The 80,000 men and women who battle the nation 's wildfires have always known their lives were endangered by flames or heat or falling debris . But now , two new studies show they also face an unseen hazard : Their health is under siege from the poisonous stew of gases and soot in wildfire smoke . Among the culprits are carbon monoxide , which slows reaction and impairs judgment ; microscopic particles of carbon that lodge in the lungs ; aldehydes and acids that irritate air passages , and hydrocarbon-based substances and other chemicals that can damage genes and cause cancer , tests show . Wildland firefighters , whose only protection is the cotton bandanna covering their faces , lose as much as 10 % of their lung capacity after one routine season , and the damage persists for weeks , according to the studies by the California Department of Health Services and the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health in Baltimore . Combined , the researchers tested the lungs of more than 100 California wildland firefighters before and after the 1988 and 1989 fire seasons . Health experts also suspect that exposure to wildfire smoke may accelerate aging , prompt fatal heart attacks or cancer and trigger respiratory diseases such as chronic bronchitis or asthma . `` After fires , they cough up black gunk . Then , after a week , they think they 're back to normal . But our studies show their lungs are n't back to normal , '' said Dr. Robert Harrison , the California health department 's chief of occupational health surveillance and the physician in charge of one of the studies . `` For some of the firefighters , the drop in lung function was rather striking . '' The worst doses of carbon monoxide and other hazardous chemicals , which can be fatal , are given off when fires smolder , the stage in which firefighters spend most of their time , said Darold Ward , a U.S. Forest Service chemist . Mark Linane , who heads a national firefighting crew known as the Hotshots , said he has seen wildland firefighters so poisoned by carbon monoxide that they ca n't decide which shoe to tie . The hazards are particularly acute in Southern California , which is prone to more large , smoky fires than anywhere else in the nation . Its four-year drought has turned grasslands tinder dry , and its stagnant weather conditions and topography can trap smoke for days . Furthermore , forestry officials predict that the region 's 1990 fire season will be devastating . The Yosemite fires , which have scorched more than 15,000 acres and are still out of control , and the recent Santa Barbara and Glendale fires , which destroyed nearly 500 homes , are only the largest of hundreds of blazes in the state . `` We 've got lots of summer ahead of us and we 've already burned 600 or 700 structures , '' said Deputy Chief Keith Metcalfe of the state 's southern regional firefighting crew in Riverside . '' ... Because of the dryness , fires are burning more rapidly and more intensely . '' For nearly 10 years , urban firefighters have known that toxic smoke from burning structures and cars greatly increases their chances of cancer and heart disease . The bandannas that once were their only protection were replaced by air tanks and masks long ago . But the U.S. Forest Service and state and county fire officials have been unable to protect their wildfire crews because they know of no gear light enough for firefighters to wear while hiking miles in burning terrain or effective enough to filter out the wide variety of toxic materials in smoke . Furthermore , developing protection for the crews has gotten little attention and virtually no state or federal funding . National fire officials say they can not get help from Congress unless they can prove firefighters are dropping dead . But because no mortality studies have been funded , all they have is the old joke heard around the fire camp : Just try to find a wildland firefighter still breathing after 60 . `` It 's a crime that we continue to let these guys function like this , '' said James Johnson , director of hazard control projects at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Northern California , which is developing respiratory gear for its firefighters . `` They 're a forgotten group , a hidden subset of people who have been ignored en masse . In all my 18 years of experience in industrial hygiene , I 've never seen anything like it . '' . In the past , firefighters believed their coughing and congestion were fleeting side effects . But the new health studies have documented physiological changes in the lungs and airways that do not vanish with the smoke . The Johns Hopkins tests , conducted on 52 Northern California wildland firefighters during the 1988 season , showed that their lung function -- or flow of oxygen -- remained reduced by as much as 3 % even eight weeks after exposure . The researchers said they have not determined if the lungs heal between seasons or if the damage accumulates . The California health department 's tests on 63 firefighters showed they lost as much as 10 % of their lung capacity during one six-month fire season , with an average loss of 4 % . For many firefighters , the lung congestion turns into bronchitis or walking pneumonia three times a year , said Linane , 46 , who has fought wildfires for 28 years . `` You take antibiotics and it eventually goes away , '' Linane said . `` But then it comes back . And more often . '' During the four months of fires in 1988 at Yellowstone National Park , 12,000 firefighters sought medical aid for respiratory problems , and about 600 needed a doctor 's care after returning home , a U.S. Forest Service report says . Stan Stewart , 37 , said he knew when he joined the Forest Service at 17 that the job was dangerous . But he did n't know he would feel sicker and sicker every year . `` The doctor told me I look like I 've smoked 10 packs of cigarettes a day all my life . But I 've never smoked , '' said Stewart , foreman of the Hotshot crew in Los Padres National Forest near Ojai . `` My lungs are probably shot . I 'm a little more worried every year . '' Health researchers , usually reluctant to interfere in policy decisions , said they feel strongly enough about the hazard that they are urging fire officials to provide respiratory protection as soon as possible . `` We 're not surprised firefighters have decreased lung function . We just wanted to document it so the firefighting agencies would take action , '' said Dr. John Balmes , a pulmonary specialist and occupational health expert at UC San Francisco who helped with the state 's study . Harrison said the forestry agencies and fire departments should at least warn their crews -- and potential recruits -- of the danger and consider rotating shifts more often to reduce smoke exposure . Although the findings of the national studies have not yet been published , word has spread to top officials in the state Forestry Department , who say they are now starting to search for protection for the agency 's 3,500 full-time firefighters and about 2,000 seasonal ones . `` I do n't want to wait for firefighters to die , '' said Jack Wiest , the department 's chief of fire planning and research . `` We have to get on this right now . '' Part of the solution is to develop lightweight and long-lasting respirators . Air tanks and masks that are standard for fighting structural fires weigh 40 pounds and last only 15 to 30 minutes , so they are impractical for wildfire crews that hike miles carrying as much as 60 pounds of hoses and tools . Developing technology , however , takes money , and none has been allocated by California forestry officials . `` Respiratory protection for wildland firefighters is non-existent . And we 're looking at a couple of years , at least , before something is developed , '' Wiest said . Last year , researchers from the U.S. Forest Service and Johns Hopkins asked Congress to fund a $ 13.4-million , four-year study to analyze the health threat and develop respiratory protection . But William Sommers , director of forest fire research for the National Wildfire Coordinating Group , said national funds are scarce . His group , which includes all federal and state agencies involved in wildland firefighting , now gets less than half the research money it received 15 to 20 years ago . This year , about $ 10 million , less than 1 % of the federal dollars spent on fighting wildland fires , is set aside for research . Sommers said no other federal agency devotes that little , especially when jobs are life-threatening . Other hazard-prone occupational groups , such as chemical workers and construction crews , are much better protected , he said . Most employers are required by federal regulations to provide equipment that protects workers from dangerous fumes or other threats . Firefighters themselves -- who traditionally have brandished the attitude that if you ca n't stand the heat , you get out of the fire -- are now demanding protection . Their change in attitude came largely as a result of the unforgettable California summer of 1987 . In what was called the `` Siege of ' 87 , '' 1,500 fires attacked the Klamath National Forest near the California-Oregon border in one month . A strong inversion layer settled into the valley , trapping the thick smoke for the entire time . The firefighters ' union , concerned that crews were falling ill in record numbers , asked Johns Hopkins University to send a doctor . Dr. Patrick Ford , then a medical resident specializing in occupational health , looked at the firefighters ' base camp , which was engulfed by a thick fog of black smoke . `` We were miserable within hours of arriving . Nose burning , throat burning , eyes burning . And it did n't go away , '' said Ford , now an occupational medicine physician for the Navy in Philadelphia . Police officers at the camp , called in to direct traffic , were using flashlights at noon because they could n't see 20 yards in front of them . Ford recalled that some of the officers wore gas masks , yet the firefighters wore only bandannas . The crews slept in makeshift tents -- cotton sheets strung over clotheslines . Because the camp offered no respite from the smoke , the firefighters breathed it 24 hours a day for several weeks . Ford questioned the firefighters about their health and was shocked by how many had alarming symptoms . He listened to their chests , and heard wheezing in almost every one . Candace Gregory , 33 , the first woman battalion chief at the California Department of Forestry , recalls that 11 members on her crew of 15 fell ill . `` You were literally living in the smoke . After a while , you were coughing all the time , '' she said . Immediately after the 1987 fires , Ford and other researchers from Johns Hopkins and the California health department mounted studies . `` It 's the old cliche of how you do n't put up that traffic signal at a dangerous intersection until there 's a lot of people killed , '' Wiest said . Now 46 and working his 28th fire season , Linane will retire in a few years . Looking back , he says , `` When the adrenaline 's pumping and you 're saving property and lives and important natural resources , it seems worth it . But when I retire and I 'm coughing and gagging , it may be another story . `` The doctor here recommended that I take full pulmonary tests . I said , ` Yeah , yeah , sure . ' But I never did it . I 'm afraid he 'll tell me there 's really something wrong . We 're all afraid to do it . None of us wants to know how much lung function we 've really lost . '' YOSEMITE FIRES : While the flames slowed , concern remained high over possible new lightning storms . A3 HOW POISONS IN SMOKE AFFECT FIREFIGHTERS Wild-land firefighters are exposed to a variety of poisonous substances in the smoke they breathe . When forest material or brush catches fire , the incomplete combustion turns the harmless vegetation into a barrage of dangerous chemicals . The Poisons : 1 . Carbon Monoxide -- This invisible odorless gas attacks the brain and nervous system of a firefighter , causing temporary disorientation , impaired judgment and slower reaction times . It also puts extreme stress on the heart . 2 . Inorganic Compounds -- Including lead and sulphur , these materials vary widely in smoke , depending on the content of the soil . Lead , found in high concentrations in smoke from Southern California wildland fires , can cause neurological damage . 3 . Aldehydes -- These strong irritants , especially acrolein and formaldehyde , are found in high concentrations in smoke . They are believed to cause much of the wheezing , coughing and eye irritation suffered by wild-land firefighters . Many of them are also carcinogens . 4 . Particulates -- These small pieces of black carbon lodge deep in the lungs , possibly causing asthma , chronic bronchitis and cancer . The smallest particles , which are the most dangerous to lungs , are found in smoldering fires , where firefighters spend most of their time . 5 . Ozone -- This potent chemical is formed during fires when there is strong sunlight and smoke is trapped by stagnant weather patterns . Human tests show ozone , which is also the main ingredient of smog , hampers lung function , while animal tests indicate it can cause chronic respiratory disease . 6 . Organic Acids -- Including formic acid and acetic acid , these chemicals are powerful irritants to the lungs , eyes and throat . The Protection : Bandanna : Wild-land firefighters wear nothing but a thin cloth on their face to protect their lungs from smoke . Fire officials say they have n't found lightweight respiratory equipment that is effective and safe for the crews , who have to trek uphill wearing 60 pounds of equipment . Equipment : Standard gear usually includes a hosepack , helmet , goggles , boots and a fire-retardant jumpsuit . Air Purifier : Fire crews at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory wear 1-pound air purifiers . The smoky air passes through filters that eliminate tiny soot particles that can lodge in lungs . Gases such as carbon monoxide , however , are not filtered out . National and state fire officials remain wary of the purifiers because they do n't provide full protection from smoke . Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons : These Compounds , believed to be cancer-causing agents , attach to particles of soot in wild-land fires . Experts are uncertain whether the compounds cause genetic damage in blood cells . Sources : USDA Forest Service Intermountain Research Station , California Department of Health Services and Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health , Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

