ELSEVIER

Infernational Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, Vol. 39, No. 1 (1997) 91-96 Elsevier Science Limited Printed in Great Britain

BIODETERIORATION SOCIETY NEWSLETTER SPRING 1997

WELCOME ADDRESS FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear Member,

I would like to begin this newsletter by thanking our retiring president Professor Fernando Laborda for his custodianship of our Society over the last two years. As you will be aware this period has been one of great change with the membership structure being altered to include a subscription to International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation as well as the employment of our facilitator, Roy Sowden.

In the immediate future we plan to concentrate on the organisation of meetings. This means a busy time ahead for our Programme Secretary, Jimmy Walker and his team (Judy Kinderlerer, Glyn Morton and Sue Surman). As you will see on the following pages, meetings are now planned up to the year 2000 with this year meetings being held on Water Quality, Disinfection and Hydrocarbons. In Spring 1998 we plan to have a meeting on the special problems associated with the determination of the Biodegradation of Biocides. I look forward to meeting you at these events.

Another important change within the Council is that Natasha Karpovich-Tate has kindly agreed to take over the publicity role and is now responsible for the publication of this newsletter. As a new member of Council, I am sure she would be grate- ful if information of interest to Society members could be sent to her either directly or via our facil- itator, Roy Sowden.

For the benefit of members who live and work outside the UK, Diane Band, our membership secretary, can now take membership fees by credit card. If you would like to use this facility please call her (f44 (0) 1246 826816). Anyone who wishes to join the Society should also call her or Roy Sowden.

Finally, if any of you wish to discuss Society matters, I would be very pleased to receive your

thoughts and comments by telephone, letter or E- mail. My address details are contained within this newsletter.

Malcolm Greenhalgh President

HELP TO MAKE THE SOCIETY GROW

Hello, my name is Roy Sowden and I was appointed as the Society’s Facilitator on 1st July 1996 - the photo is so you can recognise me when we meet.

A major objective for me is to provide additional administrative and logistical support for the Society and its Honorary Officers-all of whom have busy professional lives in commerce, educa- tion and the public sector.

In addition it is part of my brief to help attract new members by assisting Council to provide rele- vant, exciting, professional meetings that result in papers published in the ‘new format’ journal- which I’m sure you agree is an eye catching winner!

Members should look forward to being able to ‘network’ through news items appearing in the ‘Society Section’ of the journal. To this end I will

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92 Biodeterioration Society Newsletter

act as a ‘conduit’ for news items to be passed to the Contact: Dominique Festy, Hon. Publicity Officer. E-mail dominique.festy@ifremer.fr

Our publisher, Elsevier, has offered us pages in each of the EIGHT editions to be published every year. This gives us a lot of space to work with-so it’s over to you to provide the NEWS!

Some ideas for news items include:

6 October 1997. Bioaerosols (jointly organised with SCI), SCI, Belgrave Square, London. Contact: Dr James T. Walker, Environmental and Biosafety Services, CAMR, Porton Down, Salis- bury, Wiltshire SP4 OJG. Tel 44 (0) 1980612643, Fax 44 (0) 1980612731, areas of research-current/proposed/under con-

sideration; new developments in your field of interest; comments on published papers; invitations for joint research; ‘moving on’; suggested experiments for an education kit.

These are just my suggestions but I’m sure you can think of many more! Please contact me with your ideas as follows:

The Biodeterioration Society PO Box 64 Stratford-upon-Avon Warwickshire CV37 7YD UK

Tel/Fax/Answerphone +44 (0) 1789 740434 E-mail 106373.3234@Compuserve.com (proposed Biodetsoc@Compuserve.com)

SCIENTIFIC CALENDAR

For details please contact the Programme Secre- tary Dr James Walker (Tel +44 (0) 1980 612643; Fax 01980-612731 E-mail jimmy.walker@camr.org.uk).

1997

19 June 1997. Annual General Meeting, Ibis Hotel, Southampton. Contact: Honourable Secretary Dr Paul Cook. Tel 44 (0) 171 9725343.

20 June 1997. Presence and Control of Pathogens in Water Systems, De Veeres Hotel, Southampton. Contact: Dr James T. Walker, Environmental and Biosafety Services, CAMR, Porton Down, Salis- bury, Wiltshire SP4 OJG. Tel 44 (0) 1980612643, Fax 44 (0) 1980612731. E-mail jimmy.walker@camr.org.uk

2-3 October 1997. Young Scientists Biodeteriora- tion Forum, Ottrot (Alsace).

