The 1981 New Year's science scene ranges from the sexually insecure ‘sado—masocbistic physics professor to the existentialism of science and technology. .
At the Royal York and Sheraton hotelsToronto hadthehonourthis week to open its doors to well- Iltnown international scientist‘s by hostingthe147thnationalmeeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Scrence.
This year's theme is "Directing Science Towards Peace".
Attending the conference was like stepping into a science fiction movie. There is no doubt that we're now into a new age: the electromagneticeighties areupon us. The conference opened with a
Youth Symposium.directingeffort to motivating youngpeople towards scientific advancement. CBC’science commentator David Suzuki and feed Walker (Quirks and Quarks) typify the new army of popular scientists pioneeringin an age unparalleled in history. Walker is an unusual teacher. who explains that his grandiose
teaching methods are due to a
feeling of sexual inadequacy he
gets when his students forget the physics he teaches in class.
To prevent this frustration he
repeatedly jeopardizes his life
i duripg his lectures. To prove nis
Ten pt‘t)[)lt"(lrfl slated to die
' annually in the United States . ' from chlorine leaks resulting from' trainaccidents.
A headline from a scandal rag? No, the above statement is the conclusion of a study by the . llatelle Memorial Institute in the United States on the risks of traiispmting chlorine. This type of prophetic study. called risk assessment, is common below ' the border but is virtually non— existent in Canada.
Essentially, risk assessment places a value on human life "orexampleflan Burton from the Institute of Environmental Studies at the UniVersity of Toronto, said the conclusions of the Batelle study on chlorine transportation are not .. significant enough to initiate further safety measures.
"The probability of death here is very low and the analysists conclude the risks of transporting chlorine by rail’are
vr‘rv low-,and in sor lalvll’frl‘lfi qtiite acceptable considering
the benefits one enjoys from the use of chlorine," he said.
l l
pointonthedistributionofenergy he placed himself between two boards of nails with a cinder block on top. The correct impact of a sledge hammer. brought about by an assistant. cracks the blocks and distributes the shock evenly through the board. nails. and Walker's body . so that he can walk away without a scratch.
The incredible feat of walking over hot coals was lucidly explained by Walker using the insulating effects of vapour barriers called The Boerhaave- Leidenfrost phenomenon. '
For example.ifadropofwateris placed on a moderately hot pan. it willspread,siZZleandburnawayin a few seconds. However, if the pan is very hot the same drop of water will bounce around for many minutes due to a rapidly formed layer that protects the drop from the heat. '_ . - .
Thesameistrueforwalkingover hot coals: 5“ eat from yourfeet will be evaoomted and‘protecr the flesh from burning. To prove the point Dr. Walkei actually walks over red hot coals.
David Suzuki} the famous Canadian scientist from British Columbia was also on hand to promote science and make its importance clear to the general public.
The future. he feels. will be. astounding. Dr. Suzuki descnbed
this kind of risk assessment is (omini: to Canada, says a study from the University of Toronto Institute. of Environmental Studies. They say we will soon be pumpingtens of millions of dollars annually into programs of highly questionable value. Burton, one of the coordinators of the investigating .leam, explains that there are two elements involved in risk assessment: the probability that some event Wlll happen and the consequent es if it does occur. The team has been looking 1 specilicallv at the Mississauga chlorine spill that occurred just over a year ago I lust before midnight on November 10, 10?") a freight train (ii-railed in Alississaugn, just outside loronto. lxplosions hurled one car 700 metres across a field and resulting fires ( ould
“s.
be seen as far away as Niagara ran. the cost of all "monuan 50”” 0g.
Burton used Mississauga as an example to explain how the risk
of potential hazards such as toxrc waste disposal, acid
precipitation, genetic engineering, nuclear energy and
Charlottetown 894-8217
c
The Wool 'avam Shop .
Confederation Plaza
Knit a little warmththis winter!
“ The finest and largest wool center in the Maritimes” '
BuE dared not ask, Thursday, Januray, 29,1981, page 15
developments of silicon chip technology. The computer (man's modern baby) is rapidly growing and gaininginintelligenceatarate of which we can only be proud, if not fearful.
At this moment a computer created by Dr. Weisenbaum called Elisah‘is being a psychologist and friend to a group of Harvard students who resent Dr. Weisen. baum's interference with their “friend”.
“The reaction of people to machines is highly personal and
' they rapidly become dependent,"
stated Suzuki.
The common belief that "machines are stupid" and “we can always pullc ttheplugifthey (computersi get out of control" is now absurd. ‘
Artificial intelligence is serious
study: computers can read. write.
talk andeven'think'.Theyareused in Ourfinances.entertainmentand communications. and everyday additional applications are being found. Pulling_the plug would be
suicidal. .
The recent advances in biological engineering are also staggering. Cloning is a reality. artificial regeneration of body parts is only one step away from human experimentation. test tube
babies are here. immortality is a
strong possibility within this
century, mind programming and
tie
the transportation of dangerous goods ( an be calculated.
