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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 25, 1983)
Page 6/The Battalion/Friday, March 25, 1983 Worker contaminated in radiation incident Officials a risk to call EPA order Dallas children United Press International HOUSTON — Preliminary tests at a Gulf Nuclear Inc. com pany’s Webster plant show an employee’s lungs contain about 13 times the allowable level of a radioactive material, a health official said. The man, who was operating a lathe at the plant Feb. 8 when the device sliced a sealed capsule of Americium-241 in half, has about 200 nanocuries of the radioative material in his lungs, said Ed Bailey, director of licens ing, regulations and standards for the Texas Bureau of Radia tion Control. The health department has indefinitely suspended the operating license of the plant for failure to report the accident in which as many as eight other employees also may have been contaminated. The employee who reported the incident in a letter to state officials was fired, Bailey said Wednesday. A Houston attorney repre senting the company said the employee was fired for excessive absences, not for reporting the incident. Richard Ratliff, the Texas Health Department’s director of radiation compliance, said pre liminary tests indicate two em ployees have some level of radia tion in their bodies as a result of the Feb. 8 incident. He said tests had been ordered for seven others. “When it (Americium-241) gets into the body, it doesn’t im pose an immediate threat,” Rat liff said. “You’re looking at long term effects, such as increased chances of cancer and things like that. “The reason we ordered the company to send the people to the lab is you need to find out early if radioactive material is present so they can be treated,” he said. Ratliff said officials believed the accident posed no danger to the general public in the area of Webster, on the southern edge of Harris County near the John son Space Center. United Press International WASHINGTON — Hun dreds of poor Dallas children were affected by a deputy En vironmental Protection Agency administrator’s decision to stop plans for the cleanup of lead- contaminated soil, regional EPA officials testified today. Three officials of the Dallas regional EPA office told a House subcommittee they dis agreed with then deputy EPA administrator John Hernandez’ decision. Hernandez ordered that more health tests be con ducted before owners of three smelters be forced to clean up the lead-contaminated soil in schoolyards and playgrounds within a 2-mile radius of their plants. The EPA officials said the owner of one smelter, RSR Corp., said it would undertake any necessary cleanup. During testimony last week before the subcommittee, Her nandez denied knowing any of the firms had agreed to pay lor their own cleanup. “I think he might have forgot ten,” Deputy Regional Adminis trator Frances Phillips of Dallas said Thursday. She said Hernandez had been on the job just 15 days when first contacted about results of a Dal las EPA study indicating the and south Dallasneig^j vs bile further studiesvi ducted to see if soih levels also should bed lllll! high-lead levels in the blood of school children could have been caused by playing in lead- contaminated soil. She said the regional office recommended that the owners of three smelters clean up soil with lead levels above 1,000 parts per million in 'poor west "Dr. Hernandezs reviewed the literatimJ didn’t Ixdieve the should !>e a standard^ reluctant to set tlwts Phillips said. "He saidlj think we should money to remove ( any bulldozers until ^; identify the speciGo® health problems oftl®; Waste site search hindered United Press International AUSTIN — A bill that could hinder the federal government’s search for a high level radioac tive waste disposal facility in the Texas Panhandle has been approved by a state Senate com mittee concerned about water contamination. Two of the seven sites being studied by the federal Depart ment of Energy, which must re duce its list to three by August, are in Texas. Other sites under consideration are in Washing ton, Nevada, Utah, Louisiana and Mississippi. Of the three finalists, DOE must recommend one to the president by 1987. Serving Luncheon Buffet Sunday through Friday The Senate Natural Re sources Committee unanimous ly approved a bill by Sen. Bill Sarpalius, D-Hereford, that would force DOE to obtain a permit from the Texas Water Commission before it drills a deep test shaft in Deaf Smith County. DOE is also considering a site in Swisher County. Both Texas sites are salt dome formations. Delicious Food Beautiful View 4t-Open to the Public ^ “Quality First” pruininitiiniii Sarpalius told the committee he is worried about the el feels of drilling a shaf t in the giant Ogal- lala Aquifer, a deep reserve of underground water shared by six states. In addition to requiring D< )E to get a stale permit, D( )E would also have to prove to the state that the drilling would not affect current or future oil or gas re serves. Also, a permit could not l»c issued in Texas il DOE is in volved in litigation in other states under consideration foi the disposal site. Sierra Club spokesman Ken Kramer said the environmental group agrees with the concept of Sarpalius’ bill, but does not be lieve it goes far enough. “Texas has not committed money to begin its own to plan a strategylozs Texas can protect itsi ment.” he said. ’; Kramer proposed! I exas I egislature app money to permit state to review the potentil 1 exas as the mspoglj also suggested the cm state policy on negotai 1)()E on the use ofaTt David Escamilla,aspe lor Sarpalius, saidtliel! signed to protect critb supplies. “If we (Texas) i|l assurances, il (the dri mil) won t be issued,'k (the bill) also gives us to receive all iij| Texas can keep up k: matinn. and we can dangers.” ★ DISCOUNT ★ $ 3 00 Off Haircut 8c Blow Dry $J0OO Off Perms/Body waves FREE CONSULTATION WE SERVICE THE LAI ES I IX.. Cuts/BIow Drys Perms w/Fashion Highlights Nails , ((tier expire H< sic BOGIE’S Unite ; HO US' said char been filet told polio father in t feting. | Billy R from jail pond on murder i |B3-year-o ■ The e tire deale urbof Spi dition in ■from a q nead. Harris Itrict Atto tided to N0RTHGAP | attemptet IN assistant NOW OPEN mended gjury’s det “I fel ethical di UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT! ★★ SPECIAL ★★ (SATURDAY & SUNDAY) Hamburger, Fries, and Beverage $ 2 10 “On the >athies h ly. 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