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Science News for October 3, 2000


Food poisoning bugs thrive in crop sprays

Researchers found that bacteria thrived in around a third of common pesticides, with Shigella, E. coli, and Salmonella growing best on chlorothalonil. The risk of food poisoning could increase one-thousandfold if contaminated water is used on crops.

SourceNew Scientist·JournalThe New Scientist·DateOct 3, 2000

Shorter AZT treatment reduces mother to child HIV transmission as well as longer treatment but for less cost

A shorter course of AZT therapy can reduce HIV transmission from mothers to children, now available at a lower cost. The study found that treatment regimens starting at 28 weeks pregnant and given to the infant for six weeks resulted in a transmission rate similar to standard long/long treatment.

Gambling with the Earth

A physicist claims that scientists have underestimated the devastating potential costs of creating killer strangelets at a new US particle accelerator. The probability of such an event is tiny, but Kent argues that the scale of the destruction should be considered in risk assessments.

SourceNew Scientist·JournalThe New Scientist·DateOct 3, 2000

Exposing polluters

A report by the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation identifies industrial plants in the US as the main polluters of dioxin in Nunavut, with sources including municipal waste incinerators and cement kilns. The findings provide a new tool for governments to clamp down on polluters and control emissions.

SourceNew Scientist·JournalThe New Scientist·DateOct 3, 2000