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In Valdez , Alaska , the Coast Guard confirmed Saturday that a fresh oil sheen has seeped from the ruptured Exxon Valdez and that a complete cleanup of the damaged tanker is impossible . Later in the day in Juneau , a package of bills aimed at protecting Alaska from another devastating oil spill like the one that fouled Prince William Sound was passed by the state Senate with little trouble . `` Oil is clinging to the tanks inside , '' said Vice Adm. Clyde Robbins , the federal on-the-scene coordinator . `` What we 're getting is that clinging oil mixed with water that causes sheen . `` Unfortunately , it 's impossible to completely remove the oil unless you steam-clean the tanker , and nobody intends to do that , '' Robbins said . Robbins did not give an estimate of how widespread the oil sheen , or shininess on the water 's surface , had become . Time-Consuming Repairs He said he doubted the vessel , which is undergoing temporary repairs 30 miles from the March 24 site where the Exxon Valdez ruptured on a reef , will be moved soon . `` I 'm estimating at least a month to six weeks , '' he said . `` Obviously , this -LRB- ship -RRB- is a hot potato . Nobody in the Lower 48 -LRB- states -RRB- wants it . We may end up going to a foreign port . '' Reacting to the largest oil spill in the nation 's history , the Republican-led Senate acted with unusual speed to move the six bills through the chamber and to the House . However , it appeared unlikely that the Democrat-controlled House would approve the entire package before adjournment , which is scheduled for May 9 . 11-Million-Gallon Spill The Senate action came five weeks after the tanker Exxon Valdez struck a reef , spewing more than 11 million gallons of crude oil into the fish - and wildlife-rich sound . The Senate bills would increase civil fines for spill damage ; impose a surcharge on oil producers to boost the state 's spill-response fund ; prevent oil companies from deducting spill costs from their oil-production taxes ; require the state to create spill contingency plans ; establish a spill-response office and cleanup corps , and create a commission to investigate the Exxon Valdez spill . More Bills Pending More than a dozen other spill-related bills are still pending in both chambers of the Legislature . Exxon reported Saturday that it has paid out $ 500,000 to 150 fishermen on claims of lost work . It is processing another 300 claims .

