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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 5, 1986)
Page 4/The Battalion/Wednesday, March 5, 1986 Proposed EPA asbestos ban will require water tei f es By OLIVIER UYTTEBROUCK Reporter The proposed Environmental Protection Agency prohibition on asbestos-cement pipe and other asbestos products will re quire water districts to test for asbestos fib ers in drinking water, an EPA official says. However, this requirement, which was announced last month, will probably not take effect for at least a year, says Mark Mc- Casland, an environmental engineer in the EPA’s Dallas office. David Simmons, manager of Bryan’s wa ter and wastewater department, says asbes tos-cement pipe accounts for 30 percent of Bryan’s 400 miles of water mains. Benny Luedke, College Station water and sewer department superintendent, says that asbestos-cement pipes have been in widespread use in College Station for over 30 years. The EPA proposal sets a recommended maximum contaminant level for drinking water at 7.1 million asbestos fibers per liter. but since this is only a recomended level, no actual testing is required yet, McCasland says. McCasland says the proposed ban is largely in response to health risks posed to asbestos industry employees. The proposed EPA prohibition would ban the manufacture and distribution of a number of asbestos products including as bestos-cement pipe but would allow the continued use of asbestos-cement pipe al ready in place as well as existing stockpiles of the pipe, McCasland says. Asbestos-cement pipe accounts for 30 percent of Bryan’s 400 miles of water mains. — David Simmons, manager of Bryan’s water and wastewater department. College Station, says although asbestos is not specifically tested for in drinking water here, it would be apparent in the bacterio- Ibgical tests performed each month by the Department of Health. Cor However, biologist Tom Bricker with the Department of Health in Austin says sam ples submitted for biological analysis are generally not observed under an electron microscope, which is necessary to detect as bestos fibers. ATHERINI ZINGE Reporte The EPA plans to hold public hearings to determine how quickly the prohibition will be implemented, McCasland says. Currently, water supplies are not being tested for asbestos by the EPA, the Texas Department of Health or municipal water departments. Concern has risen in recent years that in areas with some combination of soft, acidic and alkaline water, the inner cement lining of asbestos-cement pipe may corrode, ex posing drinking water directly to asbestos and admitting asbestos fibers into the water supply. But Texas A&M chemistry professor. Rod O’Connor, says recent tests show that water in the Bryan-College Station area tends to be slightly hard and slightly basic. He says he doubts that water in this area is corrosive. Hard water is defined as water con taining high concentrations of calcium and magnesium. David Pullen, an engineer with the city of “Unless we were testing specifically for asbestos, we wouldn’t know if and how much was there,” Bricker says. The method for analyzing water for as bestos fibers outlined in a 1980 EPA report involves filtering water through a fine membrane and observing the collected material by electron microscope at 20,000x magnification. According to EPA studies, asbestos also can be released into the water supply when asbestos-cement pipes are brokenor into. Simmons says that ground move due to moisture in the soil often»f asbestos-cement pipe to snap. McCasland says the greatest release bestos into drinking water occurs who and taps are made into new orexistuTp^puters seem lines. Ml facets of life i Concentrations of asbestos Id ^ even into studyii higher than normal have persisted it 0 b prall of Colle mv; watei foi weeks a I iei taps havtM e cl a computer made in asbestos cement pipe, accont se (l free to help si one EPA study. [elsaid he deckf mm to help his McCasland savs that usually afterctni-pass, no-play made in asbestos-cement pipe, tb e ep his son from flushed out several times before itis| &M Consolidatec the lines that supply the public. Mvondered what In College Station. pip« art (liil; l0 . !t e JP alto nins arc ina.I.