OPPT NEWSBREAK Wednesday, 17 February 1999 Today's "Toxic News for the Net" Brought to you by the OPPTS Chemical Library http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/oppt_nb.txt NEWS "Polio Shots in 50s, 60s Are Linked to Cancer. Tainted Vaccine Given to Millions." Washington Times, 17 February 99, A1, A18. A new study on the effects of SV40, a virus that came from dead monkeys whose kidney cells were used to culture the first Salk vaccines, found evidence linking the monkey virus to a number of human cancers, including brain tumors, bone cancer, and mesothelioma, a once-rare type of lung cancer linked primarily to exposure to asbestos. Tens of millions of people who received the vaccine in the 1950s and 1960s are at risk of having been infected. The study was led by Dr. Janet Butel of the Baylor College of Medicine in Waco, Texas, and is published in the _Journal of the National Cancer Institute_ [no citation given]. "National Parks Struggle With Use of Snowmobiles. Environmentalists, Riders at Odds." Washington Times, 17 February 99, A6. Earlier this month, the National Park Service ordered a 12-month ban on snow machines in Denali National Park in Alaska to prevent snowmobiles from intruding on wildlife and sensitive wilderness. The ban was praised by environmentalists but criticized by snowmobile enthusiasts and critics of federal restrictions on public lands. Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), chairman of the House Resources Committee, has called for an "`immediate recision'" of the ban. The Bluewater Network says the exhaust from snowmobiles "is endangering `park wildlife, air and water quality, vegetation, park ecology and park users.'" "FDA Approves New Test to Detect Lyme Disease." Washington Post, 17 February 99, A4. The Food and Drug Administration has approved PreVue, a new test for Lyme Disease that can be done in a doctor's office, allowing quicker diagnosis and earlier treatment. PreVue is made by Chembio Diagnostic Systems. AROUND THE BELTWAY: DC/MD/VA REGIONAL NEWS "Court Temporarily Bans Dumping Medical Waste." Washington Times, 17 February 99, C3. Last week, Virginia sued Waste Management Inc. after finding illegally dumped medical waste at the Charles City County landfill. On Tuesday, County Circuit Judge Thomas B. Hoover issued a temporary restraining order and set a hearing for February 26 on the state's request for an injunction barring medical waste shipments by the company. Waste Management could face a fine of up to $500,000 for this latest incident of illegal dumping. "WWI Shell Found at Ambassador's Home [Briefly: District]." Washington Times, 17 February 99, C2. The Army Corps of Engineers found an unexploded 75mm World War I projectile at the Korean ambassador's home in Northwest Washington. Munitions specialists continue to look for other weapons, including mustard gas, at the site of the former American University Experiment Station. "Woman Hospitalized After Gas Stove Leak [Briefly: Maryland]." Washington Times, 17 February 99. Prince George's County fire officials found a 62-year-old Fort Washington woman unconscious in her home, where gas was leaking from her stove. She was taken to Prince George's County Hospital Center and is listed in stable condition. ACROSS THE USA, from USA Today "Greenwich, Connecticut [Across the USA]." USA Today, 16 February 99, 6A. A law is being proposed by the state Dept. of Environmental Protection requiring that permits for sewage treatment plants include limits on the amount of nitrogen dumped into the Long Island Sound. Less-polluting plants would be able to sell unused credit for dumping to facilities which do a lot of dumping. "North Providence, Rhode Island [Across the USA]." USA Today, 16 February 99, 6A. Tests are being conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in more than 200 places along the Woonasquatucket River to determine the extent of dioxin contamination. This is EPA's largest sampling effort to date. "Seattle, Washington [Across the USA]." USA Today, 16 February 99, 6A. The state Dept. of Ecology predicts that the Washington coast will begin seeing signs of oil that leaked from the New Carissa off Coos Bay, Oregon. Since the freighter ran aground three weeks ago, much of the oil has been burned off. "Casper, Wyoming [Across the USA]." USA Today, 16 February 99, 6A. Citizens are complaining about orange gas clouds escaping from the Amax Eagle Butte Coal Mine north of Gillette. Federal officials say the state did not respond adequately to complaints about toxic nitrogen oxide drifting outside the mine. The state Dept. of Environmental Protection Quality will hold a federal review into the matter. FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT "Revolt in the Bureaucratic Ranks [Commentary]." Washington Times, 17 February 99, A15. Donald Devine, former director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, and currently a columnist and a Washington-based policy consultant, writes about the increasing resistance of federal managers to implementing President Clinton's 1993 executive order that directed the creation of " management councils'" that included union officials. "If the Clinton order were enforced, management could not establish the number of positions it deems necessary, identify the skills required, classify a position at the appropriate grade level, determine which organizational unit performs a task, establish the hours of duty for a position, or determine what equipment and tools are needed, in what order the work is performed, and how many personnel will be involved without consulting the union." He gives examples of problems various agencies have had with the directive, and with equal employment complaints. He concludes: "Perhaps Rep. Joe Scarborough, Florida Republican, will investigate both of these matters, If so, he will find a great degree of support from career managers and even among the Clinton political leadership." "Partnership' Union Push [Commentary]." Washington Times, 17 February 99, A15. James Bovard, author of "Freedom in Chains: the Rise of the State & the Demise of the Citizen" (St. Martin's, 1999), writes a companion piece to Devine's [see above]. He discusses the government unions, noting that "fewer than 30 percent of federal civilian employees are members of unions." He gives examples of union officials as problems at the Social Security Administration and the Customs Service. He concludes: "The Clinton-Gore Partnership' with unions is one more cheap shot against American taxpayers. Citizens must learn to recognize government union endorsements of politicians as poison pills-- a signal that the politician is a champion of less work for more pay for civil servants. If reinventing government' means paying government workers for the time they sleep, then perhaps it is time to return to older, less outrageous boondoggles." * All items, unless indicated otherwise, are available at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxics Substances (OPPTS) Chemical Library Northeast Mall, Room B606 (Mailcode 7407) Washington, D.C. 20460 (202) 260-3944; FAX x4659; E-mail for comments: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Due to copyright restrictions, the library cannot provide photocopies of articles.) *Viewpoints expressed in the above articles do not necessarily reflect EPA policy. Mention of products does not indicate endorsement.* To subscribe to OPPT Newsbreak, send the command subscribe OPPT-NEWSBREAK Firstname Lastname to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe, send the command signoff OPPT-NEWSBREAK Also available on the World Wide Web (see banner for address) The OPPTS Chemical Library is operated by GCI Information Services
