The term of office of three members of the ICP Board of Directors expires on 30 June 2019.  Nominations are invited for the election of the ICP Board members who will hold office starting 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2022.

Three board members — one representative each from the industry, government and academe — are to be elected. Only active regular ICP members (chemists) may be nominated.

End Term	Academe	Government	Industry
2019	Dr. Fabian Dayrit*	Col. Victor Drapete*	Ms. Ludivinia Avendaño*
2020	Dr. Glenn Alea	Ms. Nenita Marayag	Ms. Priscilla Alice Samonte
2021	Dr. Lilibeth Coo	Dr. Rosalinda Torres	Ms. Edna Mijares

* Terms to expire on June 30, 2019.

The elected members of the board are expected to regularly attend the meetings of the ICP and actively participate in activities geared towards achieving the objectives of the ICP as follows:

1. Support the implementation of Chemistry Law and the Code of Ethics for chemists and safeguard the professional interests of the registered chemists;

2. Make the professional chemists conscious of their serious responsibilities in helping the country develop;

3. Provide a forum to exchange ideas on the chemistry profession;

4. Cultivate discipline among the members, develop the spirit of camaraderie, and maintain occupational standards;

5. Encourage and foster chemical education;

6. Develop a continuing program of activities leading towards upgrading of standards, such as accreditation of laboratories and professional competencies.

Guidelines:

• Only ICP members in good standing can be nominated, submit a nomination, and vote. The ICP Membership Committee shall confirm the status of nominators, nominees, and voters.
• The nominee must confirm acceptance of nomination by signing the attached nomination form or by sending an email indicating acceptance of nomination. Members may nominate one candidate to each sector. Click here to download nomination form.
• The winning candidate from each sector will hold office for a term of 3 years (2019 to 2022).
• The nomination period is from May 11 to June 14, 2019. Nomination forms should be submitted by e-mail to ICPComelec@gmail.com by 5PM of June 30.
• The list of nominees will be posted on the ICP website (https://www.icp.org.ph/) by June 18.
• The election period will be from June 17 to 28, 2019.
• The ICP Elections Committee (ICP COMELEC) is made up of the following: Dr. Glenn Alea (chair), Ms. Nenita Marayag, and Ms. Priscilla Alice Samonte.

This article was written by Monica Beyer and was first published on the website Medical News Today on 31 March 2019.

A recent study in mice showed that reheated cooking oil might trigger cell changes that can promote late-stage breast cancer growth.

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign tested “thermally abused frying oil,” which is cooking oil that has undergone reheating to high temperatures multiple times, in laboratory mice and found that it increased metastatic breast cancer growth.

The team reported these findings in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.

The scientists fed all of the lab mice a low-fat diet for a week. Then, they gave some of the mice unheated fresh soybean oil for 16 weeks while the rest ingested thermally abused oil instead.

They chose to use soybean oil because the restaurant industry commonly uses it for deep frying.

To simulate breast cancer, they injected 4T1 breast cancer cells into a tibia of each mouse. These breast cancer cells are very aggressive and have a high rate of metastasis to multiple distant sites. As a result, they often appear in the lymph nodes, liver, and lungs.

The effects of reused oil

At 20 days after the injection of the tumor cells, there was a notable difference in the rate of metastatic growth between the two groups of mice. In the mice who had eaten thermally abused oil, the metastatic growth of the tibia tumors was four times greater than that of the tumors in the mice who consumed the fresh oil.

There were also more lung metastases in the former group. Lead researcher William G. Helferich, a professor of food science and human nutrition, noted that there were twice as many lung tumors, which were also more aggressive and invasive than those in the fresh-oil group.

“I just assumed these nodules in the lungs were little clones — but they weren’t,” says Helferich. “They’d undergone transformation to become more aggressive. The metastases in the fresh-oil group were there, but they weren’t as invasive or aggressive, and the proliferation wasn’t as extensive.”

Breast cancer statistics

Breast cancer occurs when cells in the breast grow out of control and form a tumor. If the cells are capable of invading the surrounding tissue or spreading to other areas of the body, doctors deem the disease to be malignant. Breast cancer is not exclusive to women — although it is rare, it can affect men as well.

Breast cancer rates in the United States have increased by 0.4 percent a year over recent years.

Why reheated oil may be bad

The repeated reheating of cooking oil changes its composition and releases acrolein, which is a toxic and potentially carcinogenic chemical.

Restaurants and other food outlets often reuse soybean oil multiple times before replacing it with fresh oil in the frying vats.
These factors are what led the researchers to investigate whether thermally abused oil could have any effect on breast cancer growth. Although the results are preliminary, they add to a knowledge base that will grow deeper as research in this area continues.

