February 1992 - Sent Sony Friedman all of Hemp documentation: Postage $6.75 Received a response letter from “Scott Leon”, Executive Producer on Ms. Friedman’s behalf. March 1993: Jounal Graphics - Transcript on CNN clip on Paper: “Brittle Book Syndrome Baffles Scientists” LEON HARRIS, Anchor” Well, millions of books around the world are prematurely crumbling to pieces. The problem is more than just old age, and scientists are trying to understnad the process so they may eventually find a way to stop it. CNN’s Al Hinman reports. AL HINMAN, Correspondent: There’s a killer on the shelves - brittle book syndrome. When the page corners begin breaking, librarians know the book’s in danger. Brittle books age prematurely. Hardest hit are books from the late 19th and early 20th century, but no one knows the extent of the problem. The paper litterly disintegrates, and scientists do not know why some paper is more susceptible than other to the syndrome. PAUL WHITMORE, Carnegie Mellon Research Institute: We don’t knmow if there is one cause, or multiple causes, that all lead to the same problem, and that’s one of the things that we and other laboratories have been trying to do, is to find the origins of those problems. HINMAN: In the search for a solution to the brittle book problem, scientists first must find out why some papers deteeriorate more quickly than others. At Carnegie Melon University’s Research Institute in Pittsburgy, scientists are studying the chemistry that causes paper to age or degrade. PAUL BOGAARD, Carnegie Mellon Research Institute: I see how much dye has been absorbed by the paper. The more the degradation in the paper, the more dye will be absorbed. HINMAN: Brittle book chemists make their own paper to ensure uniform research. Other laboratory techniques accelerate aging, helping to speed up the research process. Mr. BOGGARD: And there’s our paper. HINMAN: The chemists say it could take years to study the aging characteristics of all the different kinds of paper used in books. Mr. BOGAARD: This whole field of trying to figure out what goes wrong with paper is very tricky because paper is very stable, and only a very small amount of deterioration renders it very brittle, and too brittle to use. HINMAN: Even books printed on what are considered more modern and longer-lasting paper already are showing signs of premature aging. Mr. WHITMORE; The history recording the year I was born is on its way to becoming a brittle book. It’s not that long ago, but all of a sudden that’s an endangered book. HINMAN: Until science finds that chemical cause, or causes, and perhaps a solution to the brittle book syndrome, librarians will have to watch more of their books die on the shelf. HARRIS: Wen we come back, we’ll show you a hairraising approach to science education. And , by the way, if you’d like to order a transcript, the number to call is