Government Roundup

U .S. AND RUSSIA are expected to ask the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons this month for the one-time extension to 2012 to complete destruction of their chemical arsenals. Both are unlikely to meet the extended deadline, however, since the U.S. is now projecting complete elimination of its stockpile by 2023, and Russia has destroyed only 6% of its 40,000-ton stockpile.

NIH is requiring applications for Research Project (R01) Grants to be filed electronically beginning on Feb. 5, 2007. The R01 transition to paperless submission is the latest in NIH's moves toward an electronic grant process.

LOS ALAMOS National Lab was found to have security policies that are "nonexistent, applied inconsistently, or not followed," says a recent Energy Department inspector general report. The IG notes security problems have plagued the department since 1999, despite tens of millions of dollars spent on upgrades.

the WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION reports that millions of people are harmed by high levels of fluoride in drinking water contaminated by natural geological sources. Its report, "Fluoride in Drinking-water," says many suffer from conditions ranging from mild dental fluorosis to crippling skeletal fluorosis, and in China alone, more than 10 million people have skeletal fluorosis.