O O O B O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

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exxon valdez spill


Turbulence in the global diamond markets is being felt even here at Venetia , De Beers ' newest diamond mine , 30km from South Africa 's borders with Botswana and Zimbabwe . Only weeks before the mine came into production in July 1992 at a cost of USDollars 400m , De Beers ' Central Selling Organisation , which controls 80 per cent of world trade in rough -LRB- uncut -RRB- diamonds , imposed quotas on its producer-suppliers because of a flood of gem stones from Angola . For a time Venetia , the first mine of any sort in South Africa to gain permission for seven-day working , moved to a five-day week . This year it has gone back to seven-day working as the quotas were eased so that the CSO is now accepting 85 per cent of the diamonds it contracted to take from producers . However , there is still turmoil in the diamond market , caused by uncertainty about Russian exports following ` leaks ' of stones from that country outside its contract with the CSO . Consequently , Mr Hans Gastrow , general manager , says that this year Venetia will process 4.3 m tonnes of ore , 6.5 per cent below its capacity . It is also mining an area of lower grade ore , which has fewer diamonds in each tonne . Mr Gastrow is giving no forecasts but all this implies that output will be well below the 5.6 m carats a year De Beers predicted Venetia would yield at full production . Last year the mine , building up rapidly , more than doubled output and processed 3.6 m tonnes of ore to recover 4.96 m carats . About 70 per cent of Venetia 's diamonds are of gem quality and analysts suggest that at Dollars 100 a carat on average the mine is generating annual sales of about Dollars 500m . Mr Gastrow says that , apart from the imposition of the CSO quota , Venetia ` has made a remarkably smooth transition from construction to production ' . This year will be a time of consolidation . He insists that the quota is having no impact on employment . Nevertheless , Venetia originally was to have employed 870 and it now has 764 . A mine of Venetia 's size in the past would have employed 2,000 . The total has been kept down here partly by highly automated process plant but also by ` fewer people employed just to see that other people are doing their jobs ' , according to Mr David Gadd-Claxton , ore extraction manager . Venetia was the first new South African diamond mine for 25 years . It is also the country 's biggest diamond mine and a major contributor of export earnings . The mine has also revitalised De Beers ' production , as it is accounting for half the group 's output in South Africa and replacing production from its 100-year-old Kimberley mines , which are now fading away . Venetia 's success is strategically important to De Beers because , when its output is added to that in Botswana and Namibia , it gives the group direct control over more than 50 per cent of world rough gem diamond output . This provides a major base for the CSO to work from and gives it a powerful position from which to negotiate with other producers in the diamond cartel . And , while Venetia is using conventional methods to mine about 500m tonnes of waste and to mine and process 100m tonnes of ore over its projected 23-year life , it is trying some highly innovative ideas about labour relations and environmental issues , at least as far as South Africa is concerned . For example , there are no migrant workers at the mine . Employees are bussed in from nearby towns for 12-hour shifts and then return to their families . Venetia is also breaking with the De Beers ' tradition that , for security reasons , no equipment leaves the mine but is burried within the top security area once it is no longer useful . Here worn out equipment will be stockpiled and sold off when the mine closes . It could be worth millions of dollars .

B O O B I I O O O O O O B O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O B I I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

global diamond markets
central selling organisation
diamond cartel
rough gem diamond output
turbulence
south african diamond mine
venetia
de beers
russian exports


Ben Johnson should be stripped of his world record in the 100-meter dash and it should be awarded to Carl Lewis , many U.S. track and field officials and athletes said Wednesday in the aftermath of Johnson admitting to his steroid use . Johnson testified this week at a Canadian inquiry that his seven-year involvement with illegal performance-enhancing drugs included injections before the 1987 World Championships in Rome , where he set the existing world record of 9.83 seconds . `` I would have to see the evidence , but if he was on drugs at the time of the World Championships , my thought would be to remove his record , '' said Ollan Cassell , executive director of The Athletics Congress , the national governing board for the sport . Cassell is also a vice president of the International Amateur Athletic Federation , the world governing organization . The possibility that Johnson could lose his record was raised when the IAAF asked for `` an urgent legal opinion '' to see what it could do about records and championships of confessed drug users . The issue would be decided at the IAAF Congress , scheduled for Barcelona , Spain , in September . `` The ... actions would allow the IAAF , if it so decided , retroactively to withdraw results obtained and any records achieved by such athletes , '' the statement said . It was not clear , however , whether any action taken by the congress would affect Johnson 's world mark because effective dates of retroactive sanctions would have to be worked out . Frank Greenberg , TAC president , said : `` We 'll wait to see what Canada does , '' following the country 's inquiry at which 40 persons , among them Johnson , his coach , Charlie Francis , and his physician , Jamie Astaphan , testified . `` I feel we will do our best to advocate that our athlete , Carl Lewis , gets the world record , '' Greenberg said . Lewis has the second-fastest legal time in history , 9.92 , in finishing second to Johnson at last year 's Seoul Olympics . Johnson , who clocked 9.79 in that race , lost the record and his gold medal , and was barred from competition for two years after testing positive for an anabolic steroid . There was much discussion among athletes competing this week in the TAC Championships about whether Johnson should be allowed back into the sport after he completes his two-year suspension . Lewis thinks he should . `` He went a long time without telling the truth , but he broke down and he has told the truth , '' said Lewis , a six-time Olympic gold medalist . `` He is giving us an opportunity to believe him , to support him . `` I even heard him speaking out against drugs and that 's the important thing . '' Al Joyner , the 1984 Olympic gold medalist in the triple jump , said Johnson should be allowed to compete again , only because that is the rule . `` But all his records should be taken because he admitted it , '' Joyner added . `` He killed a lot of fans ... a lot of young kids ... and he almost killed our sport ... he put a dark shadow over it ... because of who he was , '' Joyner said . Sprinter Harvey Glance , a three-time Olympian and president of TAC 's Athletes Advisory Committee , said Johnson should be allowed to return after two years . `` But if he admits he was on anything -LRB- when he set the record -RRB- , then it should go to the next person , Carl Lewis , '' Glance said . `` Only the records will show it and only Ben knows . '' Johnson was tested after his world-record run in Rome , but the results were negative .

