Terrorism response, radon in Fairfax homes among topics at regional scientific meeting, May 28-30

FAIRFAX, Va., May 28 — The following papers highlighting advances in various fields of chemistry will be presented May 28-30 at the 35th Middle Atlantic regional meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society. The meeting is being held at George Mason University’s Johnson Center and Student Union Building II.

Presentations include:

• Army DNA lab describes terrorist response: The terrorist attacks of September 11 resulted in one of the most detailed forensic investigations in U.S. history. Robert Fisher, a DNA analyst at the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) will describe the contribution AFDIL made to this effort. AFDIL successfully identified all but 5 of the 183 victims of the Pentagon attack and all 40 of the passengers that died when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in Somerset County, Pa. The team conducted tests on 938 evidence specimens and 348 family reference specimens from the Pentagon attack, and 592 evidence specimens and 53 family reference specimens from the Somerset crash, achieving a greater than 95% success rate in identifying the victims. AFDIL previously assisted in identifying remains of MIA’s from the Vietnam War, WWII, and Korea, and also took part in identifying victims of the terrorist attack on the USS Cole and the Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia. (This paper will be presented at 2:30 PM, Tuesday, May 28th, in Assembly Room B in the Johnson Building.)

• Radon levels high in Fairfax, Va., homes: Fiorella Simoni, a doctoral candidate at George Mason University, will present the results of recently compiled measurements of radon in the homes of Fairfax and surrounding counties in Virginia. They have found that more than half of the homes in and around Fairfax County have radon levels exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency's recommended concentration for long-term occupancy. Their studies determined that soil radioactivity and soil permeability cause this problem, and because community-size areas tend to have the same soil, it is possible to identify which communities have excessive indoor radiation. High exposure to airborne radon gas has been linked to increasing incidence of lung cancer. (This paper will be presented during a poster session, 9 AM – 5 PM, Wednesday, May 29th, in the Dewberry Room, Johnson Building.)

• Next generation GMO crops promise more taste and health benefits: Jay K. Mitchell, an agricultural economist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will discuss the past and future of genetically modified crops. The first generation of genetically modified crops has been designed primarily to benefit growers, but new products are in the pipeline that should also benefit consumers. Introduced over the past several years, most biotechnology-derived crops have been modified to make them cheaper and easier to process or produce, but the new generation coming soon will include products that are tastier and healthier, while continuing to have benefits for growers and the environment. For example, one product in development is low-phytate corn. Phytate contributes to pollution because it interferes with animals' ability to absorb phosphorus, which can pass through the animal's digestive tract and into the environment, where it fuels 'algae blooms' that can foul lakes and waterways. Lower phytate levels also improve iron absorption in human diets. Not all of the new crops will be for human or animal consumption. In the longer term, new products may contain pharmaceutical drugs, vaccines, plastics, and other industrial products. (This paper will be presented at 8:40 AM, Wednesday, May 29th, in Assembly Room B in the Johnson Building.)