Show Radiation Danger Slight Officials Say ay The radiation level of this mill is such that there is no danger and has been no danger to anyone in this valley Including Including ing big our employees at The radiation level of the Colorado Colorado Colorado Colo Colo- rado river below the mill is s well below proposed limits lim urn its ur co Manager Roy Hollis said Tuesday in response to several several several sev sev- eral published newspaPer newspaper accounts accounts accounts ac ac- counts of near hysterical debates on river and air pollution Mr Hollis said There Is no cause for alarm Surveys over the past 18 months have be been n made and will continue to be made at t regular int Intervals Corrective Corrective Cor Cor- action has been ceen taken in questionable areas revealed in earlier surveys We plan continuing studies of the river and at present are arc cond conducting an enlarged program of testing within the confines of the plant Mr Hollis said We feel It Is a never ending Job he continued The comments on radiation and precautions were motivated by Colorado disputes centering on the Las Animas river and the area around Durango Colorado Also highly publicized sometimes sometimes some some- times Inaccurately reported according according ac ac- cording to 10 mill mUl officials was wasa a public announcement by the Atomic Energy Commission of a cleanup order to five mills In Colorado and at Green River Utah and a related action pertaining pertaining pertaining per per- to The order of the was to assure that concentrations of radioactive radioactive radioactive ra ra- materials material I in mill areas and in wastes discharged into streams are brought within per per- limits established In I I Commission regulations In addition the commission issued is issued is is- sued a letter order dated July 13 1959 to directing the company to submit by August 15 a detailed plan for bringing operations of the Moab mill miU into in- in Into into in In- to compliance with licensing re re- Inspection of th the mill the letter said Indicate that the company company has failed to make adequate surVeys surveys In working areas of or the mill to determine concentrations of airborne radioactivity radioactivity ra ra- ra- ra radioactivity and has failed to determine de de- ermine termine the concentrations of I radioactive material including radium discharged as liquid effluent ef cr fluent from the mill Mill officials pointed out that the order says says' indicates and that the Inspection mentioned I Iwas was made In February 1959 Furthermore the actual order says that it ft appears that tha company has failed in the tw two Imes men tined In the order President Mitchell of told The Times-Independent Times that I the criticism was directed toward to ward the maintenance of records records records re re- re- re cords on what steps had been taken not on the operation if I J Ithe the mill Since Sincee the February Inspection Inspection inspection tion Roy Hollis stated we have made what we consider an adequate te survey and have Instituted In fn- a continuing program of testing With that program and the recording of results the tha mill will be able to readily comply comply comply com com- ply with tue the order for a report before August 15 A July 13 order by the commission set August 15 or before r the report Some accounts have I Continued on Page 8 Ali Radiation Scare Continued from P Page g 1 confused the Issuing of the order or or- der of July 13 as requesting the report on that date Actually Is doing more than is required In its testing program it was explained One Onehundred Onehundred Onehundred hundred per cent of the em em- are arc currently wearing trace badges bades that will detect the amount of radiation to which they are exposed Even office personnel wear the small test badges although that complete a coverage Is not required by bythe bythe bythe the The b badges containing two Inserts are checked In and out each day by the Each week one Insert Is sent to the laboratories In Richmond California for exam exam- The results from the first week of testing show that none of ot the were exposed to a level of radiation a above b o 0 v e maximum permissible limits The program now In Its third week will continue for thirteen weeks according to tomm mill mm officials It Is part of the overall continuing program of testing to comply with Federal regulations The origin of the controversy Colorado and New Mexico present present present pres pres- ent entirely different situations than that of th the tha Moab and have been the target of a serles ser sery ies les of on the part of the United States Public Health service As a result of ot that program program program pro pro- gram Arthur S. S Fleming Secretary Secretary Secretary Sec Sec- of Health Education and Welfare said on July 14 of this year I am nan am happy to report that the first Federal enforcement enforcement enforcement enforce enforce- ment action to control contamination contamination of interstate waterways by radioactive wastes has now reached a successful conclusion through voluntary agreement Experts have generally refuted much of the hysterical outburst that has resulted from early reports that radioactive discharges discharges dJs dis dis- dis charges from the uranium mills were wert endangering entire com com- muni ties The They the experts say that the problem Is a new one and will require many 11 years of study before a completely ob report can be made Concerning g the local situation all reports from the Moab mill give the ultimate assurance possible possible pos pos- sible Bible at this time that the ra radiation radiation ra- ra level of the mill or the affect of liquid effluent discharged discharged dis dis- charged are not endangering the tha people or vegetation of Moab valley or the Colorado river y |