B I O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

ben johnson
world record
carl lewis
steroid use
canadian inquiry
world championships

100-meter dash
illegal performance-enhancing drugs


IN BLOOD-RED letters , the sign on the front window of the Dealers Outlet gun store in suburban Phoenix declared : `` Urgent ! Act Now ! Stop the Gun Ban ! '' Inside , customers took time out from browsing through AK-47 assault rifles and a flock of other firearms to sign a petition -- and to vent their wrath at a local `` turncoat , '' U.S. Sen. Dennis DeConcini -LRB- D-Ariz . -RRB- . `` We are petitioning to protest the semiautomatic gun-control bills before Congress , '' read the text above a fast-growing list of names . `` If we allow the government to become involved in any type of gun control , we are violating a basic constitutional right , the right to keep and bear arms . '' The petitioners ' target that sunny day last spring was DeConcini , a longtime opponent of gun-control measures who had suddenly switched sides , sponsoring one of the nine bills currently in Congress to ban the sale of assault weapons . `` I 'm a one-issue voter , and I 'm going to do everything in my power to take DeConcini out , '' George Hiers , a burly man on crutches , vowed as he bought a semiautomatic shotgun for his wife to defend herself with while he 's away on hunting trips . The attack on DeConcini was stirred up by the National Rifle Assn. in a display of fury that represented far more than retaliation against a former supporter . Long described as `` the powerful gun lobby , '' the NRA is now scrambling to recover from stunning setbacks in the past three years . Over the NRA 's opposition , Congress and state legislatures have enacted legislation banning `` cop-killer bullets '' that penetrate protective vests , plastic guns that can be slipped past metal detectors and `` Saturday night specials '' that are used in many crimes . And most recently , the group found itself caught in the furor over assault weapons that was ignited by the massacre of five children in a Stockton schoolyard last January . Those killings , combined with the increasing use of the weapons by drug dealers and youth gangs , have exacerbated the contentious relations between the NRA and its former allies . Law-enforcement leaders , concerned about rising violence and terrorism , have ended their friendliness toward the gun lobby and become well-organized in opposition . Politicians once fearful of the NRA have been much more willing to stand up to it ; President Bush , an NRA `` Life Member , '' on July 7 imposed a permanent ban on imports of assault rifles and has proposed limiting the semiautomatics ' ammunition clips . The ban so infuriated some NRA members that they have launched petition drives in two dozen states to oust Bush from the organization . Meanwhile , California , whose voters only seven years ago defeated an initiative that would have frozen the number of handguns in the state , last May became the first state to ban assault weapons . At the same time , gun-control organizations are beginning to match the NRA 's mass mailings , ads and lobbying ; many schools are showing `` Guns and the Constitution , '' an anti-gun video produced by Handgun Control Inc. , whose chairwoman is Sarah Brady , wife of former White House Press Secretary James Brady , who was disabled by gunfire in the 1981 assassination attempt on then-President Reagan . And the NRA even is feeling pressure from more-militant gun groups that threaten to drain away members and funds . Although enjoying a membership surge , the NRA ran up a record $ 5.9-million deficit last year after spending more than $ 83 million . Thus , in fending off the assaults on assault weapons , the 118-year-old NRA is facing what its leaders call its most daunting challenge . `` We 're at a crossroads , '' James Jay Baker , the NRA 's top congressional lobbyist , acknowledged as DeConcini 's assault-weapons bill cleared its first Senate hurdle in April . `` We 're going to go down the road of either prohibitive firearms regulations or tough criminal justice provisions '' -- that is , more prosecutors , penalties and prisons , the course sought by the NRA . `` Once you get into a -LRB- gun-control -RRB- rut , it 's tough to get out of that rut . '' Aside from the nation 's capital , two of the hottest battlegrounds in the assault-weapons fight are Arizona and Florida . That would seem ironic , since guns permeate the cultures of those generally conservative states . But with opinion polls in both states showing that large majorities of residents support bans -- and with police complaining about being outgunned by criminals -- legislators have moved into action , spurring angry counterattacks from the NRA . Call Now ! Write Today ! AS PAT JONAS signed the petition in the gun store near Phoenix , one could witness the NRA 's true political power : mobilizing citizens at the grass roots . `` I do n't want to see guns outlawed , '' Jonas said , `` because I like to collect guns . '' Probably no other organization in the world floods government officials with as many phone calls , letters , telegrams and visits from its members as the NRA . Charles J. Orasin , president of 15-year-old Handgun Control -- the NRA 's chief nemesis -- estimates that as many as 500,000 members of the NRA and other gun groups regularly lobby elected officials and bureaucrats . The outpouring is prompted by red-alert mailings churned out by NRA leaders , all sounding essentially the same alarm : They 're out to get your guns . These letters go not only to the NRA 's 2.9 million members , whose $ 25 annual membership fee brings such benefits as a magazine , gun-theft insurance and safety instruction , but also to 10,000 affiliated hunting organizations and shooting-competition groups . Time and again , the NRA has proved that citizen action generated by such mailings can have far more effect on legislation than opinion polls , especially when a majority for gun control is relatively silent . `` If a lawmaker is looking for an excuse to vote with the NRA , all he has to say is , ' I got a hundred calls from the NRA , but none from the other side , ' '' said a congressional aide . And in a close election , a well-organized , single-interest group such as the NRA can wield decisive power by turning out highly motivated voters . It was one of these red-alert warnings , written by NRA lobbyist Baker , that had been delivered to 100,000 gun owners in Arizona and riled up the customers at the Dealers Outlet outside Phoenix . Baker 's letter assailed DeConcini 's bill , a scaled-down version of the one enacted by California in May . DeConcini 's bill calls for a nationwide ban on sales of AK-47s and eight other semiautomatic rifles -- guns enjoying wide popularity because they have the menacing look and much of the firepower of fully automatic assault weapons used by the military and police . -LRB- Automatic guns fire 20 bullets or so per trigger pull ; semiautomatics fire one bullet per trigger squeeze , but a fast index finger can get off as many as 20 shots in five seconds as ammunition is automatically reloaded from a clip . And many semiautomatics can easily be converted to automatic weapons . -RRB- In his letter , Baker called DeConcini 's proposal a `` tragic mistake , '' charging that it could even block sales of traditional hunting rifles and lead to criminal charges against 30 million sportsmen who own semiautomatic guns . `` Does anyone seriously believe -LRB- Senate Bill -RRB- 747 will stop drug smugglers ... who bring cocaine by the planeload ... from bringing in any guns they want and selling them on the profitable black market Senator DeConcini 's bill will create ? '' Baker 's letter asked . It concluded with a call to arms , warning that DeConcini `` needs to know we will not allow our constitutional freedoms to be strangled by restrictions that have absolutely no effect on the criminals who are supposed to be the real target ! ... CALL NOW ! WRITE TODAY ! '' `` Lies and Exaggerations '' GUN OWNERS ' rage spread quickly after the NRA letter hit Arizona the last week of April . In three weeks , DeConcini 's office received 6,395 calls and letters against his bill and 68 for it , despite a poll indicating that more than two-thirds of the people in metropolitan Phoenix favor some kind of ban on assault weapons . `` I 've been to the four corners of Arizona , and people are shocked and dismayed '' by DeConcini 's bill , said Landis Aden , a motorcycle-riding computer technician who lobbies part time for the Arizona NRA . Aden believes that semiautomatic guns would come in handy if a Mexican revolution spilled over the border and Arizonans got caught in the cross fire . `` You could defend your farm or your ranch fairly well , '' he said . Martin Mandall , a brash Scottsdale gun dealer who insisted that a reporter feel the thrill of firing Uzi and AK-47 machine guns at a range in his store basement , vowed during a conversation there to `` work with the utmost severity to get DeConcini out of office . '' He said he had sold three years ' stock of assault rifles in the two weeks after Bush issued a temporary import ban in March . `` People are talking recall here , '' said Lee Echols , range master for the Phoenix Rod and Gun Club . `` We stood behind DeConcini at the last election , and we feel he has completely betrayed us . '' Another member of the club , Bill Houston , telephoned DeConcini aide Matthew McCoy in his Washington office to protest . McCoy 's end of the conversation went this way : `` You 're misinterpreting the legislation ... . Recall election ? I think that will hurt everybody and not help anybody ... . You think that by attempting to burn your friends you can ... If the alternative were something more strict than DeConcini 's legislation , how would you feel then ? Metzenbaum is going to come from somewhere out of left field . '' Sen. Howard M. Metzenbaum -LRB- D-Ohio -RRB- is pushing a ban that is much broader than DeConcini 's . Interviewed in his Phoenix office as the firestorm was building , a serene DeConcini accused the NRA of `` lies and exaggerations '' about his bill ; he strongly disputed the NRA 's claim that a provision banning any gun `` nearly identical '' to the nine listed in the measure could be interpreted to cover virtually all semiautomatics . The recently re-elected senator said he was trying to head off more-drastic legislation from Metzenbaum and others , including California Democratic Reps. Howard L. Berman of Panorama City and Fortney H. -LRB- Pete -RRB- Stark of Oakland . But DeConcini was also careful to take political cover behind two Republicans who are NRA `` Life Members . '' He noted Bush 's import ban and cited a salty declaration by Barry M. Goldwater , Arizona 's venerable former senator , that semiautomatic guns `` have no place in anybody 's arsenal . If any S.O.B. ca n't hit a deer with one shot , then he ought to quit shooting . '' -LRB- Goldwater made the remark shortly after appearing in a full-page , `` I 'm the NRA '' ad in Time magazine . -RRB- DeConcini , an NRA `` Person of the Month '' last year , said that NRA officials `` flat told me , ` We ca n't negotiate ' '' on his bill because `` they were burned so badly last year when they negotiated with -LRB- then-Atty . Gen. Edwin -RRB- Meese on banning plastic guns . They said their membership and revenues fell off ... . Now they need to get members and money , and that 's why they 're doing this to me ... . If I were n't a mature person , I 'd say , ` Up yours . Now I 'm going to be a gun-control advocate , and you 're going to lose me . ' '' Later , he said at a Senate hearing on his bill : `` By using these tactics , the NRA is succeeding only in alienating its friend closest to the fight . '' Foxes in the Henhouse AS THE NRA waged its war in the West , Marion P. Hammer , a 50-year-old grandmother with brown bangs , strode to the front of another heated battleground in Tallahassee , Fla. , a packed meeting room in the state 's House of Representatives . A subcommittee was getting ready to vote on a bill that would ban a list of semiautomatic assault weapons , and Hammer had asked to speak against it . Only 4 feet , 11 inches tall , she could barely be seen as she took the podium . Her gray slacks , blue ruffled blouse and blue suede jacket complemented her steel-blue eyes but belied her credentials : prize-winning marksman and hardball lobbyist for the Florida NRA . To her supporters , Hammer represents all that is strong about the NRA ; to her detractors , much that is weak . Attacking the crux of the bill , Hammer told the subcommittee : `` You can not differentiate between semiautomatic firearms that look menacing and your routine sporting firearms because , functionally , they are the same . '' Next , she dealt acidly with one of the NRA 's prickliest political problems : `` There are some law-enforcement officers who are NRA members who are against us . I would suggest to you that it would not be the first time that the fox has been in the henhouse . '' Finally , as NRA Washington lobbyist Baker had done in his letter to Arizona gun owners , Hammer charged that a loosely worded definition in the Florida bill would inadvertently ban all semiautomatic rifles and shotguns . That is , the ban would cover not just the targeted guns -- the ones with folding stocks that make them easy to conceal , pistol grips , huge ammunition clips and flash suppressors that , according to police , make it easy to spray bullets from the hip . But doomed as well , she claimed , would be firearms of traditional design long used by hunters and target shooters in one of the nation 's gun-owningest states . `` Taking away firearms from law-abiding citizens who have lawfully owned them for decades is not the solution '' to violent crime , she declared . One might have expected the House subcommittee to reject the bill handily on that April day . After all , two years earlier , Hammer had led a phenomenal victory for the NRA in Florida , winning passage of measures that threw out all locally imposed gun restrictions . The action was so sweeping that many Sunshine Staters thought that they had been freed to carry guns openly , Wild West-style . The Legislature later closed that seeming loophole in the wake of widespread hoots about the `` Gunshine State . '' But it left intact all other provisions , including one making it much easier in many areas to obtain a concealed-weapon permit . Hammer has skillfully built support for the changes in the gun laws over many years . Rising at 4 a.m. after less than four hours ' sleep , chain-smoking filter-tip cigarettes , sipping diet sodas -- and aided only by one part-time staffer and a $ 125,000 yearly budget -- she tirelessly works Capitol corridors and grinds out newsletters aimed at firing up the NRA 's 130,000 Florida members to contact their representatives . Once , she threw a party at a firing range for legislators , aides , spouses and children ; hundreds feasted on shrimp and oysters , and many took shooting lessons from expert instructors . Testimonials to Hammer 's lobbying efforts -- not to mention her marksmanship with muzzle-loading rifles -- cover the walls of her office . Among the plaques and pictures is a Winchester .30 -30 carbine from the National Antique Arms Assn. , recognizing her as the first woman to receive its `` Roy Rogers Man of the Year Award . '' Despite her past successes , however , the House panel voted 5-1 to pass the assault-weapons bill along to the full Criminal Justice Committee . Hammer still would have several opportunities to halt the bill 's progress . But the surprising setback symbolized the NRA 's shifting fortunes , not only in Florida , but across the nation . `` The NRA has been unreasonable with their positions for so long , it 's catching up with them now , '' asserted Rep. Ronald A. Silver , a Miami Beach Democrat who chairs the criminal justice panel . One of the NRA 's major problems , he said , is that a number of legislative allies have been angered by its strong-arm tactics when the group decided they went astray . Dramatic evidence of this cropped up the day before the House action , when Sen. John A. Grant Jr. , a conservative Tampa Republican who heads a companion Senate committee , was being interviewed about prospects for an assault-weapons ban . As Hammer sat casually on a table nearby , waiting to request that an NRA videotape be shown to the panel , Grant remarked that `` the gun lobby is very well-organized , and I give them credit for being able to rally the troops on very short notice . '' But asked if the NRA provides accurate information , he responded , with a backward glance at Hammer : `` Well , sometimes they get a little bit overzealous . When they said I was part of the Gestapo last year , that was a little out of order . '' Hammer explained later that Grant was referring to a newsletter in which she had said that a bill in his committee `` sets up a modern-day Gestapo movement '' because it threatened to invalidate many concealed-weapon permits . `` I was n't calling members of that committee Gestapo , '' she maintained . Nevertheless , Grant was so enraged that he had an aide call NRA officials in Washington to demand her removal . State Sen. George G. Kirkpatrick Jr. -LRB- D-Gainesville -RRB- protested in an interview that he had been savagely attacked by Hammer 's group in his latest campaign despite a `` strong pro-gun '' voting record . `` They wrote the most vicious letters , '' he said . `` They called me Judas '' because he had backed a Senate leadership team viewed by the NRA as sympathetic to controls on handguns and assault weapons . Kirkpatrick , who easily won re-election , predicted that such tactics will backfire . `` Because of the NRA 's unwillingness to sit down and work out a reasonable solution to problems perceived by the public , it makes it much more difficult to get their mission accomplished , '' he said . Said Hammer : `` He 's very bitter , but I have a job to do . We have a right to vigorously oppose anyone whose actions are detrimental to our best interests . '' Hammer faces another growing problem : competition from lobbyists on the other side . For instance , the day of the House subcommittee vote on assault weapons , she was outmaneuvered by Bernard Horn , the state legislative director for Handgun Control , who had flown in from Washington . Horn gave legislators a booklet picturing both the 27 guns proposed for banning and other semiautomatic rifles that were not on the list but that are popular with hunters . The move was aimed at shattering the NRA 's claim that only cosmetic differences exist between assault weapons and sporting guns . The effect on subcommittee member Carol Hanson -LRB- R-Boca Raton -RRB- was decisive . Because of the booklet , she said , she was no longer willing to support merely a limit on the capacity of ammunition clips -- a fallback position to which Hammer had reluctantly acceded . Now , Hanson said , she favored banning the guns themselves . Eventually , Hammer was able to minimize her losses . Instead of banning assault weapons , the Legislature in June created a commission to study