OCR Text |
Show THE SALT LAKE TIMES Mobile Radiation Scanning Launched by Protection Agency The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is launching a mobile radiation scanning program in the Rocky Mountain and Prairie Region to determine where radioactive mill wastes have been used for construction fill by building contractors, Don Dubois, Acting EPA Regional ially a truck equipped with sensitive radiation measuring equipment which a three man team operates. As the truck goes through a residential area, radiation detectors read and record radiation levels. When a given structure is identified with a higher than normal background Administrator announced. radiation level the building is The program which will be- earmarked for additional study gin in Wyoming and eventually to determine if uranium mill be extended to Utah, Colorado, South Dakota and other western tailings were used for construc states is designed to rapidly identify individual buildings to pose a potential radiation hazard to occupants. EPA is paying the full case of the program and will submit scanning results to individual State Health Department 11 for further action. The mobile scanner is essen- - Page Three FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1971 tion fill material. The mobile scanner has already helped identify 5,447 structures in 14 cities in Colorado where possible radiation hazards may exist which could be due to ings used for construction tailpur- poses. Where the evidence indicated there was a potential health threat to occupants because of radiation it was possible to remove the tailings from a given structure. The cost, however, could run from several hundred to several thousand dollars. The $60,000 a year program will establish whether there had been wide spread use of uranium mine waste in construction. If there has, he said he would request additional funds from the capitol so that the program can be stepped up. .We really dont know what we are going to find, but what we have found so far in Colorado indicaets the need for some sort of state or local controls to prevent the use of the uranium mill wastes in residential construction. While most states have legislation to control use of mill tailings and require stablization of waste piles to prevent losses to the environment, many dont have adequate regulations or en forcement procedures. EPA is drafting model control regulations for use by the states in the Rocky Mountain and Prairie region and they will be available shortly. This will be no help to states such as Wyoming, however, that have failed to provide any control whatsoever and have no legislation on which to base controls. The EPA initial search will concentrate in the towns of Riverton, Lander and Hudson, Wyoming and communities in Gas Hills and Shirley Basin areas. No schedule has yet been established for the other states and areas to be scanned. mgs to be more comfortable this winter Air Traveler Stays Longer, Spends More The first study of air travel to Utah, prepared for the Utah Travel Council by Utah State Universitys Institute for the Study of Outdoor Recreation anu Tourism, shows air travelers coming to Utah stay longer and spend more money than those who come by car. The study, dedicated to air travel statistics, is concerned with three types of travelers skiers, tourist and commercial traveler. The survey shows that 60.900 commercial travelers had spent $3.5 million, 9,300 skies spent $1.3 million and 17,900 tourists spent about $1 million. Two significant itms brought out by the initial study, particularly when to the same figures for auto travelers were per person expenditures and length of stay. While auto travelers stay an average of 1.9 days in Utah, air tourists spent 4.1 days and air skiers stayed 5.4 days. Also encouraging is the amount of money spent in Utah by the air travelers. While motor vehicle tourists spent $16.96 per day, air tourists paid out $83.08 and skiers spent a whopping $135.95 each day in Utah. The report also displayed some surprising findings about Utahs major air markets. Twenty per cent of Utahs air tourists were from New York. Seventeen per cent were from Illinois, 8.6 per cent from Connecticut and 8.6 per cent from California. BYU-Sa- lt t 1J Sunshine is free and it's warm, so when the sun is shining, open up the window blinds, shades and curtains and let the sun in. It's an easy way to help reduce your heating costs. If you have a fireplace, be sure the damper is dosed when the fireplace isn't being used. (Warm air escapes up the chimney.) A wintry breeze can cost you money. Try to keep the opening and closing of doors to the outside to a minimum. Each time ou open an outside door, some of the heat from inside escapes. If you open a window, be sure that the cold air isn't cooling your thermostat and thereby overheating the rest of your house and overworking vour furnace. To get the most heat from your gas Leave your thermostat set. Let your whole family agree on a healthy thermostat setting and leave it there. (If you are more comfortable at a cooler temperature during sleeping hours do not set it lower than 10 below your normal setting.) Your furnace will not operate if the filter is clogged or excessively dirty. Change or clean your filter about every 60 days. Disposable filters are inexpensive and are available at most hardware, drug, discount and department stores. furnace at the lowest cost, keep all heat outlets free from obstructions. Lake Music Lectures to Begin BYU Salt Lake Music Lecture Series preceding the Utah Symphony concerts will again be offered for the 1971-7- 2 season by the BYU Salt Lake Center for Continuing Education, according to Dr. Keith Taylor, supervisor at the Center. These lectures offer symphony goers a comprehensive explanation and evaluation of the composers and their works to be heard later in the evening. The lecturers for this season will be Lowell M. Durham, Professor of Music at the University of Utah and Symphony Program Annotator since 1964; and E. Harrison Powley, Assistant Professor of Music at the BYU. Those who enroll in the course may attend 14 lectures and the full session of the Utah Concerts for the price of the ticket. If it's printing When the sun goes down (or doesn't shine), keep the window coverings closed. They will form an insulation against the cold outside air and help assure your comfort. ... dial 364-846- 4 It's cun more important to keep the cold air return registers free and clear of any obstruction to insure free circulation of air throughout Your home. Check the weatherstripping around doors and windows, insulation over your ceilings, and close attic entry. Cold wind may often cause greater heat dissapation than much colder still air. If you havent had a furnace expert make a recent check of your furnace and heating system, call him now. He will make sure your furnace is working efficiently to assure you the ;total comfort of gas heating. efli-cent- ly MOUNTAIN FUEL |