National
THE BATTALION
THURSDAY, JULY 2, 1981
Page 7
Ban on fireworks hard to enforce
United Press International
It’s Fourth of July season again and the land is resound
ing with the booms of illegal M80s, ash cans, Silver Salutes
and the newest craze, “the super-blockbuster” — all ban
ned under laws as difficult for police to enforce as Prohibi-
'tion.
“It’s like trying to enforce litter laws or Prohibition,”
said a police official in New York City, where it is not
uncommon to see children hurling lighted firecrackers out
of tenement windows, despite a state ban on all fireworks.
“What can you do if there are 400 people all lighting
firecrackers on the block?”
A total of 16 states have laws completely banning unau
thorized use of firecrackers and fireworks, including spark
lers, and most other states have bans on the larger firec
rackers. In many states, cities and counties also have their
own laws limiting firecrackers.
In addition, the federal government has banned inter
state commerce for all of the big firecrackers and has regis
tration rules designed to keep such popular holiday explo
sives as M-80s, ash cans and cherry Bombs out of the hands
of youngsters.
In New York state’s Nassau County, the police bomb
squad said firecrackers are such a problem they annually
hold a display to underscore the dangers.
At this year’s display, a policeman put a watermelon on
the shooting range and fired into it with a .44-caliber
magnum, the most powerful handgun on the market. The
melon broke into four pieces.
Then a “super-blockbuster” — the newest firecracker
craze in Nassau County — was placed in another waterme
lon and detonated. The melon was shattered into small
pieces, its remains strewn across the range.
“That’s the newest goodie to rear its ugly head, that’s
what the kids will be playing with this year — a tube
crammed with powder readily capable of destroying a mail
box,” said bomb-squad detective Thomas Gilligan.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission in Washing
ton says fireworksrrelated injuries jumped 18 percent last
year from 1979 and reported deaths increased from six to
10.
Law enforcement officials say supplies of powerful illegal
firecrackers are plentiful, with the big explosives being
produced in “shanty” bootleg factories in the South or
being brought up from Mexico.
One apparent illegal fireworks factory exploded last
April in Newport, Ky., killing two men and injuring 25
others.
Many of the firecrackers used in the United States also
are imported legally from the Far East, but then make their
way to the illegal marketplace, officials say.
“It’s like the drug business — the profits are tremen
dous,” said Gilligan.
Unauthorized fireworks have been outlawed in Minne
sota since 1941, but on South Dakota highways near the
border, roadside stands sprout up for the holiday season.
In Arkansas, firecrackers can be sold by licensed dealers,
but illegal entrepreneurs try to cash in on July 4th profits
too by setting up illicit stands.
“How are you going to catch them with more than 1,000
stands spread out all over the state?” asked Ray Carnahan,
commander of the state fire marshal’s office.
In Texas and Oklahoma, many cities ban the use of
fireworks, so enterprising vendors set up stands outside
city limits. Oklahoma City fire officials say they will stop
motorists who purchase fireworks — and confiscate them.
In Washington state where fireworks are limited, In
dians on reservations — not subject to state jurisdiction —
have been selling illegal firecrackers in recent years.
eading cancer cause not regulated
United Press International
WASHINGTON —The United
states regulates 102 substances
suspected of causing cancer but
aot tobacco, which a congressional
study says is responsible for more
ticer deaths than any other sing-
lie substance.
“Public health laws exclude
[tobacco from regulatory’ action be
cause smoking tobacco is viewed
as a personal decision, and one in
fc’hich Congress has decided not to
[intervene,’’ said a report released
Tuesday by Congress’ Office of
Technology Assessment.
“The government limits its re
sponsibility to informing smokers
and potential smokers of the
aazards of cigarettes, conducting
Behavioral studies on ways of
fecting smoking habits and sup-
|)orting research on low tar-
aicotine cigarettes.”
Helen Gelband, an OTA re
search associate and one of the re
port’s authors, estimated 30 per
cent of all cancer is preventable,
largely by stopping smoking.
Other cancer-causing factors that
can be controlled, she said, are
asbestos, excessive alcohol con
sumption and unnecessary radia
tion exposure.
The OTA report said cigarette
smoking is the major cause of lung
cancer in men and women and
largely responsible for the recent
rapid rise in female lung cancer
rates. Smoking, the report said,
also is associated with cancer of
the larynx, oral cavity, esophagus,
bladder, kidney and pancreas.
“Tobacco is known to contri
bute more heavily to the number
of cancer deaths than any other
single substance,” the report said.
The report, an assessment of
technologies used to evaluate en
vironmental causes of cancer, said
the government has 10 laws aimed
at restricting human exposure to
cancer-causing agents.
The OTA report said 57 of the
102 regulated substances sus
pected of causing cancer are co
vered by more than one law.
Despite the current anti-
regulatory mood in Washington,
the report said Americans still
favor health and environmental
regulations.
“The majority of people want
protection against carcinogenic
risks, and at the same time want to
reduce regulatory costs and bur
dens. Choosing between these
two goals or reaching comprom
ises between them will remain an
important point of contention in
policies about the control of can
cer,” it said.
OTA listed 11 ways the govern
ment could improve the informa
tion that leads to environmental
restrictions.
Four of the options for impro
ving ways to determine what en
vironmental agents cause cancer
deal with gathering information
about the occurrence and distri
bution of cancer in the population.
Three call for improvements in
the way suspected substances are
tested for cancer-causing poten
tial.
Three of the options recom
mend changes to the Toxic Subst
ances Control Act passed by Con
gress in 1976 and an increase in
Environmental Protection Agen
cy resources to assess substances
Greg (.amw
.m. today
>ur donor;
1 persons i
Lower farm prices
help slow inflation
United Press International
WASHINGTON ~• Prices far
mers receive for raw farm pro
ducts skidded during the entire
first half of 1981.
Prices declined 0.7 percent in
June — the sixth straight monthly
decline. However, average prices
still were 11 percent higher than a
year before.
The Agriculture Department
ofmuchotK said Tuesday that farmers re-
lous wastes ceived lower prices for wheat, scy
the incineiS 1 beans, com, hay and lettuce
through mid-June. The declines
were partially offset by higher
prices for hogs, tomatoes, pota
toes, broilers and turkeys.
Lower farm prices translated
rooms and! into relatively stable food prices
it. Thoseba i! during the first half of the year,
ources and" which in turn helped restrain
overall inflation.
The first-quarter rise in retail
I food prices was the smallest in five
^Olr years. However, high prices for
Cti figgs an( j poultry were a signal that
food prices are expected to rise at a
higher rate in the second half of
icn Eddinj-'^the year.
ofpapersa($ For the year, 10 percent infla-
mention 1^ tion in food prices is expected, and
;ars. in the third quarter, food prices
•rk at the 1$are expected to rise at an annual
ad been innate of nearly 12 percent as meat
d his prison' 1 supplies decline, department eco-
; after admiJ nomists said.
' hospital,"
i medicine
red 300 t(
peals.
On the average, the farmer gets
onfe-third of the consumer’s food
dollar and the rest goes to move
the food from the farm to the su
permarket checkout counter.
DOOMED
... unless you are able to de
stroy wave after wave of In
terterrestrial Invaders. Our
fate rests with you as you
master
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COMMAND”
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more effectively before they are
introduced into commerce.
The last option presented by
the report recommends consider
ation of a central panel of experts
to make technical decisions about
regulations concerning cancer-
causing substances.
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