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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 1987)
Tuesday, February 10, 1987/The Battalion/Page 5 by Scott McCullar lews® ited Ji; A/a Ido by Kevin Thomas IAND-PICKED BY THE PRESIDENT, NED BEGINS NEGOTIATING A NEW “RMS DEAL VJITH THE SOVIETS.. STAR WARS/ MY£T/ NYETf ■ ira» OKAY... YOU IKEEP ^TAR WARS. to dis... d vie*! liscuss: onallwi pokeir:,: fferem t prof: Arsenic not os bod as deadly reputation implies By Suna Purser Reporter If-supte I Many people may think of Agatha come fhristie mysteries or cloak and dag- •om ^ ■er crimes when they hear the word | But Dr. Kurt Irgolic, a chemistry professor at Texas A&M, says arse nic: doesn’t always deserve its bad iiame; there is a historic reason for its deadly reputation. J "In medieval times, when there mas no analytical chemistry, it was impossible to prove death by poison ing,” Irgolic says. “If someone i wanted to dispose of a wealthy uncle, he purchased a vial of arsenic and put it in the uncle’s drink. He be- Omeririfc 1 ' 6 v *°l ent ^y an< ^ then he died. “ . It was an accepted way of doing busi- ness.” 0 4jjtB Arsenic poisoning may have killed Napoleon Bonaparte, Irgolic says, I iglit lead I a -ism: m forEi i, corpoM ders. fees have te| for diing the scholarly paper “Distribu- at l tion of Arsenic in Napoleon’s Hair,” ay urs. Hamilton Smith, “ r r,Aen Forshufvud and Anders Was- d , m sen, in which the scientists present e( results of their preliminary work on icutive i :sidents‘j At the Is a of the]' at to sttj lemenid dent W ity of tl*1 this theory. E In the early 1900s, Paul Ehrlich, a German doctor, began experiment ing with various arsenic compounds, jlrgolic says. The 606th compound Ehrlich developed was Salvarsan, the first effective drug used to treat syphilis. Since then, thousands of ar senic compounds have been devel oped. Arsenic, one of 105 elements in the environment, is found almost ev erywhere in low concentrations, de pending on a region’s geology, he says. It is usually associated with sul fide ore deposits, such as iron pyrite (fool’s gold.) When these sulfide deposits erode, arsenic is released into the en vironment — in an inorganic form — where it remains at a constant “If someone wanted to dispose of a wealthy uncle, he purchased a vial of ar senic and put it in the un cle’s drink. ” — Dr. Kurt Irgolic, A&M chemistry professor level, depending on geological con ditions, he says. Its toxicity depends on the compound it forms. “It’s (toxicity) a question of dose,” Irgolic says. “Some forms of arsenic are more toxic than others and so only a small amount can have a deadly effect.” Irgolic’s work concentrates on ar senic’s environmental impact, partic ularly on marine life. A non-toxic ar senic compound, arsenobetaine, has been identified in a variety of ma rine life, including shrimp, tuna, crab, lobster and algae, he says. Specimens used for study come from unpolluted waters from areas throughout the world, such as Aus tralia, Chile, Alaska and Japan, he says. “Some (specimens) have more or less of this non-toxic substance, de pending on the region," Irgolic says. “Average arsenic content is only a few milligrams per kilogram.” Arsenobetaine also can be made synthetically. Rats and mice have been fed varying doses with no ad verse effects, and the same seems to be true of marine life, he says. “We take it (arsenobetaine) up in the seafood we eat,” Irgolic says. “But it is eliminated immediately by the bladder and poses absolutely no threat to people.” Finding the source of arsenobe taine is part of Irgolic’s research. It may be a natural phenomenon — a substance some forms of marine life produce naturally, he says. It may also be produced at a low level, as in algae, or at a higher level, as in fish. Irgolic stresses arsenobetaine’s non-toxicity and says arsenic is an es sential trace element, such as copper or zinc. “My own opinion, and one per haps not everyone will agree with, is that arsenic is an essential element, and may play a significant part in some diseases associated with the el derly,” he says. SEMESTER Pepperoni Rolls Eat In • Take Out FREE DELIVERY 846-0379 405 W. 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JLIIIXIUS is a collection of the best efforts of TAMU students in the categories of Poetry, Short Story, Non-Fiction and Graphics. The Litmus magazine is published by MSC Liter ary Arts once each spring. Your work could be published in this April's edition, but only if you SUBMIT. For information, pick up a flyer in the Literary Arts cubicle in room 216 of the MSC, or call 845-1515, And SUBMIT. SCONA XXXII The United Nations: Purpose vs. Politics Speaker Presentations Rudder Theatre Wednesday, February 11 7:00 p.m.Ambassador Jaime DePinies Under Secretary General of the United Nations “The U.N. As A Tool for Understanding” Thursday, February 12 9:00 a.m. Panel Discussion: “The Role of United States Involvement with the United Nations” Elliot Richardson Chairman, United Nations Association Moderator: Betty Unterberger Texas A&M University Roger Brooks Director of Policy Planning, U.S. Department of State 1:30 p.m. Mpazi Sinjela United Nations Legal Officer “International Security and World Peace” Friday, February 13 9:00 a.m. Panel Discussion: “International Court of Justice: The effects of the U.S. vs. Nicaragua Decision” Abrams Chayes Harvard Law School Ted Borek U.S. Department of State Moderator: Lt. Col. David Graham The Judge Advocate General’s School of the Army 1:30 p.m. John Fobes President, Economic Development Foundation “Economic and Social Development” Saturday, February 14 10:00 a.m. Lou Cioffi ABC News Correspondent at the United Nations “Outlook for the Future of the United Nations” Open to the public For More information call 845-7625 THE UNITED NATIONS MSC <» SCONA XXXII