Lab to develop ways to detect, destroy traces of chemical warfare contaminants

Clothing drive starts Combined Appeal's 1997 campaign

Vendors to visit, answer questions on retirement plans

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Lab to develop ways to detect, destroy
traces of chemical warfare contaminants

Scientists in Argonne's Energy Systems Division will soon begin work to develop ultra-sensitive methods for detecting and neutralizing minute traces of chemical warfare agents in the environment.

The research will investigate methods to detect these chemicals and to clean up contaminated sites around the nation where chemical weapons were manufactured and stored.

These methods will also help ensure international compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention. The treaty, signed by more than 160 nations, including the United States, calls on all signatories to destroy their chemical weapons.

Sensitive tests could also allow scientists to trace the paths of chemical agents in the environment.

"We'll be working on reliable ways to detect and neutralize minute traces of these chemicals in the environment traces so small that most tests would overlook them," said Patrick Wilkey (ES), who manages the program. Working with Wilkey will be Linda Shem, John Schneider, Jack O'Neill and Carl Swanstrom (all ES).

Wilkey and his colleagues will analyze small, highly diluted samples of chemicals that make up the active agents in chemical weapons.

"Before we get them," he said, "they will be diluted until they are far less risky than common household cleansers or indoor bug sprays. Then we'll dilute them another 100 to 1,000 times before we conduct any analyses. That's how sensitive our tests will have to be."

Argonne's research in this area is supported by the U.S. Army's Chemical and Biological Defense Command and the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Nonproliferation and National Security.

Clothing drive starts
Combined Appeal
1997 campaign

The Argonne Combined Appeal will kick off its 1997 campaign with a clothing drive on Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 7-8.

Donations of clean, wearable clothing will be collected from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, and from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in the lobby of Argonne-East's Building 213 Cafeteria.

Men's, women's and children's clothing will be accepted. Children's clothing is especially needed. Donations are tax deductible.

Clothing will be donated to five Combined Appeal agencies Proviso Association for Retarded Children (a United Way Crusade of Mercy organization); the Alliance for the Mentally Ill of DuPage County; United Way of Will County; Fish, Inc., a clothing and food pantry; and Little City Foundation.

Volunteers are needed to help collect and sort clothing. Call Jan Buckley (HR) at ext. 2-9371 to volunteer.

The Combined Appeal provides employees with a way to contribute to the Metropolitan Chicago United Way/Crusade of Mercy, United Way Will County and 18 other charities. Employees will receive information from division coordinators on how to donate during the month of October.

More information on the campaign is available on the ACA home page.

4 employees honored for energy savings

Anne Reuter (PHY), Jim Specht (PHY), Nicholas Malik (PFS), and Jon Garcia (PFS) will receive a 1997 Federal Energy and Water Management Award for modernizing the refrigeration system of the Argonne Tandem Linear Accelerator System (ATLAS) preventing rises in power costs.

The award, given by DOE and the Federal Interagency Energy Policy Committee, recognizes contributions to the efficient use of energy in federal facilities and activities.

The project was a collaborative effort between the Physics and Plant Facilities and Services divisions. Reuter, Specht, Garcia and Malik replaced Joule-Thompson expansion valves with "wet" expansion engines on the three ATLAS liquid helium refrigerators. They also installed variable speed drives on one helium gas compressor for each refrigerator.

ATLAS requires liquid helium to chill a string of superconducting resonators, which accelerate ions (atoms stripped of one or more electrons) for physics experiments. The superconducting resonators, which conduct electricity with no resistance, make possible a continuous ion beam.

The 1992 refrigeration upgrade increased the efficiency of the liquid helium system by 29 percent. Utility costs have remained constant during that time despite dramatic increases in the amount of time ATLAS is run.

The award recipients will be honored at a Congressional reception and a presentation ceremony in Washington in late October.