them . And , instead of enacting a seven-day waiting period for gun buyers , as sought by Handgun Control , it required dealers to make a less-comprehensive background check by telephoning a police computer . Voters will decide next year whether to accept a three-day waiting period . Although a Handgun Control news release declared , `` Florida Deals NRA Fourth Loss of Year , '' Hammer was able to say with some justification , `` I think we did pretty good . '' The tide turned her way , she claimed , after legislators saw how student demonstrators in China were overwhelmed by troops `` because they were unarmed . '' Shortly after adjourning , the Legislature was called back into special session to reconsider a bill that would make it illegal for gun owners to carelessly leave weapons around children . The NRA had helped kill the measure weeks earlier . But after a spate of gun accidents killed three children and wounded three others in early June , Hammer gave conditional support to the bill , and it passed overwhelmingly . Rambo Sells ON A BREEZY DAY last spring , a riot of orange - and gold-striped tulips swayed outside the gunmetal gray NRA headquarters in Washington . Inside the eight-story building , many of the 365 employees worked on gun-safety courses , shooting competitions , police firearms training and other services that predominated at the NRA until heavy lobbying against gun control began in the 1970s . The shift came after the murders of two Kennedys and a King inspired passage of major federal gun regulations in 1968 . In his seventh-floor office , Jim Baker -- one of five in-house lobbyists supplemented by four high-powered outsiders -- had put the finishing touches on his letter to Arizona gun owners , slamming DeConcini 's bill . `` I want this carefully fly-specked '' for mistakes , he told a secretary as he left for lunch . Over a roast beef sandwich and beer at a plush hotel restaurant , the handsome , 35-year-old former prosecutor was asked whether Barry Goldwater 's assertion that hunters do n't need assault weapons had undermined the NRA 's effort to prevent the ban . `` You do n't need any particular gun . You do n't need to hunt . But I do n't think you should have to justify anything in terms of need . That 's a socialist concept . You ought to be able to own within reasonable limits what you want . The question is whether these proposals will fight crime effectively , and we think highly restrictive gun controls are a bankrupt concept . '' Baker argued that claims of assault-weapon violence are grossly exaggerated and that the Stockton massacre could have been carried out with almost any gun , not just the semiautomatic AK-47 wielded by Patrick Purdy . A bit more candidly , J. Warren Cassidy , the NRA 's executive vice president , later acknowledged that the Goldwater comment had hurt badly . Cassidy said a number of concerned NRA members wrote him , asking , `` What are you going to do about this ? '' He wrote back , asking , `` What do you want me to do ? I ca n't recall him , he 's out of office -- he 's an American legend . '' But Cassidy noted in the interview : `` When a guy like Barry or Dennis DeConcini does these things , it 's a belt to the solar plexus , because you 've counted on these fellows . '' Tom Korologos , one of the NRA 's well-connected outside lobbyists , recalled another example of the difficulty of fighting off assault-weapon bans . He said that while touring exhibition booths at the NRA 's recent national convention , he came across `` a basic .22 rifle that had a big banana clip and a big round thing to hold it with . It looked for all the world like Rambo 's personal gun . '' Korologos asked the exhibitor , `` Why are you ruining this perfectly legitimate rifle ? '' `` Ah , '' came the response , `` but they sell . '' Korologos commented : `` Never mind it does n't do us any good on Capitol Hill to have those damn things loose . '' An NRA operative conceded that , despite a tough `` no-compromise '' resolution unanimously adopted at the national convention , the NRA might have to back a compromise bill when Congress takes final action on assault weapons . `` We may be branded as traitors , but that 's the nature of the game in this town , to forge agreements and compromises , '' said the source , who requested anonymity . Actually , in the face of increasingly well-organized support for gun control , the NRA grudgingly compromised on cop-killer bullets in 1986 and plastic guns in 1988 . To fight assault-weapon bills , Baker said , the NRA hopes to spend $ 5 million , most of it derived from direct-mail appeals . The organization 's revenues last year included $ 45.4 million from membership dues and $ 9.4 million from contributions . About one-fourth of the $ 83.6 million in expenditures was spent on lobbying . In addition , the NRA is continuing to contribute heavily to political campaigns , despite the disappointments it suffered in last year 's elections . In 1988 , five incumbents and all 15 challengers supported by the NRA were defeated ; although 182 incumbents won , the NRA netted no gain with the $ 770,000 it poured into campaigns . For the assault-weapons fight , the NRA has sent dozens of police officers to Washington to offset pro-ban lobbying by police chiefs , launched a national newspaper and TV ad campaign and continued to make available to gun owners a 900 toll phone number that has already produced thousands of NRA form letters to President Bush and members of Congress . Baker denied that NRA officials had anything to do with the petition drive to purge Bush from membership , saying that it originated with rank-and-filers `` obviously disappointed with the President 's first six months in office . '' But he added that the NRA board of directors would be forced to consider the matter at its September meeting . For a while , the NRA harshly retaliated against police chiefs who spoke out for gun control , seeking to get chiefs fired in Nashville , Tenn. , and Baltimore County , Md. . But Dover , N.H. , Chief Charles Reynolds , president of the International Assn. of Chiefs of Police , said that he and NRA President Joe Foss recently agreed to `` keep the debate issue-oriented , without personal attacks . '' The most frequent charge against the NRA is the one leveled by DeConcini -- that it lies and exaggerates . Denying this , Baker said `` a survey of Congress '' by the American Library Assn. had found that the library group and the NRA `` supplied the most accurate information '' of all lobbying organizations . In truth , the compliment appeared in a Library Journal gossip column , citing only the opinion of `` a highly placed library source in Washington , D.C. '' GraceAnne DeCandido , who wrote the item , said it was based on `` dinner-table conversation '' with a government bureaucrat . `` To have the NRA use that in support of their policies is beyond ludicrous , '' she said . A Prayer for Arms AT THE NRA 's national convention in April , more than 16,000 people roamed across 160,000 square feet of exhibits at St. Louis ' convention center . They shouldered pea-green SIG assault rifles . They clicked the triggers of super-light Glock 17 pistols . They marveled at new laser targeting devices that can project a red beam hundreds of feet , from gun to bull 's - eye . And then , during a break , 1,000 NRA activists filed into a cavernous hall where Merrill L. -LRB- Pete -RRB- Petoskey , a wildlife biologist from Lewiston , Mich. , delivered the opening prayer at the NRA 's 118th annual meeting . `` Dear God , Creator of all ... `` Please give us the direction to make -LRB- gun-control advocates -RRB- understand that the actions of criminals , who should be confined , should not be dramatized into legislation that will impose on the rights of millions of law-abiding citizens to own and bear arms for lawful pursuits of recreation and self-defense . `` Please help and guide the leaders of the National Rifle Association and of this nation to preserve and strengthen this freedom and this right . `` Amen . '' Addressing the meeting , NRA President Foss acknowledged that the beleaguered group could , indeed , use more help . He called on the nation 's 70 million gun owners `` to get off their duffs if they want to keep their guns . '' The news media , the grizzled hero of two wars said , `` have a million reasons for us not to have guns . But look at what happened in Germany when ol' Hitler did a good job in disarming the nation . If people are armed , it keeps the bad actors off the scene . '' `` With your help , '' chimed in Wayne R. LaPierre Jr. , head of the NRA 's lobbying , `` we will protect your basic God-given right to defend yourself and to own firearms in this country . '' At the NRA 's annual banquet that night , actor Charlton Heston evoked his famous movie image of Moses on the mountaintop as he provided the group with an inspirational boost . As the main speaker , Heston noted that he keeps beside his bed a .45 - caliber service revolver that he brought back from World War II . `` That 's a semiautomatic weapon , and I do not plan to surrender it , '' he proclaimed , banging the lectern . Then , accepting an ornate flintlock rifle from the NRA for his years of support , Heston hoisted it above his head as if it were a stone tablet . Intoning the punch line of a defiant pro-gun slogan , he suggested that nobody was going to take this weapon from him unless it was pried `` from my cold , dead hands ! '' The 1,200 diners leaped up , roaring . For an army of crusaders besieged , it was just the rousing send-off needed for the tough battles ahead .

