Tainted water now
sole DER says
jbnKnsUan
Is spite of the recent discovery
of carcinogenic contaminants in
the Capitol Campus water
system, die Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental
Resources reports the water here
is safe to drink.
Tests by DER on water
samples taken from ten wells at
Harrisburg International Airport
(HIA) m March 2 showed the
presence of two carcinogenic
(cancer-producing) hydrocar
bons, trichloroethylene (TCE)
and tetrachloroethylene, accor
ding to a statement from DER
cited in a communication from
the Public Information Office at
University Park. One well show
ed a 93 parts per billion (ppb)
level of TCE, and a 13 ppb level
of tetrachloroethylene. This well
has been voluntarily taken out of
operation.
A March 2 DER sampling of
Capitol Campus water, which is
supplied by the HIA wells, show
ed a TCE level of 15 ppb and a
1.8 ppb level of tetracnloro
ethyiene, according tp an inter
office memo from Duane R.
Smith, Associate Provost-Dean
here.
On March 31, the memo said,
DER took another sample at
Capitol Campus, finding a TCE
reading of zero ppb. The
tetrachloroethylene level drop
ped from 1.810 1.4 ppb.
Elmer C. Knaub, DER Com
munity Environmental Control’s
Supervising Sanitarian for this
region, says the danger of cancer
at the chlorinated hydrocarbon
levels mentioned here is very
small. “People take much
WNDR bids
Author at WPSU Wilkes Barre Campus station.
greater risks every day,” he
says.
Knaub said the DER doesn’t
even require the issue of a public
notice, to boil water until the con
taminant reaches 200 ppb.
With a TCE level of 4.5 ppb,
the DER would notify the water
supplier and encourage him to
monitor the TCE level. The risk
at this level is such that people
could drink two liters a day for
seventy years with an expected
risk of one cancer victim for
every million people.
But TCE and tetrachloro
ethylene can be very dangerous
in sufficient concentration, ac
cording to an article in the
March 1981 issue of Civil
Engineering. Chlorinated
hydrocarbons like these not only
are associated with cancer, but
also with fatal depression of the
central nervous system and
kidney and liver problems.
The DER doesn’t know how
long the two hydrocarbons have
been in the HIA water, and con-
Please see “WATER,” pg. 3
rgmmfmri
Published by students of Penn State University, Capitol Campus
for former stat
By Mark W. Clauser
Capitol Campus’ radio station,
WNDR, is making a bid to
upgrade its facilities, pending
the actions of Penn State ad
ministration. '
WNDR has learned of the op
portunity to move to the FM
band with a complete 10 watt
facility soon resting idle at Penn
State’s Wilkes-Barre Campus.
Wilkes-Barre will be abandoning
the entire broadcasting program
at the end of Spring Term 1983.
Dr. Brookholder, Wilkes-
Barre’s Assistant Director for
Academic Affairs says: “We
have plans to dismantle the sta
tion before next Fall because I
know it’s the director’s plans to
convert the whole radio area into
faculty offices.”
What are the chances of
Capitol Campus getting the
Wilkes-Barre equipment? Dr.
Brookholder says the university
has a system where decisions
are very centralized, adding,
Mark Clauser
on’s equ
Tuesday, April 26,1983
ipment
“With the way things work in the
university if University Park
wants it then in almost all cases
University Park gets it.”
Dr. Marlowe Froke, General
Manager of Learning and Tele
communications Services, Com-
“I’m not in the business
of listening to an 18-year
old kid come in and tell me
how to run the third-ranked
speech communications
department in the United
States.”
Dr. Robert Brubaker
U. Park Speech Com. Dept
Head
monwealth Educational System
says: “I do know that the
University Faculty senate voted
to dismantle the Associate
Degree Program at Wilkes-
Please see “RADIO/’ pg. 3
V 01.17, No. 7