Univ. seeks ways to reduce lead
By SHANNON KOKOSKA
Collegian Staff Writer
The exercise and sports science
department is looking at ways to elim
inate periodic lead build-up from
White Building's rifle ranges.
Improving ventilation is one way of
eliminating lead-contaminated dust
which results from the impact of lead
bullets on sand mounts, said Bill Drei
belbis, a University industrial hygen
ist.
"(The department) wanted to
upgrade the ventilation and basically
provide a greater margin of safety,"
he said, adding that present lead lev
els in the range are safe.
Rob Cooper, a University engi
neering contract administrator, said
his department is looking into improv
ing the ventilation system. The project
is "only in for an estimate," he added.
He was unable to quote an exact fig
ure but said implementing a new sys
tem could prove to be an elaborate
and costly process.
Another alternative is installing a
"bullet trap" a device which simply
catches the bullets after they are shot
eliminating the use of sand, said
Mark Belden, a physical education
instructor.
The traps, which can cost up to
$33,000, are considered state-of-the
art, and are used at the Olympic
Training Center in Colorado Springs,
Colo., he said.
Air guns are another possibility, he
said, but they also contain lead.
Bob Ricketts, activity coordinator
for the riflery program, said me of air
guns would entail purchasing new
equipment. The University currently
receives free ammunition from the
Lead in
PSU:
By SUE CALDWELL
Collegian Science Writer
Lead-contaminated dust created by firing bullets
into sand mounts poses no health threat to students
and regular users of the White Building rifle range,
a University scientist said.
Previous checks done on the rifle range during fir
ing show levels of lead-contaminated dust well
below the recommended standards, said the Univer-
sity's senior industrial hygenist Bill Driebelbis.
Sand mounts at the White Building were recently
replaced because continual impact from bullets
fragments the sand into lead-contaminated dust,
said Robert Eiseisbraim, coordinator for basic ints
truction. Although a ventilation system at the White
Building removes dust particles, sand mounts at the
ORGANIZATION
The Division of Student Programs is offering
an Orientation Program for YOU! The intent of
the program is to provide you with important
information that will help you to be more effec
tive leaders of your organization.
If your organization receives funding from the
Student Organization Budget Committee, Pro
gram Development Fund, or other University
sources, you should plan to attend. The Orien
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A shot of the White Building rifle range shows lead build-up in sand mounts. The photo was taken Aug. 30
government because it follows stan
dards set by the director of civilian
marksmanship, he said.
Sand mounts currently used in the
rifle ranges must be replaced every
four or five years, due to fragmenta
tion and lead build-up caused by the
firing of lead bullets into the sand, said
Robert Eisenbraun, coordinator for
basic instruction.
New sand mounts were installed
during the first week of classes, he
said. Riflery classes postponed during
the installation period have resumed.
Louis Plank, physical plant store
room supervisor, said the old sand is
currently being stored in a locked area
behind the Maintenance and Opera-
rifle
1111
TIN
STUDENT
LEADERS!!
range poses no health threat
rifle range are regularly removed every four to five said, lead can cause vomitting, diarrhea and kidney
years, he said. problems and may even affect the central nervous
On average, students were exposed to lead parti- system.
cies for one hour a day, he said. Results from the "You would have to eat a bunch of bullets,", he
sampling averaged from .004 mg lead/cubic meter claimed.
to .03 mg/cubic meter, Driebelbis said. These Lead accumulates in the body at a very slow rate
continually excreting lead
results are .02 mg/cubic meter below the maximum because the body is
safe exposure level established by the U.S. Occupa- through urination, Dreibelbis said. Industrial
tional Safety and Health Administration. experts who work with lead on a daily basis are at
the greatest risk for lead poisoning, he added.
"We feel very comfortable that we are below lev- Chronic exposure to lead may exert adverse
els that might cause any problems," he said. effects on the blood, nervous systems, heart, endo-
Dreibelbis said people are exposed to lead through
breathing fumes or ingesting it by hand to mouth
contact. Lead is not absorbed through the skin, he
added.
If ingested in fairly large amounts, Dreibelbis
T lON
T lON
tions Building, and is covered with
tarp
Alternatives for dealing with the
lead-contaminated sand include find
ing a secure landfill or hiring a waste
specialist, Dreibelbis said, adding that
the University is dealing with the sand
as a hazardous waste.
