of the total is produced in industrial- ized countries. Therefore, it is their responsibility to prevent a further increase of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere.

0165~9936/84/$02.00.

Carbon dioxide and the environment

Wilfried Bach (Miinster) started with an overview of the problem. Regional changes in rainfall intensity would cause greater problems than an increase of temperature from 1 to 3°C. Global emissions from burning fossil fuel are now in the order of more than 5 000 million t CO2 carbon. If the use of oil and coal could be stopped, mathematical models show that it would be about 100 years before the unnatural COZ increase was halved. If CO2 emissions remained constant at their present level, we would expect to measure levels of 370 p.p.m. in the year 2 000, 450 p.p.m. in 2 100, 530 p.p.m. in 2 200 and 620 p.p.m. in 2 300. Doubling of the CO2 concentration could lead to a temperature increase of about 3”-5°C in the Sahara with a further decrease in rainfall. In Scan- dinavia and in Northern USSR one could expect seasonally increasing rainfall. In polar areas temperature increases under the same circums- tances would be even higher, leading to shorter winters and melting of ice. With more sophisticated models future regional fertility, for instance of corn, can be calculated. The effects will change with the seasons, especially at greater distances from the equator. Decrease ofsoil humidity is expected in summer in temperate zones. These effects influence the growing period of agricultural crops in the Mediterran- ean countries, and in the USA and USSR to a great extent. Wheat is particularly sensitive; if the tempera- ture increased by 2oC, wheat produc- tion would be reduced by 9%. Pest problems will also increase in temper- ate zones. To avoid a crisis it is necessary to prevent the accelerated

increase in CO2. Hans Oeschger (Beme) analysed

1 000 year old air bubbles from glaciers in the Arctic and Antarctic, and found concentrations of 250-280 p.p.m. of co2, which may be the natural background concentration. The oceans contain about 60 times more CO2 than the atmosphere, but it is exchanged very slowly. Carbon may stay unchanged for more than 1 000 years in the oceans. It is estimated that of the total annual CO2 production ‘1s goes into the atmosphere and l/a into the oceans, leaving l/s unaccounted for.

Franz Xaver Scharinger (Munich) discussed the experiences of the last 10 years, from which it was possible to learn that economies of energy use had occurred when the price of fuel increased.

Strategies to reduce carbon dioxide concentrations

Hans Rudolf Lutz (Baden) believed that light water reactors will not be able to solve the problem of increasing energy use and that there will be a continuous need for liquid motor-fuel, which must come to an increasing extent from the liquefaction of coal. Lutz calculated that in the USA by 2 030 they should have about 750 water reactors and about 750 fast breeder reactors. It will be an advantage to combine reactors locally - also off-shore - and to use some energy for the liquefaction of coal. Lutz thought that using this scenario worldwide the increase of CO2 con- centration in the atmosphere would only be in the order of 50 p.p.m. rather than about 130 p.p.m. up to 2 030.

Theo Ginsburg (Zilrich) explained that nuclear energy cannot solve the problems and that the sensible use of energy is the only way out of the dilemma. Many countries (including the USA and France) have reduced

@ ,984 Elscticr Scicncc Publishera B.V.

VI trends in analytical chemistry, vol. 3, no, 2, I984

their nuclear power programmes. It has been demonstrated that it is possible to save energy, and the consumption of energy in some indus- trialized countries has been reduced. If uncontrolled growth continues, then uncontrolled losses and waste continue to increase.

Frank KlGtzli (Zurich) discussed international programmes to solve the COz problems. He discussed the results of the co-operation between

UNEP (UN Environmental Pro- gramme), UNESCO and WMO (World Meteorological Organization). International co-operation is often slow, and there is national resistance, for instance to protecting tropical forests. An important problem which is now also being tackled is the spread of information to the public.

The former German minister of international affairs, Gerhart Rudolf Baum (Bonn) discussed possibilities

for and limitations of solving ecological problems. Fortunately, very often, prevention, economy and reducing side-effects (for instance reducing the loss of valuable resources) go hand- in-hand.

