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Show Obituaries C2 C Da(S Opinions C4 The Daily Herald Monday, April 1, 1995 Pesticides linked to infertility U The massive use of en irenmen-ta- l cheniicaLs began with World War II. Chief among these w as DDT, whose pesticidal properties were discovered in 1939. By 1947 we noticed the first undesirable effects apparently due to organisms' exposure to this and other such chemicals. Eagles in Florida were observed to be just sitting around during mating season, showing no interest at all in the usual mating and nesting rituals necessary I Jcffciy & Society U 'Odyssey of the Mind' contest challenges kids to be creative By ED CARTER The Daily Herald found out they had taken first tary, middle and junior high school students from around the state converged on Utah Valley State College recently to participate in the state competition of Odyssey of the Mind, an international organization sponsored by IBM and other large corporate benefactors. The competition featured competition and performances in five areas, also called "problems." Teams of four to five students each were judged on the presentation of their solutions some of which were literally pop-ulatio- idiethvl-stilhestrol- 3-- 5. 3 it months in the making. "The philosophy is to help children solve problems creativeon their own." said Diana ly DeFriez. OM state competition director. One of the most entertaining categories was dubbed "Amusin' Cruisin'" and featured homemade vehicles that were required to transport one of the team members on two journeys to see attractions. A team of students from Grantsville Middle School carried several large backdrops they had created to the center of the ballroom at the UVSC Student Center before performing. The students, dressed in original costumes, then presented what they called "Around the World in Eight Minutes." During the presentation, one of the students rode a small car to Antarctica, where she put on winter clothes and talked with a penguin; to China, where she knocked over the Great Wall of China and saw panda bears climbing trees; and to Manhattan, w here she saw the Statue of Liberty. At that point, the humorous and creative skit was stopped because of time by the judges who had been taking notes during the entire production. The Grantsville students later S&Ss5 place, which earned them the right to make a trip to the OM world competition in Ames. Iowa next month provided they can come up w ith the money. Two Utah County schools. Barnett Elementary in Payson and Sage Creek Elementary in Springville, dominated the competition in Division I. a category which is for grades The top finishers in each category are eligible to participate in the world competition May 29-at Iowa State University, and team members from Kith schools hope they can raise enough funds to make the trip. But the emphasis in OM is more on learning than Hundreds of Utah students are embarking on an odyssey parents and teachers say will take the youngsters w herever they want to non-prof- for the continuation of the species. At that time, this was just an interesting observation. Later we learned that DDT was indeed altering behavior of these birds, as well as thinning the shells of those eggs that were produced. Egg mortality w as high; the species became endangered. DDT w as banned in the United States in 1972. and eagles and other predatory bird began a slow recovery. Other observations of things amiss in nature built up. "Lesbian" gulls were observ ed in the 1970s females nesting together, laying sterile eggs, while underdeveloped males took no interest in mating at all. Populations of alligators and panthers in Florida showed males w ith underdeveloped reproductive organs or actual "intersex" conditions; similar situations were w idely observ ed in fish and in mink fed on such fish. Pesticides and related chemicals were implicated, but firm proof was and is still lacking. But many data do exist. DDT and its breakdow n product. DDE, are now known to be potent preventing normal male hormones from properly guiding the development of nuleness in mammalian embryos. DL'S ). widely used from the late '40s to the '70s to treat miscarriages and related problems, resulted in higher rales of vaginal cancer in the daughters of mothers thus treated, and of testicular cancer and undescended testicles in the sons of those same mothcis. d Dioxin has shown associations with endometriosis (the abnormal growth of uterine tivsue, leading to sterility, etc.) in rhesus the more dioxin. the monkeys earlier onset and the more severe the problem. Endometriosis seems to be increasing in human females, and sinking at younger ages: is there a relation? How can we find out? It is estimated there are over 100.000 industrial chemicals now present in our environment, with another .OlX) or so added each year. The amount of testing that goes on w ith these before their release for general use is. in most cases, miniscule. It costs millions to introduce a new pesticide; extensive but for only a testing is involved small battery of possible effects. Now come a train of reports (not unanimous, however) that human sperm production is dropping, and thai the frequency of "incompletely masculinized" males is increasing. The most likely causes are chemicals that mimic sex hormones that trick cells of developing embryos into thinking they have the real hormone when they don't Among these are the PCBs (found in electrical transformers, etc.), dioxin (formed by burning of chlorine-based chemicals), phthalates (found in paints, adhesives. and ink) and a number of pesticides. In short, our environment is loaded w ith chemicals which are now suspect. And a class-actio- n suit has now been filed by more than 25.000 workers in 1 2 countries for their employment related exposure to chemicals which have allegedly reduced their fertility. The targets of the suit; Dow Chemical. Shell Oil, Occidental Petroleum. Del Monte Fruit, Chiquita Brands and Dole Food. The allegations? That the companies took no steps to protect their workers even though knowing they were at risk. Many organizations have agreed that the overall problem merits intense study. Only that will bring answers. dose-relate- II 420 elemen- Duano Science Q 1 winning. ' One of the things we are with is how the amazed always students learn to work as a team." said Linda Matthews, a teacher at Barnett Elementary who has been involved with ONI since it came to Payson about 10 years ago. '"If s such a wonderful program, it would be nice if more students it's a difgot involved with it ferent w ay of teaching." Matthews said the students at Barnett spent several hours per week since last fall working on the solutions to the problems. Limited time during school was available for OM projects, so students, supervised by parents, worked mostly after school and on weekends. Adults are forbidden to help students find solutions or plan presentations. Three "dress rehearsals," in the form of assemblies in front of the student body and parents, were held so the OM students could fine-tun- e their productions before the state fA rip w.k. pY . . i) competition March 23. Matthews says Odyssey of the Mind not only helped her students think creatively, it also fostered the development of organizational skills. DeFriez concurs, saving the students gain skills they will use for life. "What's interesting is. now the students don't panic when there are real-lif- e problems. They also find out there is more than one way to solve a preblem." she said. Alex Thoresen, a fourth grader from Sage Creek Elementary playing the role of "Mr. Smarty Pants, his group's skit by throwing out 'Smarties candies to the audience. One of the most significant aspects of Odvsey of the Mind is its ability to get parents involved with their children's education. That fact was evidenced bv the ends scores of parents who attended the state competition to cheer for their favorite students. Gamps came from as far away as Cedar Citv and St. Georee. as well as other distant locations. "We've had a lot of parental support." said Pam Felix, a Springville parent who helps tSee ODYSSEY. Page C2) Shaiiene Ricks, a judge for the from Barnett Elemontary as she 'Crunch problem, briefs students measures their 'retrieval device' to see if it tits the required length. The students, from left, are Patrice Montague, 8, Janelle Money, 8, Zac Freeman, 10 and Dusty Hone, 10. bottom left. Holly Sicidoway. foreground, plays a child who is having a birthday parry as part of the problem, 'Tall Tales of John Jivery." She watches a TV commercial by Jill Bailey extolling the virtues of 'Mr. Smarty Pants," the party coordinator. At 1 Below, Patrice Montague and Zac Freeman, look sadly at the judges as their balsa wood device is crushed by the first weight during their participation in the "Crunch problem. a 3. 1 c Daily Herald Photos by Jennifer Grigg L J I -- h A |