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The epidemic of bovine spongiform encephalopathy or ` mad cow ' disease - which has killed more than 100,000 animals in the UK - is causing a new wave of public concern . New cases are still running at almost 1,000 a week and last month a second dairy farmer died of Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease , a brain disorder similar to BSE . Richard Lacey , a microbiology professor at Leeds University and the leading critic of government policy on BSE , said the deaths this year of two farmers whose herds had suffered from mad cow disease could not be put down to chance . He believes that BSE can trigger human brain disease . ` Our worst predictions are coming true , ' he said . ' I find it unbelievable that the government and their hand-picked advisers can go on telling the public there is no danger . ' The advisers , led by the government 's chief medical officer Kenneth Calman and chief veterinary officer Keith Meldrum , put out a detailed statement to justify their view that last month 's death of 65-year-old Duncan Templeman - following that of Peter Warhurst , 61 , a year ago - showed ` no features that give cause for undue concern ' . The official view is that the deaths are an unfortunate coincidence , even though it is statistically unlikely that two dairy farmers should contract a disease as rare as CJD . Robert Will of Edinburgh 's Western General Hospital , who has been monitoring CJD in the UK since 1990 on behalf of the health department , calculated that there was only a five per cent probability of even a single case occurring by chance among dairy farmers with BSE-affected herds . One argument put forward by the health department is that CJD has such a long incubation period - typically 10 to 20 years - that clinical symptoms would not yet have appeared , even if BSE had triggered any cases of CJD . ` Since the illness of the cows -LRB- in Templeman 's herd -RRB- and the patient occurred within months of each other , the animals and the patient had presumably incubated disease in parallel for some years , ' the health department said . ` It is most unlikely therefore that there is any direct link between the cases of BSE and the occurrence of disease in the patient . ' Another reassuring argument is that both farmers showed clinical features typical of the ` sporadic form ' of CJD - of unknown cause - that usually occurs in late middle age . The handful of patients known to have developed CJD through infection -LRB- from contaminated human growth hormone -RRB- showed a different pattern of symptoms . The second annual report of Will 's National CJD Surveillance Unit in Edinburgh , published last month , shows what looks at first sight like a disturbing rise in incidence : from 32 UK cases in the year ended April 1991 to 37 in 1991/92 and 46 in 1992/3 . But the report says that this is not statistically significant and is probably due to increasing awareness of CJD -LRB- some cases were previously attributed to Alzheimer 's or other forms of dementia -RRB- . Meanwhile , cattle are succumbing to BSE at a rate of about one per 100 every year . The epidemic continues to defy the ministry of agriculture 's predictions that it is about to wane ; so far this year there have been 26,695 reported cases , compared with 25,898 to the same date last year . The source of infection was protein-rich cattle feed contaminated with scrapie , a related brain disease of sheep . Although sheep-derived feeds were banned from sale in 1988 , farmers apparently continued to use existing stocks for longer than the ministry had expected . The incubation period is also longer than originally expected . Veterinary experts say that almost all of the 102,000 confirmed BSE cases so far can be attributed to scrapie-contaminated feed . According to their investigations , maternal transmission from cow to calf - which would prolong the epidemic - is very rare or non-existent . Scientists trying to understand the epidemic face an unusual problem : BSE , scrapie and CJD are caused by a bizarre , infectious agent , the prion , which does not follow the normal rules of microbiology . Recent research shows that the prion is an abnormal form of a protein that is normally present in the brain -LRB- though its normal function is not yet known -RRB- . Unlike viruses and bacteria , prions contain no genetic material of their own . The prion may arise by a genetic mutation -LRB- spontaneous or inherited -RRB- in the host animal . Or - in the case of BSE - it may arrive from another animal . Once in place in the victim 's brain , it catalyses what John Collinge , a prion researcher at St Mary 's Hospital Medical School , London , called a slow ` chemical chain reaction ' , converting the normal protein into its own abnormal form . The prion molecule is folded in a way that makes it extremely stable and therefore difficult to destroy by conventional sterilisation . Experiments show that BSE can be transmitted between species , for example from cow to monkey , by injecting or eating large amounts of infected tissue . But ` transmission is dose dependent , ' Collinge says . Most independent experts maintain that no human being - dairy farmer or beef eater - is likely to be exposed to BSE in sufficient quantities to develop brain disease .