-„> |,!cv e m Pralha beinir U-udd says. Howl arted as V 1 " tnonitoi ,nvd,e< feet kept growing government agencie made, he says. Contributor names to be on Capitol monument AUSTIN — Texas House Speaker Gib Lewis on Tuesday helped unveil a miniature of the $2 million Sesquicentennial mon ument that will be placed on the Capitol ground. The 20-ton bronze monument is 37 feet long, 17 feet high and is titled “Texas Legacy.” It was com missioned by the 1985 Legis lature but will be paid for by a fund drive sponsored by the Texas Historical Foundation along with the American Masters Foundation of Houston. The monument depicts two cowboys on horseback herding five Longhorn steers and a heifer across a section of railroad track. All contributors of $25,000 or more will have their names en graved on the base of the mon ument. In addition, Lurie said, anyone contributing $25,000 or more will be eligible for a drawing and the winner’s likeness, or anyone he chooses if they are male, will be used for one of the two cowboy faces. New child restraint law deemed successful Mil said he desi id be run withou ||omputer know! H set up so a pt By KAREN BOEHNKE Reporter tor of the Safe Riders Program at the Texas Department of Health. cidents could be pn straints were used. vented if re- Twenty infants have been saved from death in car accidents since the Texas Child Passenger Safety Law went into effect last year, according to statistics from the Texas Depart ment of Health. The law requires that children un der 2 ride in approved safety seats and that children from 2 to 4 be in safety seats or seat belts. During a nine-month period in 1984, 63 children aged 4 and under were killed in wrecks. Last year the count was 43, a 31 percent decrease. Of that 43, only five were in safety seats, said Carolyn Evans, coordina- Evans said the decline wasn’t a surprise. “Other states that had the law be fore Texas saw similar decreases,” Evans said. “What is really striking about the statistics is that not only are we seeing a decline in deaths, we are proving a major reason for that decline is the use of safety seats.” Evans said traffic accidents are the number one cause of death for chil dren under 4. According to the department, as many as 90 percent of deaths and 85 percent of injuries to children in ac- Sgt. Choya Wallen of the Bryan Police Department said many par ents aren’t using the seals properly. Often parents will put their chil dren in safety seats out not strap them with seat belts, she said. This is not only against the law but danger ous, she said. Anita Pitt, coordinator of the Community Occupant Protection Program for the Brazos Valley De velopment Council, said parents who don’t comply with the law gen erally do so mainly out of habit. To combat this neglect, the pro gram tries to educate the public CHIMNEY HILL BOWLING CENTER 40 LANES League & Open Bowling Family Entertainment Bar & Snack Bar 701 University Dr E 260-9184 BOTHER’S Kons or notes t through demonstrations of tthen be testedo use. Put said '^ ea Mard theory,” P A violation of the law mavmmeans learnin in a S25-S50 fine for liraoffoMequestionscai 1 he fine may be refun(iedif; |different orde latoi shows proof of getting Juo the person f seat within lOdays. Meanswersare one to five — on Wallen said that five r jmation was k were issued locally in JanuanMing all knowle that one was dismissed bec:y|question was kn Me program ca Iscore and store The law is not as strict astrIg. . pis allows the all persons intents in lean eat belt oraiMo 1 only can iial, but you c; nd,” Prall said. For example, Pi violator bought a safety seat. »thei not as stnet astl states. For example, N«l aw require: I I to use a BOOKSTORES Announces their Third Annual MMmMTHE MdumN A World Wide Pictures release in color Featuring BILLY GRAHAM with a message of hope. SCHULMAN 6 7:20 9:35 MIDNIGHT MADNESS SALE March 6 4p m - 10pm The followin fxvrted to the Isity Polic tmgh Monda MISDEMEA « Two SI00 k . a backpacl llsnng ftuMun • An empty ' tainer was of a 1978 sxk parked in * Seven bic on campu BURGLARY ION: ll About $12 ce separate CASH for gold, silver, old coins, diamonds Full Jewelry Repair Large Stock of Diamonds Gold Chains TEXAS COIN EXCHANGE 404 University Dr. 846-8916 3202-A Texas Ave. (across from El Chico,Bryan) 779-7662 Thursday Alt S ^ ,»w 5 * Two pistols |m 10. CRIMINAL * A resident tted that a bm and asked oft drink. V I to give man atte holder, 5 abte to gral i to wrest t av. but the abed.T I the room.' 'C° arges. lapai '’ey ^ Assoc AUSTIN — Jtpanese-based |ial estate projt ’ be recruitii thants to help iillion office bi the BATT HALF-PRICE SAi e HALF PPICe ' SWEATS 9* A delegation ho-headquarti I ruction Co. ; makes you BUCKS SAL£ AT BOTH (.OCAT'ONS 340 JerseV ( j ri iv^ r sity Poll 06 Across fr ° 696^211"! followed 901 Harvey Woodstone Center 764-3969 Battalion Advertising 845-2611 POTHER’S BOOKSTORE WOODSTONE giant parking lot sale FRIDAV