WHO to meet Iraqi officials on DU health study

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@EARTHLINK.NET>]

Index:



WHO to meet Iraqi officials on DU health study

N. Korean officials get nuke safety training in Australia

Scientists succeed in more efficient laser fusion

Russia Shipyard Trying to Raise Sub

Pro2Serve Team Wins Contract at Los Alamos National Laboratory

Ontario opens North America's biggest windmill

DRAXIS to Manufacture Radiotherapy Capsules for U.S. Market

=======================================



WHO to meet Iraqi officials on DU health study



GENEVA, Aug 23 (Reuters) - The World Health Organisation said on 

Thursday it would meet Iraqi experts next week to firm up planned 

research into cancers which Baghdad blames on Allied use of depleted 

uranium in the 1991 Gulf War. 



The talks, being held in Baghdad from August 27-31, follow a formal 

invitation received from the Iraqi government, the United Nations 

health agency said in a statement. 



WHO and Iraqi officials met last April at the agency's headquarters 

in Geneva, where they hammered out a basic framework for intensified 

technical and scientific cooperation. 



The mission will kick off WHO's first comprehensive attempt to assess 

the state of public health a full decade after a U.S.-led alliance 

bombed Iraq which had invaded Kuwait. 



"The purpose of the mission is to complete work on detailed proposals 

for studies on non-communicable diseases and congenital malformations 

and draw up a schedule for implementation of the research," WHO said.



Diseases to be tracked were mainly cancers and renal disease. 



"The studies' aim will be to investigate claimed increases in these 

diseases in Iraq and look into their potential link to environmental 

and other risk factors," it added. 



Baghdad has insisted for years that there was a link between depleted 

uranium (DU) -- a toxic, radioactive element on tips of armour-

piercing weapons used by U.S. and British forces during the conflict -

- and growing incidence of leukaemia and other cancers in Iraq. 



Baghdad's Health Ministry says cancer cases increased from 6,555 in 

1989 to 10,931 in 1997, especially in areas bombed by U.S.-led forces 

during the war. 



But WHO and NATO say there is no evidence that DU munitions cause 

cancer, despite media reports suggesting a number of NATO 

peacekeepers in the Balkans had fallen ill or died after exposure. 



WHO and the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) said last March, after 

collecting extensive soil and water samples in Kosovo, that DU used 

by NATO posed "no significant risks." 



FOCUS NOT JUST DU 



"We will not just focus on depleted uranium, it is one of many 

environmental risk factors," Dr Michael Repacholi, WHO's occupational 

and environmental health coordinator, told Reuters. 



"Iraq had industrial plants burn, which spreads chemicals and heavy 

metal dust which can get into the water supply and also be breathed 

in. We have to assess the exposure to these things too." 



A primary WHO goal will be to provide Iraqi officials with equipment, 

fellowships and training so that they can set up cancer registries 

and carry out analysis, Repacholi said. 



WHO's eight-member team will be led by Dr Abdelaziz Saleh, the deputy 

head of its regional office in Cairo. 

------------------



N. Korean officials get nuke safety training in Australia



SEOUL. Aug. 23 (Kyodo) - North Korean officials have since last week 

been participating in a nuclear safeguard training program in 

Australia, a South Korean daily reported Thursday. 



The Korean Herald quoted Australian Ambassador to South Korea Colin 

Heseltine as saying six North Korean nuclear experts have been on a 

12-day training course in Canberra and Sydney along with officials 

from South Korea, China and New Zealand. 



The course on ''state systems of accounting for and control of 

nuclear material,'' scheduled to end Friday, is aimed at assisting 

North Korea to meet its Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and 

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) obligations. 



North Korea is under international pressure to cooperate with the 

IAEA, which wants to verify whether Pyongyang has complied with 

previous nuclear safeguard agreements as part of the 1994 Agreed 

Framework. 



Under the accord, Pyongyang froze its graphite-moderated nuclear 

reactor program in exchange for a U.S. promise to provide it with two 

proliferation-resistant light-water reactors. 



