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. University Drive
Northgate
Open 11 a.m. - 2 a.m. everyday
STROM BOL1
Entrees
1 Dozen
$10.°°
Large Stromboli 16 inches $7.75
Half Dozen
$5. 30
Small Stromboli 12 inches $5.00
HOAGIES
Thin Crust Napoletana Pizza
Large 11" Small 12"
Plain Extras
Italian
$4. 00
$2. 50
Extra Large
Meat Ball Cheese
$4.°°
$2. 50
12 cuts 18 in.
$1. 20 $1.°°
Meat Ball Sauce
$4.°°
$2. 30
Large 10 Cuts 16 in.
$7. 25 $1.°°
Hot Sausage Cheese
$4. 00
$2. 30
Medium 8 cuts 14 in.
$6. 25 .80<t
Hot Sausage Sauce
$4. 00
$2. 50
Small 6 Cuts 12 in.
$5. 25 .80<t
Salami & Cheese
$4. 00
$2. 50
Ham fie Cheese
$4. 00
$2. 50
Thick Crust Siciliana Pizza
Capicollo Cheese
$4.°°
$2. 50
Plain Extras
Provolone
$4.°°
$2. 50
Large 12 Cuts 16 in.
$9.°° $1. 25
Tuna
$4.°°
$2. 30
Small
$5. 40 .90$
Pepperoni fie Cheese
$4.°°
$2. 50
Steak fie Cheese
$4.°°
$2. 30
Roast Beef
$4.°°
$2. 30
Chicken Cacciatore
$4. 23
Chicken Arrosto
$4. 23
Veal Pepper
$4. 30
Veal Mushroom
$4. 30
Veal Cotolet Parmigiana
$4. 30
Veal Cotolet Marinara
$4. 23
Egg Plant Parmigiana
$4. 23
Pasta Dinners
Spaghetti
$4.°°
(Meat Ball, Hot Sausage PESTO)
Meat Sauce, Tomato Sauce, Car-
bonaca, Fettucine Alfredo Maria
Pasta Special
Lasagna
$4.°°
Antipasta
$4.°°
Manicotti
$4.°°
Connellani
$4.°°
Tortelloni
$4.°°
Ravioli
$4.°°
WE WANT YOU TO TRY OUR PIZZA
LARGE 16" ONE TOPPING PIZZA
$5.99 + tax Mon, Tues, Wed only
SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE IS MARCH 2.
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