Daikin Industries

The Japanese government accused two companies of selling a chemical to the Soviet Union that could be used for missiles. The Ministry of International Trade and Industry accused Daikin Industries, an air conditioner manufacturer in Osaka, and Boeki Ltd., a small trading firm in Tokyo, of exporting 860 tons of high-density halogenated hydrocarbon to the Soviet Union in 1986 and 1987 without permission.

A Japanese court today fined an air-conditioner manufacturer $14,000 after finding it guilty of illegally exporting strategic chemicals to the Soviet Union. The Osaka District Court in western Japan imposed the fine on Daikin Industries for violations of foreign exchange and trade laws, a court officer said. The court also gave the manager of Daikin's sales planning department a suspended 10-month prison term.

A Japanese court today fined an air-conditioner manufacturer $14,000 after finding it guilty of illegally exporting strategic chemicals to the Soviet Union. The Osaka District Court in western Japan imposed the fine on Daikin Industries for violations of foreign exchange and trade laws, a court officer said. The court also gave the manager of Daikin's sales planning department a suspended 10-month prison term.

The Japanese government accused two companies of selling a chemical to the Soviet Union that could be used for missiles. The Ministry of International Trade and Industry accused Daikin Industries, an air conditioner manufacturer in Osaka, and Boeki Ltd., a small trading firm in Tokyo, of exporting 860 tons of high-density halogenated hydrocarbon to the Soviet Union in 1986 and 1987 without permission.

Teflon products, including nonstick cookware, are probable sources of pollutants called trifluoracetate, or TFA, that accumulate in seasonal wetlands in California and Nevada, according to a report in today's issue of the journal Nature. While researchers stress that TFA, a salt, is not toxic to humans and urge people not to throw away their Teflon pots and pans, they do argue that their findings explain a mysterious surplus of the contaminant. "We asked, 'Where is this extra stuff coming from?'