Thursday, June 23, 1988TThe Battalion/Page 5
Schools to be searched for asbestos
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AUSTIN (AP) — In one of the most extensive
undertakings in Texas school history, every sin
gle school building — public and private — must
be inspected this year for materials that contain
asbestos.
For years, asbestos was used to insulate, sound
proof and Fireproof buildings. But asbestos has
been linked to cancer, and a federal law gives
1,050 or so school districts in Texas until Oct. 12
to submit plans to remove the substance. The or
der affects some 29,000 buildings.
Dr. Larry Britton, director of environmental
sciences for Texas Research Institute, predicts
asbestos inspections in buildings will become as
common as home termite inspections.
TRI’s laboratories in Austin have been analyz
ing asbestos samples since 1985, but Britton says
the real crush, with schools, is yet to come. "By
summer, we will run shifts to keep up with the
demand.”
Officials at the State Health Department,
which was designated as the Texas agency in
charge of complying with Asbestos Hazard
Emergency Response Act — or A HERA — ac
knowledge that there is no way it could analyze
asbestos samples from all school districts.
“Our target list includes those schools with the
fewest resources,” said Elvin Burnside, a regis-
Aggievision
tered sanitarian with the Health Department.
Burnside, Britton and Jerry Lauderdale, di
rector of the department’s Occupational and
Safety Division, discussed AHERA and its impact
on schools, as well as possible problems, in recent
intervews.
AHERA was signed into law by President Rea
gan in October 1986, setting in motion the na
tional effort to make schools safe from asbestos.
Under the law, all school buildings for kinder
garten through 12th grade must be inspected for
asbestos by a person who has completed a train
ing course approved by the federal Environmen
tal Protection Agency. Then, in Texas, a plan
must be presented to the Health Department to
prevent the materials from becoming a health
hazard.
After a plan is approved, it must be imple
mented byjune 29, 1989.
Asbestos does not necessarily have to be re
moved from buildings, which is expensive, but
just made safe, Burnside said.
But there are penalty provisions for failing to
comply with AHERA. A school district, for ex
ample, can be fined $5,000 a day per building for
improper inspection or up to $25,000 for failing
to provide asbestos records upon request or re
fusing to let the EPA inspect the buildings.
Britton, a former University of Texas profes
sor who has 14 years’ experience in microbiology
and biochemistry, said asbestos becomes poten
tially dangerous when it is crushed, releasing fib
ers into the air that may be inhaled.
Special equipment and skilled workers run up
the tab for removing asbestos.
“You just can’t get somebody off the street to
go in and do that type of thing,” Britton said.
Word of AHERA was passed to the schools by
the EPA; Texas Education Agency; private
school organizations; insurers; the Health De
partment, which has conducted numerous semi
nars; and asbestos consultants.
“These consultants are looking for the schools.
It’s not so much the schools having to look for
them,” Lauderdale said.
The health officials, as well as Britton, ex
pressed concerned about schools being careful in
selecting building inspectors, asbestos analysts
and companies to remove materials.
“Schools do not want to be on a waiting list, so
they might be tempted to go with a company that
has less experience,” Lauderdale said.
Old procedure used
to stretch short bones
DALLAS (AP) — Doctors are us
ing a procedure, developed in Sibe
ria 37 years ago for mending limbs
of World War II casualties, to
lengthen too-short arms and legs of
patients in this country.
The technique, developed in 1951
by Soviet physician Gabriel Ilizarov,
didn’t reach the United States until
1981, Richard Treharne, a bioengi
neer, said.
Treharne is employed by Rich
ards Medical Co. in Memphis,
Tenn., a company which markets
equipment used for the procedure.
The Ilizarov method stretches
bones shortened by amputation, po
lio, complicated fractures or con
genital abnormalties such as dwar-
Through a 1- or 2-inch incision,
an orthopedic surgeon cuts the
outer layer of the bone to be
stretched, leaving the blood supply
undisturbed.
Pins as slim as bicycle spokes con
nect the bone to hoops that sur
round the exterior of the limb and
the hoops are attached to each other
by long screws.
The patients actually do some of
the work themselves, lengthening
the screws a tiny fraction of an inch
each day by turning nuts on the end
of them with a wrench. They check
in with their doctors about once a
week.
As the bone cut heals, it is pulled
apart slightly, stretching the tissue
and stimulating the production of
more bone.
Practitioners say the proper
growth rate is about an inch every 10
weeks.
Treharne said in some cases bones
have been stretched up to 10 inches
and even changed growth direction.
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(Continued from page 1)
I hired five people in April solely for
I editing purposes.
Peter Hughes, a senior English
I major and a former Aggievision
I staff member, was fired by Keith,
i Hughes said he was fired because
I of personal problems, not because of
1 the quality of his work.
“Greg told me that being fired
■ had nothing to do with the work I
I did for the project,” Hughes said.
I "He (Keith) said it was a personality
I conflict — (it was) because of my atti-
I tude.”
Keith confirmed Hughes’ com
ments.
Cheryl Clements, a May journa
lism graduate and a member of the
first video yearbook staff, said all
staff members of the first video year
book were journalism majors with
broadcast experience who had
worked for either KBTX or KAMU.
She said the staff that Keith hired
for Aggievision was inexperienced
and unqualified.
Keith said he received only 20 ap
plications for staff positions. Some
of these, he said, did not even know
what they were applying for, and
some of the people’s applications
were not well prepared.
“There wasn’t a bunch of enthu
siasm; we didn’t get tons of applica
tions,” he said. “You do the best you
can with what you get. You don’t say
only this many people applied so
cancel the project. You do the best
you can with those who applied. I
think I did that.”
Despite past problems, the board
is committed to the success of the
A&M video yearbook.
Davenport said this year’s staff
has done a fairly good job, but better
work is possible in the future if the
board can find people who are not
afraid of the job.
Starr and Johnson both feel that
Cheryl Pratt, a senior journalism
major and producer of the 1988-89
video yearbook, was a good choice
for the position.
Pratt has worked for two years at
KAMU and has taken most of the
courses offered in journalism and
broadcasting. She also has done a lot
of freelance work for companies in
Bryan-College Station and has been
involved in the pre-planning and
production of KAMU talk shows.
Pratt said Aggievision had so
many problems this year mainly be
cause of lack of organization.
“The staff didn’t go into the pro
ject with any kind of organized plan
and they relied on themselves too
much,” she said. “I plan to do a lot of
‘pre-planning’ before I begin the
project and I won’t hesitate to get
help from others if I need it. It’s very
important to realize when you need
to get some technical help.”
Keith said he thinks next year’s
project will move much more
smoothly considering the amount of
experience that the new producer
has. He believes, however, that the
new staff should have a very in
volved adviser.
“They need someone from the de
partment or from KAMU that
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knows about video,” he said. “It’s
very hard working with people like
Don Johnson who look at everything
from a print perspective.”
After post-production is com
plete, the board will review the final
product to determine whether or
not the project should be continued
next year, Starr said.
“If this year’s product really stinks
then it’ll (the video yearbook) proba
bly get killed by the board, but if it
doesn’t then it’ll get another year,”
he said. “The board will be looking
at the sales volume to help deter
mine if the project is abandoned or
not.”
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