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boggling figure—more than 40 tons of industrial waste are generated annually for every man, woman, and child in the United States. He reviews inventories for different waste types, and discusses and compares different sources for this waste. Materials production, especially the chemical products industry, is a primary source. As Allen emphasizes, a knowledge of the sources of waste are needed to set rational policies and define research and technology needs for waste reduction. He analyzes the patterns for hazardous waste treatment and shows that wastewater treatment is the primary technology used for hazardous waste management. The second article, "Introduction to Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing," by Randall Watkins and Barry Granoff of Sandia National Laboratories, looks at a different aspect of materials and the environment. These authors emphasize the avoidance of waste generation (and subsequent waste management) by the application of environmentally conscious manufacturing techniques. These approaches include replacement of hazardous materials with nonhazardous materials, refinement of operating procedures, replacement of existing processes with newer, waste-free processes, increased use of recycling, and product redesign. They report on waste reductions up to 50% over a 10-year period by 3M and 30% by Dow Chemical, both recognized leaders in waste minimization and pollution prevention. "Alternatives to CFCs and Global Warming: A Systems Approach to Evaluating Net Contributions," by Steven K. Fischer of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Mack McFarland of Dupont Chemicals, deals with replacing CFCs or Freons, the class of compounds of most concern on an international level because of their contribution to stratospheric ozone depletion and global warming. The authors note that some studies to find replacements for hazardous materials and processes are limited when only a small portion of a

product's life cycle is examined. This ar- 1 tide avoids that pitfall by taking a systems t approach to the replacement of CFCs used j in building insulation and refrigerator/ 1 freezer units. The authors show that the s total equivalent warming impact (TEWI) of potential replacements needs to be compared in order to choose the best alternative. The TEWI concept is explained. "Some Materials Concerns in Nuclear Waste Management," by Regina Hunter of Sandia National Laboratories, addresses an area of long-term concern for the Materials Research Society and the materials community—the development of materials designed for long-term disposal of radioactive wastes. Over the years, many technical symposia have considered various aspects of this topic. The topic is especially timely because the Waste Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP) is expected to begin its test phase in early 1992. WIPP is the salt-based repository in southern New Mexico that the Department of Energy (DOE) is developing for disposal of transuranic waste produced by DOE operations. Hunter describes this and other programs. This special issue concludes with a