• Genetic Link Found for Pesticides, ADHD, Gulf War Syndrome
  
• Public May Be Barred from Comment on Uranium Enrichment Plant
  
• Children at Risk from Burning Badger Army Base Buildings
  
• Wilderness Society Seeks Protection of Alabama Forests
  
• Energy Department Hosts Texas Energy Technology Show
  
• Solar Tracking Panels Power Grand Canyon Trust
  
• New Jersey Cherishes State's Few Bobcats
  

Genetic Link Found for Pesticides, ADHD, Gulf War Syndrome

The finding, published in the March 17 online version of "Nature Genetics," is the first to demonstrate a clear genetic link between neurological disorders and exposure to organophosphate chemicals.

The gene is one that scientists had not studied in previous efforts to find connections between these chemicals and disease. Organophosphates include household pesticides as well as deadly nerve gases like sarin.

The Gulf War syndrome is a "loosely defined collection of symptoms," the researchers said, "ranging from headache and fever to severe forgetfulness and movement disorders." It was first noted after Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield in 1991, when U.S., Canadian and British military veterans reported more symptoms than soldiers who were not deployed. Its cause is unknown.

Dr. Carrolee Barlow, who led the work at the Salk Institute and is now at Merck and Co., Inc., and her team, headed by Christopher Winrow, found in mice that organophosphate exposure inhibited the activity of a gene called neuropathy target esterase, or NTE. The gene is active in parts of the brain controlling movement - the hippocampus, the cerebellum and the spinal cord.

This inhibition either killed the mice before birth, or led to a range of behaviors very similar to ADHD. Some of the neurological problems were similar to symptoms seen in Gulf War syndrome.

"This study shows that there may indeed be a genetic connection that explains how organophosphates can cause these reactions; it's just not what we assumed it would be," Barlow said.

"There have been anecdotal links made between rises in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Parkinson's disease and other disorders and exposure to pesticides," she said. "There also has been suspicion of a link to Gulf War syndrome. But scientists have been focusing on enzymes that act on acetylcholine neurotransmitters.

Barlow's group had originally been looking at how environmental factors immediately affect the nervous system. They found that mice bred to lack the NTE gene died before birth.

But the group also found that mice with only one copy of the NTE gene, when exposed to experimental organophosphates and examined over a prolonged period, exhibited behavior similar to attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

"NTE is a large gene," said Barlow. "It's possible that we all have slightly different forms of the NTE enzyme, which may explain why some may get ADHD when they're exposed at young ages, and why some may get Gulf War syndrome at a later age, or why some of us have no symptoms at all. It appears to be a case of delayed toxicity, inhibiting the function of NTE."

The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to fundamental discoveries in the life sciences, the improvement of human health and conditions, and the training of future generations of researchers. The institute was founded in 1960 by polio vaccine discoverer Jonas Salk, M.D., with a gift of land from the City of San Diego and the financial support of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation.

Public May Be Barred from Comment on Uranium Enrichment Plant

Two national anti-nuclear groups are seeking the release of a document they say is being withheld by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that will indicate exactly how the agency will handle the licensing and public hearings for the uranium enrichment plant near Hartsville, Tennessee.

The Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) and Public Citizen say the document contains the commissioners' response to six memos submitted last spring by Louisiana Energy Services focusing on licensing issues that may be troublesome.

The ruling sought by Louisiana Energy Services before it submits a license application would prohibit members of the public, including organizations and local and state government bodies, from addressing such issues as environmental justice, the financial qualifications of the consortium, the disposition of the thousands of tons of radioactive/hazardous waste the proposed plant would produce, and the need for the plant.

At the urging of NIRS, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission invited the public to respond to the memos. The agency has received more than 350 comments, almost all urging the commission to reject the consortium's position.

Louisiana Energy Services announced plans in 1989 to build a uranium enrichment plant near Homer, Louisiana. But a local citizens group, Citizens Against Nuclear Trash, aided by NIRS, Earthjustice and others, successfully challenged the consortium's license application, resulting in the first ever denial of a license by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Commissioners have outlined their views on the issues and have informed the agency's staff, according to the trade publication "Inside NRC" in its March 10 issue, but have not yet made their views public.

"The public deserves to know if the NRC commissioners have capitulated to the consortium's unreasonable demands that the agency pre-determine controversial licensing issues, which would make a mockery of the public hearing process," said Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen' s Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program.

