perc in jet kerosene

[ttweed@wildrockies.org (Tony Tweedale)]

  CNN Int'l had a gw contamination story this weekend that mentioned that the
  us navy's top gun fighter school (i would guess it's more widespread than
  this) used to mix their used degreaser perchlorethene (perc,
  tetrachlorethene, perchlorethelene (archaic)) w/ jet fighter fuel, as a
  waste management practice.  perc has low levels of dioxins naturally, but
  it's mostly yet another combustion source of pcdd/f.
  
  the story was about the new cornell u. developed bacterium (strain 195 of
  some species) that can mineralize (i.e. degrade all the way to inorganic
  CO2) in the field alkenes & alkyne (double & triple bonded) o-cl's, not
  getting held up at the metabolite vinyl chloride (a mutagenic carinogen) as
  so many do.  powerful enzymes!  the story & journal piece was in _science_
  last month, sorry i don't have the cite w/ me.
  
  
  tony tweedale