American Chemical Society's Weekly PressPac -- May 21, 2008

Scientists report that high levels of the banned pesticide DDT drain into coastal waters each year in Antarctica, harming the environment while adding another consequence to global warming. Click here for more information.

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Melting glaciers may release DDT and contaminate Antarctic environment
Environmental Science & Technology

In an unexpected consequence of climate change, scientists are raising the possibility that glacial melting is releasing large amounts of the banned pesticide DDT, which is contaminating the environment in Antarctica. The study is scheduled for the June 1 issue of ACS’ bi-weekly journal Environmental Science & Technology.

In the study, Heidi N. Geisz and colleagues estimate that up to 2.0-8.8 pounds of DDT are released into coastal waters annually along the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet from glacial meltwater. The researchers point out that DDT reaches Antarctica by long-range atmospheric transport in snow, and then gets concentrated in the food chain. DDT has been banned in the northern hemisphere and has been regulated worldwide since the 1970s. Geisz found, however, that DDT levels in the Adelie penguin have been unchanged since the 1970s, despite an 80 percent reduction in global use.

Global warming may explain that contradiction, they say. As the annual winter temperature on the Antarctic Peninsula has increased by about 10 degrees Fahrenheit in the last 30 years, glaciers have retreated. The possibility that glacial meltwater has contaminated Antarctic organisms with DDT, the study says, “has compelling consequences” if global warming should continue and intensify. — JS

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“Melting Glaciers: A Probable Source of DDT to the Antarctic Marine Ecosystem”

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/es702919n

CONTACT:
Heidi N. Geisz
College of William and Mary
Gloucester Point, Va. 23062
Phone: (804) 684-7474
Fax: (804) 684-7786
Email:

ARTICLE #2 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Light-driven "molecular brakes" provide stopping power for nanomachines
Organic Letters

Researchers in Taiwan report development of a new type of "molecular brake" that could provide on-demand stopping power for futuristic nanomachines. The brake, thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair, is powered by light and is the first capable of working at room temperature, the researchers say. Their study is scheduled for the June 5 issue of ACS' Organic Letters, a bi-weekly journal.