ERNEST MERIAN

Dr Ernest Merian is at the International Association of Environmental Analytical Chemis- try, Im Kirsgarten 22, CH-4106 Therwill, Switzerland.

Environmental protection and waste disposal

A report from the 4th ENVITEC (International Fair and Congress on Techniques in Environmental Protec- tion), held in Dusseldorf, FRG from 21 to 25 February 1983.

The number of exhibitors at the ENVITEC fairs has increased each time and at this meeting they num- bered 479. The exhibitors demons- trated developments in air pollution control, in water and waste water treatment, waste treatment and re- cycling, measuring control and analys- ing instruments, noise abatement and other environmental control tech- nologies.

ENVITEC 83 was opened by the Federal President Karl Carstens and by the Federal Minister for Interior Affairs, Friedrich Zimmerman; Prof. Dr Siegfried H. Eberle (Karlsruhe) opened the Congress. He pointed out that in environmental protection, and in waste management in particular, one is often obliged to work with circumstantial evidence. In the Euro- pean Communities about 2 X 10’ tons of waste are produced per year, and about 70% of this is disposed of in landfills. Waste management is often troublesome and expensive, and it is not possible to recycle all waste.

A. Fairclough (Brussels) spoke on the raw material potential of solid waste in the European Communities and Jan Torrens (Paris) discussed the problems involved with collection of refuse, mechanical sorting, reuse of some material, recycling and recovery of energy.

Prof. Dr H. Hoberg (Aachen) discussed other possible waste utiliza- tion techniques. Since it is becoming increasingly difficult to provide new dumping grounds for sanitary landfill purposes, and primary feedstock and energy prices are rising, it has become important to reduce the quantity of waste produced and to reuse secondary raw materials.

Recycled Raw Materials Conference 1983

The problems of waste disposal and recycling were discussed in a more detailed meeting organized by the Federal Union of the German Raw Material Industry, which represents the German refuse sorting and recov- ery enterprises. The Chairman of the Union, C.-M. Nagel (Frankfurt) ex- plained that these enterprises have traditionally been protectors of the environment and of resources. Johann Philip Freiherr von Bethmann (Frank- furt) demonstrated how the prices of iron-scrap have fallen within a short time from 190 to 140 DM t -’ which led to interruptions in the supply. Another financial problem is that older shear- ing equipment has to be replaced by shredders which give better quality scrap. It is also necessary that the steel industry becomes more flexible in its use of energetically advantageous scrap. R. Kimper (Schwelm) also mentioned that the recovery of non- iron metals suffers from low metal prices, high interest rates and general uncertainty.

H. de Fries (Hochheim) discussed the situation in the paper recovering

industry where the recovery of waste paper is still more economical than incineration and dumping. H.-J. Kampe (Emmendingen) explained that textile raw materials are getting more expensive and/or of lower quality. Demand is decreasing in all grades and there is reduced export of used textiles.

Prevention of air pollution Prof. Dr H.-W. Thoenes (Essen)

discussed the progress which has been made in the measurement of emitted and ambient atmospheric pollutants, particularly the developments in sep- aration techniques and in particulate analysis. Multiphase systems allow differentiation between pollutants in the vapour phase, in solid form or adsorbed to particles. It is still easier to determine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with capilliary gas chromatography than with HPLC. In the latter case new possibilities were introduced by the use of electrochemi- cal detectors instead of UV-detectors. It is now possible to differentiate routinely between about 40 nitro- polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in air samples. Impactors are used for monitoring emissions from coal com- bustion or from refuse incineration.

Dr Gillman (Essen) spoke about the effectiveness of instruments for air pollution prevention. With mass power separators, filters, electro- separators and wet washers it was possible to reduce total dust emissions in the FRG from 2.6 million t a-’ (1964) to 0.6 million t a-’ (1982). It must, however, be admitted that this decrease is mainly related to a decrease in gross dust, and less to a reduction in fine dust. Gas purification resulted in

@ 1984 Ekvicr Science Publishers B.V.