Europeans, Western

Bhopal, R., and L.W. Donaldson, "White European, Western, Caucasian, or What Inappropriate Labeling in Research on Race, Ethnicity, and Health," Am. J. Publ. Hlth., 88, 1303-1307 (1998). 

Uher G, Schebeske G, Barlow RG, Cummings DG, Mantoura RFC, Rapsomanikis SR, Andreae MO (2000) Distribution and air-sea gas exchange of dimethyl sulphide at the European western continental margin. Mar Chem 69 277-300 UNESCO (1994) Protocols for the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS). Core Measurements, Scientific committee on Oceanic Research Manual and Guides 29 170... 

Economic Aspects. Eigures on U.S. production, imports, and projected demand of chloroacetic acid are Hsted in Table 2 (24). The majority of imported chloroacetic acid is produced in Germany. Western European capacity for chloroacetic acid is in excess of 225,000 metric tons per year. In 1990 the price was 1.25 to 1.36/kg (24,25). 

Adipic acid is a very large volume organic chemical. Worldwide production in 1986 reached 1.6 x 10 t (3.5 x 10 lb) (158) and in 1989 was estimated at more than 1.9 x 10 t (Table 7). It is one of the top fifty (159) chemicals produced in the United States in terms of volume, with 1989 production estimated at 745,000 t (160). Growth rate in demand in the United States for the period 1988—1993 is estimated at 2.5% per year based on 1987—1989 (160). Table 7 provides individual capacities for U.S. manufacturers. Western European capacity is essentially equivalent to that in the United States at 800,000 t/yr. Demand is highly cycHc (161), reflecting the automotive and housing markets especially. Prices usually foUow the variabiUty in cmde oil prices. Adipic acid for nylon takes about 60% of U.S. cyclohexane production the remainder goes to caprolactam for nylon-6, export, and miscellaneous uses (162). In 1989 about 88% of U.S. adipic acid production was used in nylon-6,6 (77% fiber and 11% resin), 3% in polyurethanes, 2.5% in plasticizers, 2.7% miscellaneous, and 4.5% exported (160). 

Dew retting iuvolves the action of dew, sun, and fungi on the plants spread thinly on the ground. Dew retting takes 4—6 weeks, but the action is not uniform and it tends to yield a dark-colored fiber. However, it is far less labor iatensive and less expensive than water retting. It is commonly used iu regions of low water supply and accounts for 85% of the Western European crop, especially iu France, and also iu the former Soviet Union. 

At least in the short term, European production is expected to be impacted by two trends the move away from planned economics in the East should lead to more rapid demand growth and the phaseout of CPCs, including, in Europe, aerosols (qv), should lead to overcapacity in the West. This excess capacity in western Europe could be used to supply the East. 

In Western Europe, the CPC producers are equally varied. The following is a partial Hst of the larger companies with total CPC production capacity (10 t) at all sites shown in parentheses Atochem SA (148.5, Prance and Spain), Hoescht AG (102.0, Germany), KaH-Chemie AG (66.0, Germany and Spain), Montefluos SpA (100.0, Italy), and ICI Chemicals and Polymers Ltd. (>113.6, United Kingdom). These producers account for over 80% of the Western European CPC production. 

Hard coal is more important ia most of the western European countries with the exception of Austria and Italy. No lignitic coal production was iadicated ia 1989 for the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, and the United Kingdom (24). 

Western European chemical companies were slower in adopting market and marketing research tools to assist in their operations and planning. A few large companies such as ICI, Bayer, Hoechst, and Solvay were using the techniques in the late 1950s, but not until the early 1970s did European chemical companies use these studies as frequendy as their U.S. counterparts. 

The World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) has been formed, consisting of nuclear plant operators over the entire world who have pledged to assist each other in the achievement of safe operations (25). There are four centers from which this international program is adrninistered one in the United States in Atlanta, Georgia, operated by INPO one in Paris operated by Electricitir de Prance one in Moscow operated by the Ministry of Nuclear Power and one in Tokyo operated by the Central Research Institute for the Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI). Through this mechanism, teams of operators from the U.S., Western Europe, and Asia visit CIS plants to share safety experience and know-how, and similarly, plant personnel from Russian and Eastern European nuclear units visit European, Asian, and U.S. plants. 

U.S. manufacturers of niacin and niacinamide include Nepera, Inc. and Reilly Industries, Inc. U.S. suppliers include BASF Corporation, Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., and Rhc ne-Poulenc. Western European producers and suppHers include Degussa, Rhc ne-Poulenc, BASF, Hoffmann-La Roche, and Lon2a (71). In 1995, the prices for niacin and nicotinamide were 9.75/kg and 9.25/kg, respectively (72,73). 

The market outside of the United States reflects the historical dominance of carbon—zinc ceUs. For example, in Japan nearly half of all sales are carbon—zinc ceUs, about 33% are alkaline, and about 17% are Hthium. The high proportion of Hthium ceUs relative to U.S. sales reflects the important photographic market in Japan. Western European sales are similar to those in Japan, and Third World sales are almost totally dominated by carbon —zinc... 