Michael Mariotte, executive director of NIRS, said the groups intend to sue the Nuclear Regulatory Commission if it adopts the position proposed by Louisiana Energy Services, "so the agency might as well tell us now if it intends to act on behalf of this company or on behalf of the public."

However, the groups hope that the NRC's reluctance to release the document may indicate that the agency has decided to rule against the consortium's proposals.

Children at Risk from Burning Badger Army Base Buildings

Dr. Ann Behrmann wrote last week to Barbara Pavliscak in the Air Management division of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources warning that according to a report provided by the Army's own consultant, Plexus Scientific, air emissions from burning buildings at the closing base "will include lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), benzene, and other pollutants."

There was no assessment of the cancer risk to children in the vicinity, although the risks posed by inhalation of these toxics were assessed for adults, Dr. Behrmann wrote.

"I ask as a health professional that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to do its foremost as a scientific governmental agency to ensure that public health will not be compromised by the proposed open burning of buildings at Badger," she wrote.

Dr. Behrmann cited a report released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) earlier this month stating that fetuses and children under two years of age have a 10 times greater cancer risk than adults when exposed to specific gene damaging chemicals, and that children from three to 15 may face three times the risk of adults if exposed to specific mutagenic chemicals.

Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger was organized in 1990 when the community learned private drinking water wells near the Badger Army Ammunition Plant were polluted with high levels of cancer causing chemicals.

The 7,400 acre Army base covers the former Sauk Prairie, the citizens' group says, where 16 remnants of natural communities including prairie, oak savanna, dry forest, southern hardwood swamp and sandy meadow have been identified.

The citizens' group accuses the Pentagon of having abandoned its commitment to a complete cleanup at Badger which is estimated to cost upwards of $200 million.

Dr. Behrmann urges that a "complete environmental assessment of air, soil and water pollution from this open burning be done," before the contaminated buildings are burned.

Warning of the dangers of asthma and other respiratory illnesses due to the release of particulates by burning, Dr. Behrmann said the release, not only of carcinogens, but also of particulates, and of chemicals classified as teratogens, neurotoxins, and endocrine disruptors must be studied for all age groups.

Wilderness Society Seeks Protection of Alabama Forests

The report, "Alabama's Mountain Treasures" was released Monday and outlined why and how these lands should be protected. It describes these areas as home to some of the world's most diverse plant and animal life, complete with some of Alabama's last free flowing streams, high quality fisheries, canyons, caves and old growth forests.

Only 10 percent, or 34,000 acres, of the lands within the Bankhead and Talladega National Forests are fully protected. The U.S. Forest Service is taking public comments on environmental impact assessments of its management plans for the forests.

"Nature has given us a perfectly balanced ecosystem in Alabama's mountain treasures," said Frank Peterman, The Wilderness Society's southeast regional director. "They are rich in beauty, biodiversity and cultural significance. They must be protected."

It is not just for the sake of conservation that these protections are merited, Peterman explained. Many towns in the Southern Appalachians, including Gadsen, Alabama, get their drinking water from National Forests.

Protection of these lands, the report details, will not come at the expense of timber interests because the lands in question are unsuitable for logging. It says the lands could be used for a host of recreational activities, such as camping, hiking, fishing, hunting and canoeing.

"In protecting these wildlands, we will strengthen both Alabama's environment and our economy," Peterman said.

The Wilderness Society targeted the 24 specific places because of their ecological diversity and recreational value as well as their importance in keeping watersheds intact and preserving habitat for the wildlife. In addition, these protecting these wild places will protect the heritage of Native American tribes that once lived within them.

"These special places are owned by the public," Peterman said. "They must be preserved for our children and our grandchildren."

Energy Department Hosts Texas Energy Technology Show

The Texas Technology Showcase began Monday and will feature three days of presentations of technologies and practices for reducing energy use and emissions in the chemical and refining industries. The Department of Energy enlisted the support of the Texas Industries of the Future and seven additional Texas industrial facilities to help it put on the exposition.

It is a "shining example of what can be achieved through the application of advanced technology, best energy management practices and collaborative public private partnerships," said Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy David Garman.

Garman commended the companies for contributing to the administration's Climate VISION initiative, which aims to encourage energy efficiency and environmental stewardship without compromising economic growth.