Australia, which restored official ties with North Korea in May last 

year, is the fifth largest contributor of funds after South Korea, 

the United States, Japan and the European Union to the Korean 

Peninsula Energy Development Organization 



The international consortium was established in 1995 to supply the 

two light-water reactors to North Korea, as well as heavy fuel oil 

for heating and electricity until construction is completed. 

-----------------



Scientists succeed in more efficient laser fusion



OSAKA, Aug. 23 (Kyodo) - Japanese and British scientists have 

succeeded in more efficiently realizing atomic fusion with a 100 

trillion watt ultra-intense laser, using only half the energy needed 

in the conventional approach, according to a study to be published 

Thursday in Nature, a British weekly science journal. 



Ryosuke Kodama, associate professor at the Institute of Laser 

Engineering at Osaka University, and other scientists from the two 

countries employed a new method of laser fusion called the ''fast 

igniter'' approach, performing the compression and fast heating of 

fuels separately. 



In the new method, fusion was brought about by some 1.3 kilojoules, 

about half the energy needed for fusion in the conventional approach 

in which matter is simultaneously compressed and heated by laser. 



The new approach also enabled scientists to conduct experiments at 

less expense, with devices costing 5% to 10% of the planned 

International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), whose cost 

is estimated to reach 600 billion yen. 



The ITER is designed to harness energy released from atoms when their 

nuclei combine through the heating of hydrogen to several hundred 

million degrees C to trigger a reaction, in the same way as the Sun 

produces energy. 



Kodama and the others compressed deuterium and carbons in a hollow 

globe with a diameter of 500 micrometers to a density 100 times the 

original with laser beams shot from outside. 



The scientists then gave the spherical object the ultra-intense laser 

shots for one-trillionth of a second, heating the fuel to several 

million degrees C to cause a fusion, according to the study. 



Potential problems with this approach are propagation losses and 

deflection of the ultra-intense laser pulse in the plasma surrounding 

the highly-compressed plasma. The fuel is transformed into plasma 

when atomic nuclei are mixed with electrons in the procedure. 



To avoid the problems, the scientists inserted a 1-millimeter-long 

gold cone with an opening angle of 60 degrees into the shell to keep 

the propagation path of the short-pulse laser free from the plasma 

that forms around the imploding shell, according to the Nature. 



Kodama said he wants to conduct more experiments aimed at continuous 

nuclear fusion reactions by the international team of scientists. 

-----------------



Russia Shipyard Trying to Raise Sub



SEVERODVINSK, Russia (AP) - In a major step in the operation to raise 

the sunken Kursk nuclear submarine, the first of two giant pontoons 

intended to hoist the 18,000-ton vessel was brought out of the 

shipyard Thursday to be lowered into the sea. 



Hundreds of officials, journalists and workers from the Sevmash 

shipyard watched the pontoon inching along a track onto a dock as 

Soviet-era patriotic songs blared from loudspeakers. An Orthodox 

priest blessed the 330-foot-long, 53 foot-wide structure with holy 

water, and a bottle of champagne was shattered on it, according to 

naval tradition. 



In two days, the pontoon will be lowered into the White Sea, about 

600 miles north of Moscow. 



Sevmash built the pontoon on order from the Dutch company Mammoet, 

which is preparing to lift the Kursk with another Dutch firm, Smit 

International, under a contract with the Russian government. The 

shipyard, which employees 20,000 workers and spreads for 2.4 square 

miles, specializes in nuclear submarines. It launched the Kursk in 

1994. 



``The plant has proven its ability to accomplish a difficult job in a 

very short time,'' Sevmash director David Pashayev said. ``The work 

was also important for us because we built the submarine and we 

consider it our duty to help raise it.'' 



The pontoons, the second of which is to be launched next week, were 

built at unprecedented speed after the Russian government signed the 

contract with Mammoet on May 30. Each pontoon is equipped with 

engines, pumps, life-support systems and other essential equipment. 



Early next month, the pontoons will be towed to the Russian navy's 

Roslyakovo ship repair plant near the port of Murmansk, where they 

will await the arrival of the submarine. 



After the Kursk is towed to harbor, the pontoons will be used to 

hoist the submarine onto a dry dock. 