E-mail jimmy.walker@camr.org.uk

16-17 October 1997. Disinfection and Hygiene- Future Prospects, Wageningen, The Netherlands. Contact: Ir. Nienke M. Brouwer, Agricultural University, Department of Household and Consu- mer Studies, PO Box 8060, 6700 DA Wageningen, The Netherlands. E-mail Nienke.Brouwer@tech.hhs.wau.nl

Autumn 1997. Hydrocarbons. Date and venue to be announced. Contact: Dr Joan Kelley, International Mycologi- cal Institute, Bakeham Lane, Egham, Surrey, UK. Tel 44 (0) 1784 470111. Fax 44 (0) 1784 470909, E-mail J.KELLEY@CABI.ORG

1998

27 March 1998. Biodegradation of Biocides, Brix- ham. Contact: Malcolm Greenhalgh, Zeneca Biocides, Hexagon House, Blackley, Manchester, UK. Tel 44 (0) 161 7211022, Fax 44 (0) 161 721173, E-mail Malcolm M. GreenhalghBukbla71 .zeneca. corn

Spring 1998. Labs 3, Brazil. Contact: Christine Gaylarde, Departamento de Solos, Faculadade de Agronomia, UFRGS, Buento Goncalves 77 12, 91500 Port Alegre, RS Brazil.

October 1998. Bioremediation and Biosorption III, Canada. Contact: Dr James T. Walker, Environmental and Biosafety Services, CAMR, Porton Down, Salis- bury, Wiltshire SP4 OJG. Tel 44 (0) 1980612643. Fax 44 (0) 1980612731, E-mail jimmy.walker@camr.org.uk

BiofouIing and Biodeterioration, date and venue to be chosen in collaboration with Biofilm Club. Contact: Dr James T. Walker, Environmental and Biosafety Services, CAMR, Porton Down, Salis- bury, Wiltshire SP4 OJG. Tel 44 (0) 1980612643, Fax 44 (0) 1980612731, E-mail jimmy.walker@camr.org.uk

Biodeterioration Society Newsletter 93

1999

Spring 1999. Control of Food Biodeterioration, Sheffield (venue and organiser to be arranged).

Autumn 1999. 1 lth International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation Symposium, Washington, USA.

2000

Spring 2000. “What no Biocides?“-Biodeteriora- tion, Past Present and Future (to be arranged).

COUNCIL MEMBER LIST-1997

President to 1998 Mr Malcolm Greenhalgh Zeneca Biocides Hexagon House Blackley Manchester M9 8ZS Tel +44 (0) 161 721 1022 Fax +44 (0) 161 721 4173 E-mail Malcolm.M.Greenhalgh@ukbla71.zeneca.com

Retiring President to 1997 Professor Fernando Laborda Departmenta de Microbiologia y Parasitologia Universidad de Alcala Carretera, Madrid-Barcelona KM33-600 28871 Alcala de Henares Madrid Spain Tel/Fax +34 1 8854621 E-mail MPLABORDA@ALCALA.ES

Hon. Secretary to 1997 Dr Paul E. Cook Department of Health Room 513A Skipton House 80 London Road LondonSEl6LW Tel +44 (0) 171 972 5343 Fax +44 (0) 171 972 5558 E-mail Pcook@hefm.demon.co.uk

Hon. Treasurer to 1998 Dr Brian McCarthy BTTG Shirley Towers Wilmslow Road Didsbury Manchester M20 8RX Tel +44 (0) 161 445 8141 Fax +44 (0) 161 434 9957 E-mail BJMcCarthy@bttg.co.uk

Hon. Membership Secretary MS Diane Band Coalite Chemical PO Box 152 Buttermilk Lane Bolsover Chesterfield Derbyshire S44 6AB Tel +44 (0) 1246 826816 Fax +44 (0) 1246 240309

Hon. Programme Secretary to 1999 Dr James T. Walker CAMR (Centre for Applied Microbiology & Research) Porton Down Salisbury Wiltshire SP4 OJG Tel +44 (0) 1980 612643 Fax +44 (0) 1980 612731 E-mail jimmy.walker@camr.org.uk

Hon. Publicity Officer to 1999 Natasha Karpovich-Tate Department of Plant Sciences University of Oxford South Parks Road Oxford OX1 3RB Tel +44 (0) 1865 275000 Fax +44 (0) 1869 321008 E-mail natasha.karpovich-tate@plants.ox.ac.uk

Members of Council: Mrs Judith L. Kinderlerer Food Research Centre School of Leisure and Food Management Sheffield Hallam University City Campus Pond Street Sheffield Sl 1 WB Tel +44 (0) 114 253 3333/2013 Fax +44 (0) 114 253 3343 E-mail J.L.Kinderlerer@sho.ac.uk

Dr Sue Surman PHLS Water and Environment Unit Nottingham PHL University Hospital Queen’s Medical Centre Nottingham NG7 2UH Tel +44 (0) 115 970 9 163 Fax +44 (0) 115 942 2190 E-mail myzss@mrnl.nott.ac.uk