"In the case of Mississauga, (we look at the quantity of chlorine travelling by rail, and the distance and number of shipments. Then from the historical records we find the accident rate on railways and get an estimate of how frequently chlorine accidents
' are likely to occur,” said Burton.
Once the researcher determines the chances of the event Occurring, the consequences of Sixth an
‘ acrident are addressed.
“tn Mississauga we saw the consequences were that virtually an entire town was shut down and 240,000 people were evacuated for up to six days," said litirton. "There was considerable dollar loss because of the disruption of business and
the most startling finding of the investigating team was that no one in Canada had carried out a risk analysis of the dangers of transporting chlorine.
Their repor‘t stated that there
'l‘rice
thought control are now possible by brain stimulation, et
Dyed oil globules risinglhrrsugh a column of water; taking the shape with the least surface area per unit ‘ volume. The slight flattening of the spheres 's an optical illusion due to the shape of the water cylinder.
Suzuki himself states " looking forwarc to grOyvinE a fingeroutotmvtoplipsolcanstck my nose Without ustng hands..."
Canada's only Nobel P'::e winnerGerhar'fHerzbergnasalso there to tail. about modern experimental methods in sClef‘C-E'.
had been a contorted effort by industry to smother risk analysis in this r ouniry. It also stated: “The major chemical t ompanies and the railway companies regard risk analysis as expensive and likely to lead to increased transportation costs."
lliirton said industry explains the lat k of risk assessment as a result of there being an Ilt\lllllt' ir‘nt data base in Canada to put together risk studies.
lint he says there is a more important underlying reason. “industry sees these studies as vehicles for persuading the public rather than serious .IllvllVHN of risks that i oiild lt‘.l(l to .i t liangr- in polii y lntltislry has been most vocal in opposing risk assessment of nuclear reactor accidents.”
The Canadian nuclear industry, including the Atomic Energy Control Board, has vocally expressed their skepticism in risk assessment for about a decade now. They argue that the assumptions made in risk assessment are so numerous and the uncertainties so large, that the final risk estimates have little, if any, meaning.
these agencies have consistently warned that risk assessment would encourage distrust and lack of cooperation between the nuclear industry and regulatory bodies and thus lead to increased risks
llut things seem to be r hanging, due mainly to public demand. Burton said there is a - grriwing concern of people to be better informed about the actual level of risks. "Policy makers are being pushed into this process of ranking risk assessment, sometimes against their better judgement because of public pressure,"he said
- Now, for the first time, the AICB is inviting proposals for
. 3;
sex, andthe Future..
He spoke aboutatomicidenti:.ca- tion and new molecules “icicle. only exist as excited states.
York's Dr. Stan jeife’s contributed to the philosoph‘. or science in his talk “Dialectics and Astrophysics" on Tuesday "- »’ while Dr.HaroldSchifffromtart's Science Faculty spoke today JCCU! the influence of supersonic transports iSST‘: on the ozone layer. Ten years ago the Linked States SST program was cance. ed because it was thought that emissions would destrov the ozone layer which would lead to skin cancers and numerous other disorders.
Experience has now taught however that that prediction was wrong and it is now believed teat an SST fleet in the lower stratospheremavactuallyenhance the ozonelaver. v
Dangerous advances in technology are rapidly comm-g about and the proliferation )l nuclear weapons was also a tosec of much debate.
A new problem are "Suited: bombs". Toronto was singlet: :‘ -.i prime target tor a term-"st demanding ransom.
There is no question that our world is teetering on a precarious precipice. The longing for science's benefitsalsoinciudes‘he fear of its (tonseciizences. To be absent '
.m-wv'
.5, sq km .. .. .b 2? . assessment studies on various stages in the nut lear fuel cycle
The investigating team's report expressed a wariness of the forms the first assessments could take: "The studies will be suspect because they will be carried out by or for a group‘ that has an interest in the activity in I question and because they will be at cused of being public relations exercises Above all, the studies will not be (omparable and there still Will be no adequate way of judging risks in one domain compared with another."
The implications of making risk events comparable strikes at the fibre of social morality lvt‘ntually rest-art hers will be able to t ompart- the estimated danger of transporting radio at five fuels to the dangers of at id precipitation This will effect the priorization of funds allot ated for setting up safety proi edures
Burton said. "It's a morally
~ complex question but there is no doubt, that in many areas of clw l‘sltll‘ Ill.ll~.ltl|; ti rd.“ \\t' (ltl iii l.ii t make (for but!“ about (he .lllt‘t .ttiriii Ill liiitils whit b have implications for the amount of lives that Will be lost or saw-if "
While the siihjor livi- balance of money and lift‘ may upset some individuals, llii'rton said he's convinced that the t orniiaiison of risk dl'llVlllt's will lt'arl l') mrin- (:lll' lt‘n' .tlliit .ttlt‘in of funds.
‘llt’ ( itt‘s ll‘ll.‘ C ('nznrjut‘n’ es at
a risk assessment study of tour: 4 tintaminatvs in soil, lliirtrm said it would show the risks were low "and to spend more money getting a higher level of
' polliition~free (‘llVll’UlHl‘l'n' l‘s not as sensible as an invi-stment in medical research or dismiss prevention "