Edward Shapiro, a hazardous waste
management consultant for Pitts
burgh-based Datagraphics, said no
landfills for this type of material exist
in Pennsylvania, and the closest is in
Ohio. Disposal of the waste could cost
as much as $l5O per ton, with trans
portation costs ranging from $6OO to
$l,OOO, he said.
Dreibelbis said the volume of the 30
to 40 tons of sand removed from White
Building would decrease by about 40
percent after it was sifted for salvage
able lead. This could leave as much as
24 tons of sand the University must
dispose
Eisenbraun said no decision has yet
been made as to what would be done
with the old sand or when it would be
taken care of.
Tom Griffiths, safety officer for
intercollegiate athletics, said the
range should have remained closed
until a defmite plan had been made for
the range's future
"I think it was imprudent and I
think it was premature to put (new)
sand back in the range," he said.
trine and immune systems, kidneys and reproduc
tive system, according to a material safety data
sheet. Symptoms of acute exposure include thirst,
a metallic taste, a burning sensation in the mouth
and throat, excessive saliva and abdominal pain.
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New program helps
students quit smoking
By SUE CALDWELL
Collegian Science Writer
If you've been trying to stop smoking
but the urge to take a puff continuously
haunts you, Ritenour Health Center has
a new program in which peers will try
to help you quit
Beginning tonight a free three week
smoking cessation program called
Peers Supporting Quitting will attempt
to help 15 students kick the smoking
habit. Bobby Pfau, assistant director at
Ritenour, along with peer educators will
lead students through role play situa
tions and offer support to those inter
ested in quitting.
The program will meet from 6:45 to
7:45 every Tuesday and Thursday night
in 28 Ritenour beginning tonight and
ending September 19. Pfau said inter
ested students may still sign up for the
program by calling 863-0461 by 5:00 this
afternoon. For those students who do
not make the deadline, Ritenour will
sponsor two more PSQ programs dur
ing the Fall Semester.
Pfau said last semester Ritenour used
the American Cancer Society's Fresh
Start Program, but has since modified
that program to create PSQ. Topics
such as how to resist smoking in an
alcohol-related situation and smoking
roommates will be discussed, she said.
Laura Suchey (senior-corporate fit
ness and health), a peer educator for
PSQ, said the program will not help stu
dents unless they want to quit smoking.
A lot of smoking is stress related, she
said. Pfau added that September is a
perfect time to quit smoking because
students are not confronted with as
much stress compared to other times of
the year
Students should also consider quit
ting, Pfau said, because of the recent
Hearings set to evaluate
Paul Robeson procedures
Although no plans have been made to
cancel upcoming programs, hearings
will be held sometime this week to eval
ute existing event procedures at the
Paul Robeson Cultural Center, said
Lawrence Young, the center's director.
Safety concerns arose after a fight
involving members of Omega Psi Phi
and Kappa Alpha Psi fraternities broke
out during a dance at the center Aug. 26.
One man was injured in the fight, Uni
versity Police Services reported.
The hearings will look at ways to pre-
CALL US!
- -1
I
Student surveys at the
University show more
females smoke than
males, the assistant
director at Ritenour
Health Center said.
emphasis on a smoke free working envi
ronment.
"You might as well quit while you are
here and you can go to the workforce
smoke free," she said.
Methods on how to hinder the urge to
smoke will also be presented. If the
desire to smoke arises, Suchey said, cin
namon sticks offer an excellent alterna
tive. By the time someone finishes
sucking the cinnamon stick the urge to
smoke is over, she added.
In any given student population, Pfau
said, 15 to 21 percent of the students
smoke. Student surveys at the Univer
sity show more females smoke than
males, she said.
This is largely due to reliance on cig
arettes as a weight suppressants, which
Pfau said is not a myth.
"Smoking does tend to keep your
weight down," she said.
In addition to the regualar programs,
students can also attend a monthly sup
port group. The first such group will
meet 8 p.m. Monday, September 21.
"It's much more supportive with oth
er students than the general public,"
Pfau said.
Ready-made quit kits containing
"Kiss me I don't smoke" stickers, chew
ing gum, toothpicks and quitting tips
are available at Ritenour to interested
students Pfau said.
vent such disturbances from happening
again, Young said. "The concern, I
think, is to provide a safe environment
for all students," he said.
Last Wednesday, both fraternities
made statements at the semester's first
Black Caucus general assembly meet
ing, apologizing for any problems
caused by the fight
Both fraternities stressed that the
incident was not a Greek but a personal
matter.
by Shannon Kokoska
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