“Many cancer biologists are trying to understand what’s happening at metastatic sites to prime them for tumor growth,” notes co-lead author and graduate student Ashley W. Oyirifi. “We’re trying to add to this conversation and help people understand that it might not be just some inherent biological mechanism but a lifestyle factor. If diet provides an opportunity to reduce breast cancer survivors’ risk, it offers them agency over their own health”, she adds.

In celebration of this year’s National Chemistry Week, the Integrated Chemists of the Philippines (ICP) has organized a seminar-workshop on Practical and Cost-Effective Solutions to Laboratory Chemical Wastes held on 18 February 2019 at the Century Park Hotel in Manila. The event was well-attended by around 350 participants coming in from all parts of the country and representing diverse chemical sectors such as those working in the industry setting, educational institutions, government agencies, among others.

Five well-versed speakers kept the participants abreast on the latest developments and updates regarding the said topic. Mr Roger Evangelista (Environmental Management Bureau) discussed extensively the newly-updated regulations on how to effectively manage the hazardous wastes of chemical laboratories. He also informed the participants regarding the important role of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in monitoring generators, transporters, and treaters of hazardous waste for the benefit of stakeholders and the community at large.

Mr Johanne Guilaran (Jefcor Laboratories) discussed extensively on the classification of hazardous wastes. He also mentioned ways on how laboratories can minimize the chemical wastes they generate. Ms Priscilla Alice Samonte (Nuevochem Specialties) gave practical information on how laboratory personnel would handle and store their chemical wastes. She stressed on the importance of segregation, using proper labels, and periodic inspection of stored wastes.

The Honorable Ma. Teresa Cayton (Board of Chemistry, Professional Regulation Commission) tackled on the proper disposal and treatment of chemical wastes. She also reported on the latest figures regarding laboratories who are faithfully complying with the Chemistry Profession Act of 2015, and showed some examples on how laboratories practice either good or bad waste management.

Lastly, Dr Glenn Alea (De La Salle University) emphasized on the safety practices that all laboratory personnel must follow while inside their respective chemical laboratory, such as the dynamic role of both employer and employees on laboratory safety, and how a company’s chemical safety manual must be regularly reviewed and updated.

Certainly, the participants gained a plethora of knowledge and practical wisdom on how to further improve their laboratory waste management. The ICP would like to express its most sincere gratitude to them for attending this event and making it successful.

Every year, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) honors the outstanding professional from each profession during the PRC Week which is held every June. We would like to invite ICP members to nominate individuals for the honor of Outstanding Chemist of 2019.

The criteria for selection include the following:
1. Professional Competence and Integrity in the exercise of the Chemistry profession
2. Meaningful participation in professional activities through the professional organization
3. Significant contributions to the advancement of the Chemistry profession
4. Evidence of social responsibility through meaningful social activities

The Outstanding Chemist can come from government, industry or academe. The evidence for outstanding performance will depend on the sector where the nominee comes from. The nominees have to be evaluated and endorsed by ICP. The deadline for submission to ICP is on February 28 (Thursday).

For relevant forms and further details, kindly contact the ICP via email (integratedchemists@gmail.com).

Let us recognize the outstanding chemists among us!

The Bacolod chapter of the Integrated Chemists of the Philippines (ICP), under the leadership of its chapter president Ms Roselyn Usero, has successfully organized two events on 14 December 2018 at the Nature’s Village Resort in Talisay, Negros Occidental.

The morning event was the regional oath-taking ceremony of new chemists and chemical technicians in the area. A total of five chemists and seventy chemical technicians were inducted in the event, witnessed by their respective families, friends, and colleagues. The ceremony’s motivational speaker was ICP’s Vice-President for External Affairs Ms. Edna Mijares, where she discussed the different career paths for the newly-licensed professionals. She also challenged them to blaze new trails to further uplift the state of the country’s chemistry profession. Also gracing the event was Hon. Adoracion Resurreccion, chair of the Board of Chemistry.

Meanwhile, a seminar on instrumentation and CPD updates was held in the afternoon session, which was well attended by chemists, chemical technicians, and other professionals who are working in the region. Mr. Edward Santos of Agilent Technologies discussed gas and liquid chromatography solutions, while Ms. Edna Mijares updated the audience regarding CPD requirements. A question-and-answer portion was allotted afterwards, where the audience’s queries regarding the Chemistry Profession Act, hazard pay, and other professional matters were addressed.