Golchert honored by materials society

Norbert Golchert (EMO) has received a 1997 American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Award of Merit and fellowship from an ASTM standards-writing committee on the nuclear fuel cycle.

Golchert, Environmental Management Operations environmental protection department manager, was honored for dedicated leadership and service in the promotion of radiological environmental standards to support the mission of Committee C-26, one of 131 ASTM technical standards-writing committees.

Among his accomplishments were ASTM standard C 998, "methods for sampling surface soil for radionuclides," the first standard prepared by the environmental methods task group of Committee C-26. This work became the foundation for many subsequent standards.

Golchert has spent 39 years in Argonne's environmental monitoring program. For the last 25 years, he has been program manager and primary author of the laboratory's annual site environmental report. The program analyzes soil, air and water to see how Argonne's work impacts the environment.

Golchert also leads the program that monitors Argonne's original site in the Cook County Forest Preserve.

He has also worked with other Argonne divisions on studies and reports, conducted lectures and contributed to the writing of the laboratory's Environment, Safety and Health Manual. He has more than 60 publications in the field.

Earlier this year, Golchert received the University of Chicago Board of Governors for Argonne Outstanding Service Award, the university's highest honor for employees in support positions. That award cited his leadership in environmental issues both inside and outside Argonne.

Golchert received the ASTM C-26 Harlan J. Anderson Award in 1993 and its Achievement Award in 1988.

In addition to ASTM, Golchert is a member of the American Chemical Society and the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements.

Organized in 1898, ASTM is one of the largest voluntary standards development systems in the world.

Vendors to visit,
answer questions
on retirement plans

Three of Argonne's retirement vendors will have representatives on site to meet individually with employees to answer questions about the retirement plan or retirement plan assets. Employees must make appointments to meet with these representatives.

Appointments are for one-half hour each.

* TIAA/CREF: Representatives will be on site Monday, Oct. 20 and Wednesday, Oct. 22. Call (800) 842-2005 and ask for appointment desk.

* Prudential: Representatives will be on site Thursday, Oct. 23 and Friday, Oct. 24. Call (847) 619-3519, ask for Cheryl.

* Fidelity: Representatives will be on site Monday, Oct. 27 and Wednesday, Oct. 29. Call (800) 654-2238, ask for Christine.

New ECT page offers
solutions to
computer hassles

Argonne computer users can find answers to computer questions on a web page sponsored by the Electronics and Computing Technologies Division.

The page contains a help form where users can enter and submit information about a computer problem. ECT support employees will reply by e-mail or phone.

The page also allows users to search ECT's computer problem database for previously posted questions and answers, or check the status of previously posted but unresolved questions.

The page is at http://www.anl.gov/ECT/consult.html, or use the "help" link on the Argonne Home Page.

Wellness program
offers free flu shots

Free flu shots, which reduce the chance of acquiring influenza infection, will be offered to all current Argonne and DOE employees at both Argonne sites.

The shots are especially recommended for increased-risk groups, such as persons 65 years of age or older, those with chronic heart or lung disorders or chronic metabolic diseases, including diabetes.

Fliers with registration information have been distributed to all Argonne-East employees. Those who have not received a flier should contact the Medical Department at ext. 2-2811.

Vaccinations will be given from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 2, 3, 6 and 9 at the Medical Dept., Building 201.

Argonne-West will offer the shots in the near future; more information will appear in an upcoming issue of Argonne News.

OPA unveils new
home page on
World Wide Web

The Office of Public Affairs (OPA) now has a home page on Argonne's World Wide Web site.

The page has links to descriptions of all of OPA's major services and products available on the World Wide Web (like Argonne News and Frontiers).

The page includes a list of the office's employees with phone numbers and active e-mail links. Another section explains in detail how OPA's "beat" system lets employees help spread the news about Argonne research to the media.

The OPA home page is at: http://www.anl.gov/OPA/.

This page has been accessed *
 times since Sept. 25, 1996.