World production of lead—acid batteries in 1988, excluding the Eastern European central economy countries, has been estimated at 9.45 biUion. The automotive market was 6743 million or 211.6 million units. Industrial battery sales were 2082 million and consumer battery sales were 454 million. Motorcycle batteries accounted for an additional 170 million or 25 million units. Most batteries are produced in the United States, Western Europe, and Japan, but smaller numbers are produced worldwide. The breakdown in sales for the three production areas foUows. Automotive battery sales were 2304 million in the United States, 1805 in Western Europe, and 945 million in Japan. Industrial battery sales were 525 million in the United States, 993 million in Western Europe, and 266 million in Japan. Consumer battery sales were 104 million in the United States, 226 million in Japan, and 82 million in Western Europe. More than half of all motorcycle batteries are produced in Japan and Taiwan (1). 

Peracid Precursor Systems. Compounds that can form peracids by perhydrolysis are almost exclusively amide, imides, esters, or anhydrides (85). Two compounds were commercially used for laundry bleaching as of 1990. Tetraacetylethylenediarnine (TAED) [10543-57-4] is utilized in over 50% of Western European detergents (5). The perhydrolysis reaction of this compound is shown in equation 19. T A ED generates two moles of peracid and one mole of diacetylethylenediamine per mole of imide (93). 

Table 5. Western European and Asian Producers of Butanals ...

Excluding Eastern European countries and China where production figures have not been pubHshed, the world production capacity of activated carbon was estimated to be 375,000 metric tons in 1990 (35). The price of most products was 0.70 to 5.50 /kg, but some specialty carbons were more expensive (36). Eorty percent of the production capacity was in the United States, 30% in Western Europe, 20% in Japan, and 10% in other Pacific Rim countries (Table 2). 

Western Europe has seven manufacturers of activated carbon. The two largest, Norit and Chemviron (a subsidiary of Calgon), account for 70% of West European production capacity, and Ceca accounts for 13% (42). Japan is the third largest producer of activated carbon, having 18 manufacturers, but four companies share over 50% of the total Japanese capacity (43). Six Pacific Rim countries account for the balance of the world production capacity of activated carbon, 90% of which is in the Philippines and Sri Lanka (42). As is the case with other businesses, regional markets for activated carbon products have become international, lea ding to consoHdation of manufacturers. Calgon, Norit, Ceca, and Sutcliffe-Speakman are examples of multinational companies. 

Fibric Acid Derivatives. Fibtic acid derivatives have been used since the 1960s for control of blood Upid levels. The four most well-known compounds in this class ate fenofibrate, gemfibrozil, clofibrate, and bezafibrate, shown in Table 5. Fenofibrate has been the most popular fibtic acid derivative in Europe, and has mote tecentiy been investigated extensively in clinical trials in the United States (153). Bezafibrate is stmcturaHy related to clofibrate, and has tecentiy been reviewed by Western European and AustraUan clinical trials (154). 

In addition to these, some anthraquinone dyes and their intermediates are also produced in Eastern Europe, Russia, China, and Korea. As the result of the history of anthraquinone chemistry, most manufacturers are still located in Western Europe. Most former manufacturers in the United States abandoned the dyestuff business or were acquired by European companies by the middle of the 1980s. 

The development of the autoxidation of alkyl anthraquinones led to a rapid iacrease ia the production of H2O2 but a sharp decline in the importance of the electrolytic process. In 1991 the total North American, Western European, and Japanese capacity for H2O2 production was more than 870,000 t (77). No H2O2 was produced by the electrolytic peroxydisulfate process. The last plant using this process closed in 1983. 

USA and Western European data were presented differently in the original source material. Pipe and conduit tonnages and also export sales as well as sales to compounders are included under Other for USA data. 

As mentioned earlier, unmodified polystyrene first found application where rigidity and low cost were important prerequisites. Other useful properties were the transparency and high refractive index, freedom from taste, odour and toxicity, good electrical insulation characteristics, low water absorption and comparatively easy processability. Carefully designed and well-made articles from polystyrene were often found to be perfectly suitable for the end-use intended. On the other hand the extensive use of the polymers in badly designed and badly made products which broke only too easily caused a reaction away from the homopolymer. This resulted, first of all, in the development of the high-impact polystyrene and today this is more important than the unmodified polymer (60% of Western European market). 

U-F moulding materials are relatively much less important than they were 30 years ago. Western European production in 1991 was approximately 70000 tonnes, slightly greater than P-F moulding material production. U-F resin used for this application is, however, probably less than 5% of total U-F resin production. 

In the USA producers included Eastman Kodak (Tenite PTMT), General Electric Corporation of America (Valox), and American Celanese (Celanex). In Europe major producers by the end of the decade were AKZO (Amite PBTP), BASF (Ultradur), Bayer (Pocan) and Ciba-Geigy (Crastin). Other producers included ATO, Hills, Montedison and Dynamit Nobel. With the total Western European market at the end of the decade only about 7000 tonnes other companies at one time involved in the market such as ICI (Deroton) withdrew. 

By 1998, however, the Western European market had grown to over 90 000 t.p.a., that for the United States to about 140 000 t.p.a. and that for Japan to just over 60 000 t.p.a. There are also about a dozen USA and Western European manufacturers. Statistics on capacity are somewhat meaningless, as the polymer can be made using the same plant as employed for the manufacture of the much larger tonnage material PET. It is, however, quite clear that the market for injection moulded PBT is very much greater than that for injection moulded PET. 

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