O B O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O B O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O

mad cow disease
bse
bovine spongiform encephalopathy
public concern
human brain disease
maternal transmission
epidemic


The Jwaneng mine , on the fringes of the Kalahari desert in Botswana , is known as ' a gem in the world of gems ' because it almost certainly is the richest diamond mine in the world - at least in terms of the value of the stones it yields . Jwaneng 's position is being reinforced by a USDollars 160m expansion programme at present being completed three months ahead of schedule and under budget . Meanwhile , 160km west of Kimberley in the northern Cape Province of South Africa , another diamond mine , the Finsch , where operations started in 1964 , has been given a new lease of life . Having dug an open pit 423 metres deep , miners have now gone underground . Mr Simon Webb , the general manager , says that the underground development has given it another 35 to 40 years of life . All this goes to show that De Beers , the South African group that dominates world trade in rough -LRB- uncut -RRB- diamonds , still has complete faith in its ability to maintain stability in the diamond market despite short-term difficulties such as those the company is experiencing with Russia . It also remains intent on maintaining its diamond output even though its 100-year-old mines at Kimberley are now running down . The South African group believes that its control of at least 50 per cent of world diamond production gives it a powerful base from which to negotiate with the other producers who have marketing contracts with De Beers ' Central Selling Organisation , In Botswana De Beers controls half of Debswana , the company that owns the Jwaneng mine , with the government owning the rest . The value of Jwaneng to Botswana can not be overstated . It , and the country 's two other -LRB- smaller -RRB- diamond mines , between them account for 50 per cent of the government 's revenue and 40 per cent of the country 's gross domestic product . No wonder Jwaneng 's company slogan is Re phtas imisa Botswana , which translates as ` We make Botswana sparkle ' . Production started at Jwaneng in 1982 . Now a so-called fourth stream is being completed which is adding one-third to processing capacity . In turn , this means a 21 per cent rise in the number of carats produced . Last year the mine treated 5.8 m tonnes of ore which yielded 8.546 m carats of diamonds , well below the 1992 output when the 5.77 m tonnes treated gave up more than 9m carats . Jwaneng 's open pit has reached a depth of 190 metres . Already it is 2kms long and 1km wide . Mr Loz Shaw , chief geologist , says drilling down to 600 metres shows there are still plenty of diamonds at that depth and so the pit will go down at least that far . Mr Derrick Moore , the general manager , says this indicates mining in the open pit will last another 35 years - ` and then we might go underground ' . If experience at De Beers ' wholly-owned Finsch mine in South Africa is anything to go by , planning the underground development at Jwaneng might already have started . Planning for the underground mine at Finsch started in the 1970s and the first work began in 1979 . Yet the bottom of the Finsch open pit - 423 metres - was not reached until 1990 . Unfortunately , things did not go completely as expected when underground mining started , to some extent because the development was designed by a management whose expertise was mainly in open pit mining . However , Mr Mark Button , mining superintendent , says : ` Finsch has come of age as an underground mine after two years . Our costs compare with the best in the group . ' Among the innovations that have helped Finsch achieve its objectives are some remote-controlled LHD -LRB- load-haul-dump -RRB- trucks which are similar to radio-controlled toy vehicles or boats . Using VHF radio signals , a driver can stand back and send a truck on its own to dig out material from areas between the old pit wall and the underground development that would not otherwise be mined because of the dangers involved . When , as occasionally happens , rock crashes on to the LHD trucks , it is relatively simply to haul the vehicles out virtually undamaged . Mr Webb says the objective is to mine down to a depth of 830 metres , at which point there are not enough diamonds left in the ground to make recovery viable . Finsch - named after the discoverers , Messrs Fincham and Schwabel , who stumbled across the kimberlite pipe containing the diamonds when actually they were looking for asbestos - is one of the victims of the present turmoil in the diamond market caused mainly by uncertainties about Russian exports . About 500 of its 1,900 employees were laid off in August 1992 . It is mining only five days a week at present and processing on four days . Last year Finsch mined 2.68 m tonnes and recovered 2m carats of diamonds compared with 4.7 m tonnes mined and 3.446 m carats in 1992 . Mr Webb suggests 1994 output will be similar to last year 's . But when market conditions improve , production can be brought back up to previous levels in about six months .

O B I O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O B I I O O B B I O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

jwaneng mine
south african group
diamond output
world diamond production
central selling organisation
diamond mines
underground mine
russian exports
botswana
de beers


`` Mad cow '' disease , an enigmatic nervous disorder that has killed thousands of cattle in Britain , is causing trade friction in Europe and is threatening the $ 3.7-billion British beef industry . On Friday , West Germany joined France in a ban on British beef imports , citing health fears related to the mysterious ailment , whose technical name is bovine spongiform encephalopathy -LRB- BSE -RRB- . Concern that the disease can be transmitted to humans has made the subject Topic A in the pubs and press of Britain , and has put a serious crimp in domestic beef sales . Despite assurances from the British government that the beef is safe , consumers and some scientists remain skeptical . British officials complain that the French and German import ban is a result of economic , not health , concerns . The price of British beef is dropping in the wake of the `` mad cow '' scare . Therefore , British officials believe , France and West Germany imposed the bans to protect their domestic sales . `` It 's totally unjustified and illegal , '' said Patrick Barrow , spokesman for the Meat and Livestock Commission , a trade organization . France accounted for slightly more than half of Britain 's beef exports last year , buying 70,000 tons of beef worth $ 264 million . West Germany bought $ 50 million worth last year . Although other countries have recently placed some restrictions on British beef and cattle , the French and German moves were the strongest by far . The United States does not import British beef and recently rescinded permits for the importation of live cattle . British officials have been joined by European Community commissioners in protesting the French and Germany import ban . Mad cow disease has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 14,000 cows since it was first noticed in the mid-1980s . BSE-infected cows `` degenerate very quickly , '' said a spokeswoman from Britain 's Ministry of Agriculture . The cows become aggressive and then wobbly-legged before dying . No one is certain what causes the disease , which affects the cow 's brain . But the prime suspect is tainted cow feed . Some experts believe that cattle contracted the disease as a result of eating food contaminated with the remains of sheep infected with a BSE-like disease called scrapie . Although government and industry officials have been concerned for some time , mad cow disease did not become a household word until recently . On May 11 , the Ministry of Agriculture revealed that a Siamese cat had died from a disease identical to BSE . The press went wild with the story , suggesting , in boldface , that if cats can get it , people can too . Panic ensued . `` BSE has been around for six or seven years , '' said David Lewis of the Meat and Livestock Commission . `` And until the cat , it had n't been brought into the home . '' Beef sales dropped , with surveys showing that about a quarter of British households had stopped eating it . Two thousand schools dropped beef from their menus . The government and meat industry fought back . Some regulations were enacted to fight the disease , but more overt was the publicity campaign : Princess Anne said her family was still eating British beef .

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O B I O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

mad cow disease
trade friction
bovine spongiform encephalopathy
germany import ban
british beef imports
health fears