A case-control study, carried out in the Mount Gambier region of South Australia, investigated the relationship between mothers' antenatal drinking water source and malformations in offspring. It was prompted by earlier descriptive findings of a statistically significant, and localized, increase in the perinatal mortality rate in Mount Gambier, due principally to congenital malformations affecting the central nervous system and multiple organ systems. Available for statistical analysis were 218 case-control pairs, from the period 1951-1979, individually matched by hospital, maternal age (+/- 2 years), parity and date of birth (+/- 1 month). Compared with women who drank only rainwater during their pregnancy (relative risk (RR) = 1.0), women who consumed principally groundwater had a statistically significant increase in risk of bearing a malformed child (RR = 2.8). Statistically significant risk increases occurred specifically for malformations of the central nervous system and musculoskeletal system. Reanalysis of the data by estimated water nitrate concentration demonstrated a nearly threefold increase in risk for women who drank water containing 5-15 ppm of nitrate, and a fourfold increase in risk for those consuming greater than 15 ppm of nitrate. A seasonal gradient in risk was evident among groundwater consumers, ranging from 0.9 for babies conceived in winter, 3.0 in autumn, to 7.0 and 6.3 for spring and summer conceptions, respectively. Linear logistic regression analysis, controlling for risk factors not accounted for in the study design, showed that maternal water supply, infant's sex, and mother's area of residence all contributed significantly to the risk of malformation. These results are discussed in relation to previous experimental and human descriptive studies, suggesting a plausible mechanism for nitrate-induced teratogenesis.

The average male-female performance difference in the three sports of track athletics, swimming and time trial cycling are examined between the years 1948 and 1976. During this period females have gradually come to participate in a much larger number of events, particularly those of longer duration. In each of these three sports, women's performances in relation to men's have more or less continuously improved and it appears that if the changes between 1948 and 1976 are maintained, average female performance will equal that of males for all events currently competed in by both sexes in these sports at some time during the next century. Estimates as to when, precisely, this will occur vary somewhat according to the basis on which the calculations are made. The other main change evident during these years is that in all three sports women's performances relative to men's for events of long duration have become as good or better than their relative performance at events of short duration.

This paper considers some recent ideas about tertiary environmental education and about environmentalism as an emerging social purpose of universities. It shows that total reliance on education about the environment results in unacceptable views of the environment, environmental education and environmental problems'. The paper considers approaches to teaching, arguing for one which assumes that learners construct their own concepts of the environment It distinguishes between current discipline-based teaching in universities and the more holistic Green Education. The paper concludes with a list of characteristics of Green Education which follow from the arguments presented.

The changes in the average male-female performance difference for nine running, six swimming and four skating events between the years 1936 and 1984 are examined. The data, world records and verified best performances, confirm the conclusions derived in earlier more circumscribed studies that women's performances relative to men's have improved markedly and are continuing to improve. This improvement is manifest in long and short distance events and in those in which women have been competing for a long time as much as those they have taken up recently. Regression analyses suggest that eventual equality of performance may be attained in the foreseeable future. The implications of these findings for women's sport are discussed. Women still have a more restricted programme in these three sports and many others; in particular several of the longer distance events are not open to them at Olympics, World Championships and so forth. These restrictions are obviously based on false perceptions of women's biology. With increasing participation, media exposure, training and social acceptance, women's improvements are likely to continue. The reasons for and implications of the previous incorrect scientific assessment of women's sporting potential are also discussed.

The differences between male and female performance in athletic track events at which both compete are compared. It is found that the difference between male and female performance as measured by world records is declining in all events and declining most rapidly in those events in which the differences at the present time are largest. Analysis of national track records for these same events shows considerable differences between different countries in average male/female differentials and the differences between males and females for some events in some countries is much smaller than world record differences.It is concluded that social factors such as differing degrees of encouragement and differing levels of expectation are important factors in limiting female athletic performance.