News from industry

News on the market Network: Life Science Corridor France Biotech industry highlights Recent drug patent expirations     

Biotech industry highlights

New on the market German start-ups in the spotlight Biotech crops: Double-digit growth Industrial prizes and grants     

News from industry

New on the market Microliter measurements Non-invasive volume detection Detection of O₂ presence and levels Drug patent expirations in March 2008     

Mutagenic exposure in the rubber manufacturing industry: an industry wide survey

Mutagenic exposure conditions in several rubber manufacturing companies (n=9) in The Netherlands were studied. Mutagenicity of total suspended particulate matter in air (TSPM) and of wipe samples from possible contact surfaces were measured in the Ames mutagenicity assay with Salmonella typhimurium YG1041 in the presence of a metabolic activation system. Large differences in median mutagenicity of TSPM samples were observed between companies (range 49-1056rev/m(3)) and to a lesser extent between production functions (range 129-402rev/m(3)). The production function curing revealed overall the highest TSPM mutagenicity levels. Forty-one percent of the surface wipe samples revealed mutagenic activity ranging from 26 to 665rev/cm(2). Mixing had the largest proportion of positive samples resulting in a median surface mutagenic contamination of 39rev/cm(2). Surface mutagenic contamination, averaged per department/company combination, showed only a weak correlation with TSPM mutagenicity (r=0.28, P=0.05). Company, production function and total soluble matter (e.g. mass collected upon extraction with organic solvents with different polarity) explained 79 and 81% of the variability in mutagenicity of TSPM and surface contamination levels, respectively. "Company" was identified as the most important exposure determinant for mutagenic activity in TSPM and surface wipe samples. This indicates the importance of company specific determinants like production volume and rubber chemicals used for the encountered mutagenic exposure conditions. Detection of substantial mutagenic activity on possible contact surfaces supports furthermore the potential importance of the dermal route in the uptake of genotoxic compounds of workers in the rubber manufacturing industry.     

Orchid industry of Singapore

Singapore is one of the leading countries in orchid cut-flower export. Considering the size of the country, it has done remarkably well. This achievement is supported by local interest in orchid hybridization producing new hybrids, in the strategic location as a center of air transport, and in the efforts of growers and exporters. Although the pressure on land use has reduced the acreage of orchid farms in recent years, the future prospects of this export cut-flower trade are still good.     

The prisoner reentry industry

The Prisoner Reentry Industry found its beginnings in the recognition that men and women who were being released from prison continued to need assistance in their transition process. Depending upon the individual needs of each person, this determined the extent of what type of assistance needed. Within a short period of time it was determined that the greatest assistance was needed in the area of housing and employment. However, once a person completed this transition phrase that was usually understood to be about three years, the following questions arise: when does the reentry phase end? When does society allow the ex-offender to move on with their lives? Even when secure employment has been maintained, when other areas of the individuals’ life are functioning “at least like everyone else in society”, when does the reentry stop and the ex-offender allowed to enter into mainline society? This article attempts to show that we have not done a good job of allowing the ex-offender to move from the phase of prisoner reentry to the phase of contributor in our society.     

The Zanzibar clove industry

For about 150 years cloves have been a major export crop of Zanzibar. The industry was established through large plantations run with slave labor but these have been progressively fragmented into smaller holdings. Throughout this century the industry at home has faced several recurring problems, the worst of which are tree diseases, ageing tree populations and occasional neglect of trees. As a result, replanting has been crucial to the maintenance of the industry which has also been strengthened by government assistance. Overseas, Zanzibar faced little competition in the world clove market until recently and this is now being aggravated by increasing self-sufficiency in Indonesia. The future of the Zanzibar industry will depend on its ability to cope with the problems of the industry at home and on its success at selling cloves in an increasingly competitive world market.     

The American peanut industry

American production of peanuts was greatly stimulated at the beginning of the present century by the depredations of the weevil in the Cotton Belt. Apart from their use as food, their industrial utilization is only in its infancy and includes conversion of their protein into textile fibers and other products.