2004-10-4
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VOICE ONE:
This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I'm Sarah
Long.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Doug Johnson. This week:
an award-winning supercomputer, and a new study of air pollution and
children's lungs.
VOICE ONE:
But first, a report on the dispute over a chemical used to make
Teflon.
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VOICE ONE:
Teflon is a kind of plastic. It is extremely smooth. It can be
found on many products, from industrial machines to
weather-resistant clothing. One of the most common uses for Teflon
is to protect cooking surfaces like pans. It keeps food from
sticking.
A researcher at the American chemical company DuPont invented
Teflon, by accident, in nineteen thirty-eight. Atoms of carbon and
fluorine combined to form a very strong molecule. The result is a
substance that does not react with other materials chemically or
electrically. In fact, most materials just slide off Teflon.
VOICE TWO:
But DuPont faces questions about the safety of a chemical used to
make Teflon. It is known as P.F.O.A or C-eight. The full name is
perfluorooctanoic acid. This chemical is used like a soap. P.F.O.A.
has been found in drinking water supplies in communities near a
Teflon factory in West Virginia.
In early September, DuPont agreed to settle a legal case brought
by people in the area around Parkersburg, West Virginia. As many as
sixty thousand people are represented in the class action lawsuit.
In a statement, DuPont said that settling this lawsuit does not
suggest "any admission of liability" on the part of the company. It
said the action helps both parties "by taking reasonable steps based
on science and, at the same time, contributing to the community."
The case had been set to go to a trial in October.
VOICE ONE:
In the proposed settlement, DuPont agreed to eighty-five million
dollars in payments and other spending. It also agreed to pay legal
costs of almost twenty-three million dollars. And it agreed to
provide water treatment operations in affected communities in West
Virginia and Ohio.
The settlement plan also calls for independent experts to study
the effects of the chemical. If the experts find that P.F.O.A. harms
people, DuPont could have to pay up to two hundred thirty-five
million dollars. This would go to medical studies and health care
for victims. A concern expressed about P.F.O.A. is the possibility
that it may cause birth disorders. The company disputes this.
VOICE TWO:
DuPont agreed to the settlement even though P.F.O.A. is not
listed as a substance that the government considers dangerous. The
company says it obeyed all laws about reporting possible risks from
chemicals.
But the United States Environmental Protection Agency disagrees.
In July the E.P.A. brought an administrative action against DuPont.
The agency says that in nineteen eighty-one DuPont observed P.F.O.A.
in blood taken from pregnant workers at its factory in West
Virginia. In at least one case, the chemical was in the fetus as
well. The E.P.A. says DuPont also found the chemical in public water
supplies as early as the mid-nineteen eighties.
VOICE ONE:
The agency says DuPont violated two government rules. These
require companies to report any serious risks to human health or the
environment from a chemical. The agency could fine DuPont at least
twenty-five thousand dollars for each day that it failed to report
the information. The accusations cover a period of twenty years. So
the fines could reach hundreds of millions of dollars.
DuPont says it fully reported all the information that it was
supposed to report. The company says it "remains confident that
P.F.O.A. is safe." It says fifty years of experience and studies
support this position.
VOICE TWO:
Teflon and similar non-stick materials are called fluoropolymers.
The Environmental Protection Agency noted last year that P.F.O.A. is
used to make such materials. But it said, "the finished products
themselves are not expected to contain P.F.O.A."
A study by a competitor of DuPont, Three-M, has shown that the
chemical is found in the blood of ninety percent of Americans. How
is this happening? The E.P.A. says direct releases from industry may
not be the only way, since a limited number of places produce
P.F.O.A. It says the answer is not known.
The agency has not decided if there is an unreasonable risk to
the public from this chemical. But it says it does not believe there
is any reason for people to stop using any products.
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VOICE ONE:
A study suggests that dirty air can reduce lung development.
Researchers at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles
published their work in the New England Journal of Medicine.
About one thousand seven hundred children from different
communities in Southern California took part in the study. The
scientists tested the children every year for eight years, starting
at age ten. They say this is the longest study ever done on air
pollution and the health of children.
The scientists found that children who lived in areas with the
dirtiest air were five times more likely to grow up with weak lungs.
Many were using less than eighty percent of normal lung strength to
breathe.
VOICE TWO:
The damage from dirty air was as bad as that found in children
with parents who smoke. Children with reduced lung power may suffer
more severe effects from a common cold, for example.
But the researchers express greater concerns about long-term
effects. They say adults normally begin to lose one percent of their
lung power each year after age twenty. The doctors note that weak
lung activity is the second leading cause of early deaths among
adults. The first is smoking.
By the time people are eighteen, their lungs are fully developed,
or close to it. The doctors say it is impossible to recover from any
damage.
Researchers say they are still not sure how air pollution affects
lung development. They believe that pollution affects the tiny air
spaces where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged.
VOICE ONE:
Arden Pope is an economics professor at Brigham Young University
in Provo, Utah. Professor Pope wrote a commentary about the study.
He noted that air quality in Southern California has improved since
the study began in the early nineteen-nineties. Clean-air laws have
reduced pollution from vehicles, industry and other causes.
But dirty air is still a problem in areas of California and other
places. Professor Pope says continued efforts to improve air quality
are likely to provide additional improvements in health.
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VOICE TWO:
People who travel in Virginia, in the eastern United States,
often visit places that are famous from American history. But now
people can visit a place where university scientists are at work on
the future.
Virginia Tech in Blacksburg is offering tours for the public to
see its supercomputer. The machine was built last year from more
than one thousand personal computers. It is one of the most powerful
computers in the world.
This past June, leaders from the computer industry honored
Virginia Tech for best use of information technology in the world of
science. The supercomputer project was chosen from more than two
hundred fifty entries by businesses, companies and other
universities in twenty-six countries. The award was presented at the
two thousand-four Computerworld Honors Program in Washington, D.C.
Next week, learn how a group of people built the computer in
three months with parts that anyone can buy. And we'll tell you
about some of the scientific goals for this powerful machine called
System X.
You can also learn more about the supercomputer, and sign up for
a tour if you are ever in Blacksburg, at the Virginia Tech Web site.
The address is vt.edu.
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VOICE ONE:
SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Brian Kim, Mario Ritter and
Paul Thompson. Cynthia Kirk was our producer. If you would like to
find any of our programs online, go to WWW.testbig.com. And if
you would like to e-mail us a question or comments, write to
special@voanews.com. This is Doug Johnson.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Sarah Long. Join was again next week for more news
about science, in Special English on the Voice of America.