Government & Policy Roundup

Methyl ethyl ketone is no longer classified as an air toxic, a category of chemicals subject to stringent emissions controls under the Clean Air Act, EPA announced late last month. The agency delisted the widely used solvent in response to a 1996 petition from the American Chemistry Council's Ketones Panel.

The number of college graduates in the U.S. in 2003 was 40 million, up 40% since 1993, according to an NSF report. Of these graduates, 12% held jobs in science and engineering fields, with 50% of this subset earning doctorates as their terminal degree. The complete report is available at www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf06304.

Pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly & Co. has agreed to pay a $36 million fine and penalties for illegal promotion of its osteoporosis drug Evista, the Justice Department announced. Justice had charged that Lilly was illegally marketing its drug to prevent breast cancer, a use for which the product has not been approved.