The Kursk sank in the Barents Sea during naval exercises on Aug. 12. 

2000, killing all 118 men aboard. Russian officials say the sub's two 

nuclear reactors had been safely shut down and have not leaked any 

radiation but that the vessel should be lifted to avoid any potential 

danger to the area's rich fishing grounds. They also say a close look 

at the submarine could shed light on the cause of the disaster. 



Officials say the powerful explosions that sank the Kursk were 

triggered by a practice torpedo, but they remain uncertain whether 

they were caused by an internal flaw in the torpedo - the theory 

favored by most outside experts - or a collision, possibly with a 

foreign submarine. 



The Kursk is to be brought to the surface Sept. 15 by steel cables 

connected to 26 computer-controlled hydraulic lifting devices 

anchored to a giant barge. But preparatory work, which started last 

month, has taken longer than expected and rough weather may also 

interfere with the salvage effort. 



Once the Kursk's bow is sawed off, the divers will begin attaching 

the steel cables. Towing the submarine to harbor is expected to take 

up to two weeks. 



The Russian Navy has said it will raise the front section - which is 

thought to contain more clues about the cause of the disaster - or 

some fragments of it next year. 



On the Net: 



Official Web site for Kursk salvage operation: 

http://www.kursk141.org 

------------------



Pro2Serve Team Wins Contract at Los Alamos National Laboratory

  

OAK RIDGE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 22, 2001--The team of 

Pro2Serve(R) Professional Project Services, Inc. (www.p2s.com) of Oak 

Ridge, Tenn. and Innovative Technology Solutions (ITS) Corporation of 

Albuquerque, N.M. has received a contract to provide quality 

management, independent review, and technical support to Los Alamos 

National Laboratory (LANL) over the next five years. 



The team will support Los Alamos' manufacturing of war reserve pits, 

a component made from plutonium, used to start a chain reaction in a 

nuclear weapon. Many members of the Pro2Serve/ITS team have 35-plus 

years of experience working on the U.S. Nuclear Stockpile Mission. 

This includes hands-on knowledge and experience gained from 

rigorously applying the principles and requirements of weapons 

quality for nuclear weapons development, production, dismantlement, 

maintenance, stockpile evaluation, and disassembly. 



Pro2Serve is a technical and business services provider (BSP) to Fast 

Growth, High Tech companies. It specializes in helping them meet 

critical needs by providing solutions on a project-by-project basis 

through its Technical, Business, and Recruiting Solutions divisions. 

Founded in 1996, Pro2Serve is headquartered in Oak Ridge, Tenn. with 

offices in Chattanooga and Knoxville, Tenn.; Portsmouth, Ohio; 

Paducah, Ky.; Herndon, Va.; Boca Raton, Fla; Huntsville, Ala; and 

Augusta, Mont. The company's National Security Solutions business 

unit will support the LANL contract and is in the process of opening 

an office in Los Alamos, N.M. 



Pro2Serve established its National Security Solutions business unit 

in response to critical shortages of scientific, engineering, and 

technical professionals in the Nuclear Weapons Complex. A 1999 report 

by the Commission on Maintaining U.S. Nuclear Weapons Expertise, 

better known as the "Chiles Commission Report," has predicted a 

"crisis of talent over the next 15 years." 



"The award of this contract represents an important milestone for 

Pro2Serve," said L. Barry Goss, Pro2Serve's president and founder. 

"It takes our National Security Solutions business unit beyond the 

Oak Ridge weapons complex and establishes it on a national level. It 

reinforces our goal of applying our projectized business model on 

many levels." 

-----------------



Ontario opens North America's biggest windmill



TORONTO, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Ontario Power Generation was set on 

Wednesday to put the finishing touches on what it claims is the 

tallest wind turbine in North America as it looks to develop more 

"green" energy. 



The turbine, with a capacity of 1.8 megawatts -- or enough to power 

for about 600 homes -- is located beside the utility's Pickering 

nuclear power station, just east of Toronto. 