The administration has touted a host of voluntary commitments by industries to improve energy efficiency or to meet specific greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets over the next decade. Its voluntary public private partnership policy, administration officials say, demonstrate that economic growth and environmental protection can go hand in hand.

Environmentalists have criticized this approach, which they believe allows companies to put the bottom line above public health and environmental concerns.

Companies showcasing in use technology at the three day event include Calcine, Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, The Dow Chemical Company, Exxon Mobil, Merisol USA, Rohm and Haas Texas, and Valero Energy Corporation.

The technology show features technical sessions, information booths, and plant tours and include technologies that reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides, which are of particular concern in the Houston-Galveston area as precursors to ozone formation.

Houston has some of the worst air quality in the nation.

Solar Tracking Panels Power Grand Canyon Trust

Installed by Hopi tribesmen Doran Dalton and Kevin Begay NativeSUN Solar, the new solar panels are the first phase of the Grand Canyon Trust's effort to produce some its own electricity, reducing the organizations contribution to global warming and air pollution from its office building.

"The Trust is putting our money where our mouth is on our concern for the impacts of fossil fuel energy production," said Geoff Barnard, president. "The transition to renewable energy is a critical part of a sustainable future and we are committed to doing our part."

With the installation of the 1.44 kilowatt solar panels complete - each one the size of about three sheets of plywood - the Trust is generating some of its own power for its headquarters office. The organization intends to augment its electrical power with a five kilowatt solar array.

"We are delighted this energy and environment saving project is underway," said John Gaglioti, Trust project manager for renewable energy initiatives. "We are doing our part, helping lead the way towards Arizona's mandate to produce a percentage of its power from renewable and solar power."

The Trust's solar installation is highly efficient because of the tracking mechanisms that allow the big panels to follow the sun's progress throughout the day. "This tracking feature gives us 25 percent more efficiency in "sun hours" than having stationary panels," said Rick Moore, Grand Canyon Trust's program officer.

"We are pleased to be teaming up with a longstanding Native American business to do something tangible and measurable in reducing our "skyprint" or contributions to global warming and air pollution," said Moore.

Arizona has two times the national average of the sun hours - or position of maximum sun power - 1,973 sun hours per year.

Arizona Public Service provided $2,880 of the funds needed to install the system through a subsidy available to all residential and business systems. The total cost of the system was $15,000. The subsidy program is made possible by electric power rate payers through both a surcharge on electric bills and a system benefit charge.

The Grand Canyon Trust has worked since 1985 to clean up the air around Grand Canyon and across the Colorado Plateau by pursuing cleanups of coal fired power plants, and promoting clean energy alternatives.

New Jersey Cherishes State's Few Bobcats

As part of the yearlong celebration of species conservation marking the 30th anniversary of New Jersey's Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1973, the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is focusing each month on a different threatened or endangered species found in New Jersey. March is bobcat month.

Late February through early April is the breeding season for these elusive felines, recognized by their bobbed tail, ear tufts and grayish-brown streaked and spotted fur.

"Maintaining a sustained bobcat population in New Jersey continues to be a challenge," said DEP Commissioner Bradley Campbell. "This animal requires large parcels of land that are relatively free from human habitation and alteration, along with travel corridors between parcels. This delicate type of habitat must be considered as we pursue strategies related to the governor's anti-sprawl initiatives."

Typical bobcat habitat in New Jersey consists of forests, early succession vegetation and agricultural areas that provide dense cover for protection from the weather and from predators. Bobcats often use areas with caves, ledges and rock outcrops that provide shelter and cover for hunting and rearing their young.

New Jersey's bobcat population first experienced declines in the mid-1800s as forests were cleared for lumber, fuel, charcoal and agricultural use. Between 1950 and 1970, reports of bobcat sightings and mortalities persisted, but by the early 1970s they were thought to be locally extinct. In 1972 the species gained legal protection when it was classified as a game species with a closed season.

Between 1978 and 1982 the Division of Fish and Wildlife conducted a restoration project through which 24 bobcats were trapped in Maine and released in northern New Jersey. In 1991 the bobcat was added to New Jersey's list of endangered species, where they remain.

Current management efforts involve the use of satellite transmitters that allow biologists to monitor bobcat locations in order to determine habitat ranges.