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Professor Glyn Morton Department of Applied Biology University of Central Lancashire Preston PRI 2HE Tel +44 (0) 1772 893512

SOCIETY FOR APPLIED BACTERIOLOGY REPRESENTATIVE Vacant

INSTITUTE OF BIOLOGY REPRESENTATIVE Dr Joan Kelley International Mycological Institute Beckham Lane Egham Surrey TW20 9TY Tel +44 (0) 1784 470111 Fax +44 (0) 1784 470909 E-mail JKELLEY@CABI.ORG

BIODETERIORATION SOCIETY FACILITATOR Mr Roy Sowden Biomet Laboratories Ltd 10 Manor Lane Ettington Stratford-Upon-Avon CV37 7TE Tel/Fax +44 (0) 1789 740434 E-mail 106373.3234@Compuserve.com

EDITORIAL LIAISON WITH ELSEVIER Professor Harold W. Rossmoore Biosan Laboratories 1950 Tobsal Court Warren MI 48091-1351 USA Tel +l 810 755 8970 Fax +l 810 755 8978 or Department of Biological Sciences Wayne State University Detroit, Michigan 48202, USA Tel fl 313 577 2907 Fax +l 313 577 6891

BURSARIES

As before the Biodeterioration Society offers a bursary scheme to fund undergraduate student projects.

Grants of up to &150 are available to support projects in the field of biodeterioration and biode- gradation.

Applications with a brief description (no more than one page) of the planned research should be sent to:

Dr J. Kelley International Mycological Institute Egham Surrey TW20 9TY UK

EDUCATIONAL LINKS

The Biodeterioration Society has set up an Educa- tion Group in order to generate suggestions for the use of IBS funds to promote charitable purposes through education. The group has identified the following areas for future work:

Primary and Secondary School Education Presentation Kit National Curriculum Educational Aids School Projects

Project work is already being carried out by students at the University College, London.

More funding is available for student projects and all you need to do is ask! The Society, in turn, would like the work to be presented as a poster at one of the Scientific meetings and the summary of findings will be published in the next Newsletter.

MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION RATE

Since 1996 the Society membership rate has included subscription to the International Biode- terioration & Biodegradation Journal. Member- ship and subscriptions run from January to January. Membership rates for 1997 remain at &43 per annum or &40 if paying by standing order. This includes eight issues of the journal International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation in which all the Society news and conferences are regularly published. Students will automatically receive a copy of the Newsletter as they will not receive the journal if paying student membership rates.

Biodeterioration Society Newsletter 95

APPLICATION FORM

If you want to join the Biodeterioration Society, a copy of the form is attached to the back of this newsletter. As the full subscription rate for the journal is &461 (US$741 .OO) per annum, joining the Society for just &43/&40 per annum will be a substantial saving. FINAL REMINDERS

A final reminder for membership subscriptions will be sent out at the end of June and this will be your last chance to pay. After August, your names will automatically be deleted from the membership list.

International Biodeterioration Research Group (IBRG)

This group is made up of several working parties which are looking to develop standard methods to be used across Europe and possibly as far as the USA. Each party submits an annual progress report. Below is the report for 1995 from the Biodegradable Plastics Group. For further details you may contact Michael Pankte on +44 49 3081 043835 or Fax -1-44 49 3081 041037.

Biodegradable Plastics Group Annual Report 1995

The growing use of plastics, i.e. for packaging, has caused drastic disposal problems. One solution

to this problem might be the development of biologically degradable plastics. However, the available test methods to determine the resistance of plastics to microbial attack, proved to be inade- quate for evaluating their biodegradability. Hence, the Biodegradable Plastics Group was set up and formally established during the IBRG meeting of 1993 in Cannes, France.

In the year under report, 94/95, the Group convened twice. The third meeting in October 1994 which took place in Vantaa near Helsinki was attended by 18 delegates. A progress report was given on the state of the IS0 846 and then a report on the meeting of the Biodegradable Plas- tics Group of IS0 (SC 61/SC 5/WG 22) in Tokyo in September 1994 was presented. One of the proposals for the new work items submitted to IS0 is the modified Strum test. It is based on experience gathered during a collaborative test in which IBRG members participated. The discus- sion in Finland centred on definitions of terms relating to biologically degradable polymers. The definitions formulated by the different national standardisation bodies were compared. After an extensive discussion and a formal vote on the definitions “biodegradation” and “biodegrad- able”, presented by German Standards Institu- tion DIN, a text defining these terms was agreed upon by the Biodegradable Plastics Group of the IBRG which differed only linguistically from the original DIN text.

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Biodeterioration Society Newsletter

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