Antarctic scientists face booze ban

Scientists working at an Antarctic base should be routinely breathalysed according to a safety report, which revealed that alcohol was fuelling “unpredictable behaviour” leading to fights and indecent exposure.

Officials from the National Science Foundation (NSF) have called for breathalysers to be used at two US-run bases – McMurdo Station and the South Pole – after an audit of health and safety found that excessive drinking at the isolated locations had resulted in “fights, indecent exposure, and employees arriving to work under the influence”.

Of the 57 people disciplined during a 19.5 month period for code of conduct violations, it was estimated that 60 to 75% was related to alcohol misuse. A researcher was also found to be brewing the beer at the station, prohibited by the USAP Alcohol Policy.

“Breathalyzer tests, which contractor policy requires employees to undergo if their supervisor suspects that they are under the influence of alcohol, are rarely administered”, the report said. “Since alcohol abuse does occur in the USAP program, workplace safety could be enhanced if breathalyzer tests were administered to all USAP participants endangering themselves or others due to the influence of alcohol. We recommend that NSF review the legality of a requirement for breathalyzer for all USAP participants and establish and enforce a requirement to the extent it is legal.”

However should breathalysers be deployed they may not even work. The South Pole station is located atop a 10,000 feet plateau, with altitude preventing breathalysers from working properly. The two bases are home to about 1,150 people, including scientists and support staff.

While alcohol was a key concern, a more pressing problem at the isolated bases appears to be the “ongoing culture clash” between contract workers and scientists, also known as beakers, who often eat, drink and socialize separately.

“There’s a very big cultural split in Antarctica”, Philip Broughton, who worked as a technician on the South Pole radio telescopes in 2003, told Wired. “The beakers have a license to kill. There is little consequence for what they do down there.”

Appearing to back up this assumption, the report noted: “In practice, the Code of Conduct is enforced differently depending on whether the individual who engaged in misconduct is a contractor or subcontractor employee versus any of the other types of individuals participating in the program (i.e., researchers, NSF employees, or guests).”