Et Cetera

Trichloroethane is widely used as a cleanser in microchip manufacturing. Unfortunately, it also attacks the planet's ozone layer, so chipmakers are looking for a substitute. Now AT&T may have one in N-butyl butyrate, a chemical found in, of all things, cantaloupes, peaches and plums. In fruit, it contributes to overall flavor; in the atmosphere, it should help reduce mankind's siege of the ozone layer, in turn relieving the onslaught of cancer- and cataract-causing ultraviolet light.