Manufactured in Denmark, the turbine stands 117 meters (384 feet) 

tall, with 39-metre (128-foot) blades. It is part of a C$50 million 

($33 million) strategy by the provincially owned company to develop 

new sources of renewable energy as it prepares for deregulation of 

the Ontario power sector. 



"We are very serious with our green energy program because we know 

that the people of Ontario see it as a market that they would like to 

tap into," said spokesman John Earl. 



"When the market opens, people will be able to choose their kind of 

energy ... and we want to make sure that we have sufficient renewable 

energy on hand to meet that market." 



Earl said his company wants to quadruple its green energy supply by 

2005, using a mix of wind, solar, hydro-electric and biogas sources. 



Ontario Power is also studying the idea of a 10 MW wind farm in the 

Bruce Peninsula, on Lake Huron. One small turbine, about one-third 

the size of the Pickering unit, is already operational there and the 

firm is in talks with manufacturers to buy eight to 15 more, he said. 



The head of the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, an environmental lobby 

group, said the Pickering windmill should help reduce Ontario's 

dependency on coal-fired power plants. 



"But because of Ontario's silly emissions trading system -- allowing 

the power suppliers to increase certain emissions while reducing 

others -- building wind turbines can lead to a net increase in 

pollution and make things worse," Jack Gibbons told Reuters. 



The Pickering windmill will be officially inaugurated next Wednesday 

and connected to Ontario power's grid. 

------------------



DRAXIS to Manufacture Radiotherapy Capsules for U.S. Market

  

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 23, 2001-- 



FDA Approval of Production Facility Triggers Iodine-131 Supply 

Contract 



DRAXIS Health Inc. (NASDAQ:DRAX)(TSE:DAX.) today announced that 

DRAXIMAGE Inc., the Company's radiopharmaceutical subsidiary, has 

entered into a major third-party manufacturing contract to supply 

Sodium Iodide I-131 radiotherapy capsules for Bracco Diagnostics Inc. 

for distribution in the United States. 



Oncologists use the capsules to treat thyroid cancer and 

hyperthyroidism. This week the U.S. Food and Drug Administration 

(FDA) granted approval for DRAXIMAGE to manufacture the capsules in 

its Kirkland Quebec production facility. Shipments to the U.S. are 

expected to begin by the end of the third quarter. 



"This new contract, together with having our radiopharmaceutical 

manufacturing operation approved by the FDA, clearly demonstrates our 

ability to capitalize on the current growth in Nuclear Medicine, 

particularly in the United States," said Dr. Martin Barkin, President 

and CEO of DRAXIS. "The DRAXIMAGE manufacturing plant is one of two 

recently constructed DRAXIS production facilities designed to 

leverage our specialty pharmaceutical expertise. The second facility 

will produce high value lyophilized (freeze-dried) injectable 

products for the U.S. market." 



"This marks our third radiotherapeutic oncology product approval by 

the FDA in less than a year," noted Dr. Barkin. "We recently received 

approval for BrachySeed(TM) I-125, our brachytherapy implant for the 

treatment of prostate cancer and other localized tumours. In June the 

FDA approved BrachySeed(TM) Pd-103, our Palladium-103 version of 

these implants, which are also to be marketed in the U.S. by our 

strategic partner, Cytogen Corporation (NASDAQ: CYTO)." 



The oral administration of radioactive Sodium Iodide I-131 is a well-

established treatment for a significant proportion of patients with 

thyroid cancer, hyperthyroidism and recurrent hyperthyroidism. 

Undertaking the contract production of a currently marketed Iodine-

131 product rpertise in manufacturing and distributing time-critical 

radiopharmaceutical products. 



DRAXIMAGE recently doubled the size of its cGMP compliant 

radiopharmaceutical manufacturing facility and installed additional 

assembly robots to provide significant additional manufacturing 

capacity to support the growth of its business in response to the 

growing radiopharmaceutical market, particularly in the U.S.



------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sandy Perle					Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100   				    	

Director, Technical				Extension 2306 				     	

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service		Fax:(714) 668-3149 	                   		    

ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc.			E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net 				                           

ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue  		E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com          	          

Costa Mesa, CA 92626                    



Personal Website: http://www.geocities.com/scperle

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com



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