American Chemical Society's 238th National Meeting press conference schedule

Attend in person in Washington, D.C. or access live audio & video online

Wednesday, Aug. 19

9:30 a.m., ET — Embargoed for Thursday, Aug. 20, at 8:45 a.m., ET**

Little known type of cholesterol may pose the greatest heart disease risk

Health-conscious people know that high levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the so-called "bad" cholesterol) can increase the risk of heart attacks, but scientists are now reporting that another form of cholesterol called oxycholesterol — virtually unknown to the public — may be the most serious cardiovascular health threat of all. Scientists from China are reporting one of the first studies on the cholesterol-boosting effects of oxycholesterol. They hope their findings raise public awareness about oxycholesterol, including foods with the highest levels of the substance and other foods that can combat oxycholesterol's effects. See corresponding news release, abstract, and nontechnical summary for AGFD 237.

Zhen-Yu Chen, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong.

10 a.m., ET — Embargoed for Wednesday, Aug. 19, at 2:30 p.m., ET**

A test toward improved smudge-and reflection-proof coatings for touch screen devices

Scientists are reporting the development of a test that may lead to improved smudge- and reflection-resistant coatings for use in mp3 players, Blackberries, iPhones and other touch screen devices. For consumer electronics companies, the appearance of their flagship devices is just as important as their functionality, so smudge, scratch and reflective resistant coatings have become standard on high-end touch screen cell phones and mp3 players. See corresponding news release, abstract, and nontechnical summary for COLL 462.

Steven R Carlo, Ph.D., is with C3 Consulting, Bowie, Md.

10:30 a.m., ET — Embargoed for Wednesday, Aug. 19, at 2:15 p.m., ET** Romantic, candle-lit dinners: An unrecognized source of indoor air pollution

Burning candles made from paraffin wax –– the most common kind used to infuse rooms with romantic ambiance, warmth, light, and fragrance –– is an unrecognized source of exposure to indoor air pollution, including the known human carcinogens, scientists are reporting. Levels can build up in closed rooms, and be reduced by ventilation, they indicated. The researchers say said that that candles made from bee's wax or soy, although more expensive, apparently are healthier. See corresponding news release, abstract, and nontechnical summary for ENVR 086.

Amid Hamidi, Ph.D., is with the Department of Biological and Physical Sciences, South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, S.C.

11 a.m., ET — Embargoed for Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2 p.m., ET**

Hidden treasure: Technique reveals buried image in famed illustrator's painting

Scientists are reporting the use of a new X-ray imaging technique to reveal for the first time in a century unprecedented details of a painting hidden beneath another painting by famed American illustrator N.C. (Newell Convers) Wyeth. The non-destructive look-beneath-the-surface method could reveal hidden images in hundreds of Old Master paintings and other prized works of art, the researchers say. See corresponding news release, abstract, and nontechnical summary for COLL 461.

Jennifer L. Mass, Ph.D., Department of Art Conservation, University of Delaware, Newark, Del.

Noon, ET

Toward limitless energy: National Ignition Facility

Chemists are preparing to play an important but often unheralded role in determining the success of one of the largest and most important scientific experiments in history — next year's initial attempts at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to produce the world's first controlled nuclear fusion reaction. If successful in taming the energy source of the sun, stars, and of the hydrogen bomb, scientists could develop a limitless new source of producing electricity for homes, factories, and businesses. See corresponding news release, abstract, and nontechnical summary for NUCL 135.

Richard Boyd, Ph.D., is Science Director of the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif.

1 p.m., ET

Painless 'microneedle' patch may take the sting out of shots

Scientists are reporting the design of a painless patch that may someday render hypodermic needles — as well as annual flu shots — a thing of the past. Lined with tiny "microneedles," these patches could make treatment of diabetes and a wide range of other diseases safer, more effective and less painful. Used as tiny hypodermic needles, they could improve treatment of macular degeneration and other diseases of the eye. See corresponding news release, abstract, and nontechnical summary for BIOT 283.

Mark R. Prausnitz, Ph.D., is with the School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Ga.

1:30 p.m., ET — Embargoed for Wednesday, Aug. 19, 6 p.m. ET

Plastic in oceans decomposes, releases hazardous chemicals

In the first study to look at what happens over the years to the billions of pounds of plastic waste floating in the world's oceans, scientists are reporting that plastics — reputed to be virtually indestructible — decompose with surprising speed and release potentially toxic substances into the water. The researchers termed the discovery "surprising." Scientists always believed that plastics in the oceans were unsightly, but a hazard mainly to marine animals that eat or become ensnared in plastic objects. See corresponding news release, abstract, and nontechnical summary for ENVR 169.

Katsuhiko Saido, Ph.D., is with the College of Pharmacy, Nihon University, Chiba, Japan.

2:00 p.m., ET

Homes pollute: Linked to 50 percent more water pollution than previously believed



Preliminary results of the study suggest that current models may underestimate the amount of pollution contributed by homes by up to 50 percent. The typical house in the United States is an alarming and probably underestimated source of water pollution, scientists are reporting. They say that runoff results from rainfall and watering of lawns and gardens, which winds up in municipal storm drains. The runoff washes fertilizers, pesticides and other contaminants into storm drains, and they eventually appear in rivers, lakes and other bodies of water. Preliminary results of a study suggest that current models may underestimate the amount of pollution contributed by homes by up to 50 percent. See corresponding news release, abstract, and nontechnical summary for AGRO 193.

Loren Oki, Ph.D., and Darren L. Haver, Ph.D. are with the University of California, Davis.