US Distributor Research Articles

Hazards ahead in the disasters game

Accident and Design: Contemporary Debates in Risk Management. Edited by Christopher Hood and David K. C. Jones. UCL Press: 1996. US distributor Taylor and Francis. Pp. 267. £45, $75 (hbk); £14.95, $24.95 (pbk). Exploring Risk Communication. By Jan M. Gutteling and Oene Wiegman. Kluwer: 1996. Pp. 233. $118, £79. Dealing with Risk: Why the Public and the Experts Disagree on Environmental Issues. By Howard Margolis. University of Chicago Press: 1996. Pp. 236. $27.95, £21.95. Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk. By Peter L. Bernstein. Wiley: 1996. Pp. 394. $27.95, £17.99.

Talc and condoms

To the Editor. —After reviewing the Letter to the Editor by Drs Kasper and Chandler,1we wish to bring your attention to the fact that no talc products have been used in the manufacturing of Kimono and Sagami lubricated condoms (Sagami, Japan). On January 13, 1995, Mayer Laboratories Inc informed Kasper and Chandler of this fact. However, they apparently did not incorporate this information in the material submitted toJAMA. Mayer Laboratories Inc is the principal US distributor of Kimono and other condoms manufactured by Sagami. We support all efforts to eliminate the use of talc in the manufacturing of latex condoms because there may be pathologic consequences from exposure to talc.

Elements on disc

Interactive Periodic Table on CD-ROM. ATTICA Cybernetics, Oxford, UK, in association with the Department of Chemistry, University of Southampton. £116.33. US distributor, Compton's New Media Inc. (619 929 2555).

Secret history

Operation Epsilon: The Farm Hall Transcripts. Institute of Physics Publishing: 1993. Pp. 313. £14.95. US distributor, University of California Press.

Book review

Manuals of Food Quality Control. 10. Training in Mycotoxins Analysis. FAO Food and Nutrition Paper 14/10. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Via delle terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy, 1990, 113 pp. US distributor: UNIPUB, 4611‐F Assembly Drive, Lanham, MD 20706–4391. $14.50 + postage and handling. Seafood: Effects of Technology on Nutrition. C. M. Pigott and B. W. Tucker. Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York. 1990. 384 pages, $89.75.

Changing dynamics of the overseas marketplace for TV programming: The rise of international co-production

This article examines the recent strategy adopted by the US television production industry in coping with the changing worldwide media environment. Developments in the USA include the commercial networks' declining audience share, the increasing penetration of cable TV, and spiralling production costs; abroad, the coming of age and increased sophistication of the televesion industry and the strengthening of programme import regulations are significant. Access to foreign markets is becoming critical to the financial equation of US producers and distributors of high-budget TV programmes. International co-production is the response to the new dynamics of world-wide television programming and a product of economic necessities.

Chloracetamide: An Unusual Cause of Cosmetic Dermatitis

<h3>To the Editor.—</h3> Allergic contact dermatitis from the use of skin care products and cosmetics containing chloracetamide has been reported in several countries in Europe.¹Apparently, no such cases have occurred in the United States. The US distributor of this preservative states that chloracetamide is not presently registered or sold for use in cosmetics in the United States, although it is sold as an industrial biocidal preservative. Thus, it is logical to expect that chloracetamide contact allergy will not occur from cosmetic products in the United States. However, we recently encountered a case of contact allergy to chloracetamide due to purchase of an imported topical spray astringent formulated in France. We therefore wish to alert dermatologists to exposure to chloracetamide in imported cosmetics formulated abroad that may contain this potent sensitizer. <h3>Report of a Case.—</h3> A 40-year-old woman had a six-month history of a recurrent pruritic facial dermatitis that