1202

Notes and News

POLLUTION IN THE PO VALLEY

HALOGENATED toluenes are widely used in the chemical in-dustry, in the manufacture of dyes, explosives, foams, andherbicides, for example. Not much is known about their toxi-city or potential as’environmental hazards, as a team meetingin Venice last September soon discovered.’ The discussions inVenice were a joint venture by the W.H.O. Regional Office forEurope and the Veneto Regional Government, in the after-math of an incident in Vicenza Province where accumulated

sludge from a chemical plant leaked into the groundwater ofthe area. The account of the incident itself is relegated to aninadequate annex. Part-neutralised process waters containinga variety of toluene derivatives would have passed into theAdriatic. Waste sludge was collected in a trench inside the fac-tory grounds, and this was the source of the trouble. In 1976and 1977 contamination of wells in the area was detected. Themain compound of interest was 4-chloro-3-nitro-!x,a,M-trinuo-rotoluene. This was found in local wells at concentrations inthe range 5-800 fLg/I; in wells supplying aqueducts the concen-trations were 0-5-90 µg/l. Fortunately, local residents withaccess to well water or aqueduct sources did not use them fordrinking, preferring bottled mineral water; and the odour andcolour of the contaminated water would probably have putthem off. There was no evidence of morbidity among localfamilies or among factory workers. The groundwater, which islikely to remain contaminated for years, is no longer permittedas a source for the public water supply. The review of the toxi-cology of a whole range of halogenated benzene and toluenecompounds is useful, but the lasting impression of this W.H.O.report is that the containment measures now in force mightreasonably have been practised years ago.

REVIEW OF TRAFFIC LAWS

SPEAKING at the Automobile Association’s 75th anniversaryluncheon in London on May 21, Mr George Younger, Secre-tary of State for Scotland, said that the Road Safety Act of1967, which introduced breath testing, was highly effective in-itially. Its introduction resulted in an estimated saving of 5000deaths and 100 000 injuries in the first seven years of its oper-ation. But that effect had now largely worn off. The Blenner-hassett Committee had been set up in 1974 to review the oper-ation of the law and it reported in 1976 on ways of improvingand strengthening it. The present Government showed itsdetermination to act on the report and it seemed that there was

widespread support for much of what Blennerhassett pro-posed. The most awkward issue was still what was mislead-ingly referred to as random testing. The problem was to

balance, on the one hand, the need to improve the deterrenteffect of the law and, on the other, the need to preserve goodpolice/motorist relationships and to prevent unreasonable in-trusion into people’s lives. The review of traffic law now inhand represented the most radical overhaul for many years. InEngland, a working group, set up by the Home Secretary andthe Minister of Transport, was examining ways of dealing withcertain motoring offences; and, in Scotland, a committee wasconsidering alternatives to prosecution for motoring as well asother offences. Both the working group and the committee,who were keeping closely in touch, hoped to report on motor-ing offences later this year.

1. Toxicological appraisal of halogenated aromatic compounds followinggroundwater pollution. Report on a W.H.O. working group. Obtainablefrom W.H.O. Regional Office for Europe, Scherfigsvej 8, DK-2100 Copen-hagen, Denmark, or through W.H.O. sales agents. Sw. fr 8.

BETTER PERINATAL HEALTH

IN November, December, and January The Lancet pub-lished thirteen linked articles examining the medical and socialinfluences on perinatal health and how they can be, and arebeing, modified in various countries rich and poor. The articleshave now been assembled in a booklet which can be had, for£2.30 or$6.00 U.S. (to be sent with orders), from The Lancetoffice in London. For those far afield, the booklet will be sentby air.

LANCET CONTRIBUTIONS FROM NORTH AMERICA

The North American edition of The Lancet is published byLittle, Brown and Company, of Boston, but contributorsshould not submit to Boston articles or letters offered for pub-lication. All submissions should be sent to the Editor at 7Adam Street, London WC2N 6AD. May we also remind con-tributors that we often receive articles and letters from NorthAmerica by surface mail when it was clearly the sender’s inten-tion that his message be dispatched by air?

PRINTING OF THE LANCET

FOR several weeks past our U.K. printers have been severelyinconvenienced by the effects of an industrial dispute. Theyhave succeeded in keeping delays to a minimum; and only oneissue has been smaller than usual. We now hope to resume nor-mal service.

General Medical Council

On May 22 Sir Robert Wright, a former President of theRoyal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, waselected President of the Council. He will succeed LordRichardson on June 16.

The Karolinska Institute of Stockholm has conferred the honorarydegree of doctor of medicine on Prof. M. F. Oliver (Royal Infirmary,Edinburgh).

The Society for Drug Research is holding a symposium on Drugsand the Fetus at Chelsea College, Manresa Road, London SW3, onJuly 1S. Further details may be had from Mrs J. Young at the College.

Diary of the Week

JUNE 1 TO 7

Monday;2ndINSTITUTE OF DERMATOLOGY, St. John’s Hospital for Diseases of the Skin, Lisle

Street, Leicester Square, London WC2H 7BJ4.30 P.M. Dr Y. M. Clayton: Therapy of Fungal Equipment.

INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGY, National Hospital, Queen Square, London WC1N3BG

1.15 P.M. Dr 0. Kolar: C.S.F. ImmunoelectrophoresIs and T.G. Cells in Mul-tiple Sclerosis.

Wednesday, 4thINSTITUTE OF ORTHOPÆDICS, -Royal National Orthopædic Hospital, 234 Great

Portland Street, London Wl 16 P.M. Mr H. B. S. Kemp: Tumours of the Vertebral Column.7 P.M. Mr R. Campbell Conltolly: Spinal Tumours.

ROYAL FREE HOSPITAL, Pond Street, London NW3 2QG5 P.M. Dr J. Galambos (Atlanta): Alcoholic Hepatitis.

NORTHWICK PARK HOSPITAL, Watford Road, Harrow, Middlesex HA13UJ1 P.M. Mr H. Gordon: Problems of Induction of Labour.

Thursday, 5thST. MARY’S HOSPITAL MEDICAL SCHOOL, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG

5.15 P.M. Mrs R. Short: Reducing Perinatal Mortality m Britain.