Vol. 5, No. 8
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                                                                                                 August 1976
 OXIDANTS,  HYDROCARBONS,
                       AND  YOU
   A farmer suffers  a coughing spell
while mending a fence.  The early
afternoon skies are  a little hazy,
but the winds are steady.  No smoke-
stakes around.  Who  would suspect
air pollution?
   His wife develops a  headache and
assumes it is that fierce mid-
summer heat.  But it may well be
oxidants in the air—photochemical
smog formed from emission sources in
the city, fifty miles upwind.
   How oxidants get  in  the air we
breathe is hard to explain without
talking about photochemical reactions,
chemical precursors, and hydrocar-
bon emissions.  However, two basic
facts are grasped easily:  (1)
Oxidant exposure in  many parts of
the United States is in gross ex-
cess of the national standard set
to protect the health and welfare
of all sectors of the population and,
(2) These high oxidant  levels can be
hazardous to your health.
   Where do oxidants come from?  No
automobile engine or smokestack emits
oxidants.  But, autos,  smokestacks,
oil wells, gasoline  stations, dry
cleaners and a host of  other sources
emit ingredients that,  when com-
bined in the atmosphere, can result
in the formation of oxidants.
   It is morning. You  stop on your
way to work to fuel  your car.  The
nozzle clanks into the  intake pipe;
the pump clicks and  whirrs.  You
see a shimmering vapor  rising.
Those are hydrocarbons.  They are
given off by service stations, re-
fineries, gasoline storage areas,
                                     and dry cleaning establishments.
                                     Hydrocarbons also come from smoke-
                                     stacks, automobile exhausts, and
                                     home chimneys.  Anytime fossil  fuels
                                     are burned or evaporated, we put
                                     more hydrocarbons into the air.  In
                                     fact, many of the products which  you
                                     are accustomed to using in everyday
                                     life, contribute hydrocarbons to
                                     the atmosphere.  Painting the backyard
                                     fence with oil base paint or using
                                     some of the common household cleaners
                                     causes small amounts of hydrocarbons
                                     to be emitted to the atmosphere.
                                        To complicate matters further,
                                     nature itself, expecially in rural
                                     areas, produces significant amounts
                                     of hydrocarbons.  Thus, unlike some
                                     of the other air pollutants, which
                                     can be traced to a few specific
                                     sources, hydrocarbons have many small
                                     and diversely located origins.
                                        Hydrocarbons rise in the air and
                                     mix with other pollutants including
                                     nitrogen oxides emitted from smoke-
                                     stacks and automobile exhausts.  If
                                     it's nighttime, nothing changes these
                                     pollutants right away.  Brisk winds
                                     carry them 40 to 50 miles into the
                                     country.  Or a high-pressure, low-
                                     wind system may cause the stuff to
                                     hover over the city. But as soon as
                                     sunshine hits a pocket of mixed
                                     hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, a
                                     photochemical reaction occurs,
                                     creating oxidants (also known as
                                     photochemical smog).
                                        The work "oxidant" is a catchall
                                     term that includes a lot of different
                                     chemical compounds, but in the
                                     (Continued on p.2)
                                      TRIANGLE AREA
                                   STUDENTS  AWARDED
                                    EPA SCHOLARSHIPS
                                    There was stiff  competition this
                                  year for EPA scholarships, but five
                                  of our  local students "made it."
                                    They were among  27 sons and
                                  daughters of EPA'ers across the
                                  country to receive  scholarship checks
                                  this year.  Our students were Alice
                                  Terry,  George Robert Gill is, Jr.  and
                                  Janie Elizabeth Gillis, Glen
                                  Whaley, and Wanda Margolin.
                                    The awards were presented by Dr.
                                  John Burchard, Director, IERL/RTP,
                                  Mr.  John H. DeFord, Director of Ad-
                                  ministration, and Mr. Richard G.
                                  Rhoads, Acting Director, CPDD/OAQPS.
                                    This is the fourth time Alice  Terry
                                  has  received a scholarship.  She  will
                                  be a senior at UNCG this Fall and Is
                                  majoring in special education.
                                  Alice's mother, Abbie Terry, is an
                                  accounts maintenance clerk, FMD/OA.
                                    George Robert Gillis, Jr. received
                                  his  second scholarship this year. He
                                  is attending High Point College,
                                  High Point, N.C., where he is a
                                  sophomore majoring  in human relations.
                                    Janie Elizabeth  Gillis will be
                                  starting her freshman year at
                                  Methodist College in Fayetteville,
                                  N.C., the end of August and she plans
                                  to major in physical education.
                                    George and Janie Gillis1 father
                                  is a mechanical engineering techni-
                                  cian, IERL/RTP.
                                    Glen Whaley is a rising senior at
                                  UNC, Chapel Hill, N.C., where he  is
                                  majoring in organic chemistry.
                                  Glen's  mother, Mary Whaley, is a
                                  secretary in EPA's  CPDD/OAQPS.
                                    Wanda Margolin Is the second mem-
                                  ber  of  her family to receive a
                                  scholarship check.   She is a sophomore
                                  (Continued on p.8)
                                                   1

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  Hydrocarbons...cont'd from page 1
afternoon when oxidant levels  are
highest about 90% of  the  "oxidants"
is ozone, a form of oxygen.  An
ozone molecule contains' three  atoms
of oxygen whereas the life  sustain-
ing form of the oxygen molecule  is
composed of two atoms.  This seemingly
small difference is important; ozone
can significantly affect  the human
respiratory system and cause damage
to vital heart tissue.
   To some, ozone may not be a bad
word at all.  We know ozone as the
material in the stratosphere that
screens out harmful ultraviolet  rays--
a beneficial  layer that some
scientists say is getting thinner
and therefore less effective as  we
keep using freon-propelled products.
But that ozone is seven miles  or more
above the earth.  The harmful  ozone
which is a large part of  the oxidant
problem  is down  here, all around us.
   The U.S.  Environmental Protection
Agency has determined that the
oxidant  concentration in  a community's
air should not exceed .08 parts
oxidant  to one million parts  of air
for more  than one  hour,  once a
year.  Some  industry  spokesmen say
this national oxidant standard is un-
real istically low.   Some medical
people say  it is  too  high.  In a
recent report prepared for Congress,
the National  Academy  of Sciences,
which  is  composed  of  scientists from
all fields,  concluded that they
could find  no basis  for changing the
standard.
   One of the earliest warning flags
about oxidants went up when a west-
coast study  showed that long-distance
runners  on  a high  school  track team
invariably  posted  slower times on
days when oxidant  concentrations
were  high.
   Later,  a  careful,  two-year study
of 200  healthy,  young nurses  found
that  headaches,  eye  irritation,
coughing,  and chest discomfort in-
creased  as  the oxidant level  in-
creased.  The nurses did not know
that air pollution was even involved
in the study.  They were asked to
keep diaries recording painful
symptoms of any kind.
   Findings from the nurses'
diaries begin to take on meaning when
examined in the light of known pollu-
tion levels.  The nurses reported
the following complaints:
 - An increase in the number of
   headaches when oxidant  levels
   were slightly above the national
   standard,
 - An increase in cases of eye irri-
   tation when oxidant levels were
   slightly below the standard,
 - An increase in chest pains and
   a prevalence of coughing when
   oxidant  levels were above twice
   the national standard.
   These symptoms were observed  in
a group of  normal, healthy, young
adults. People with  chronic heart
and lung disease, such as  asthmat-
ics, have been observed to experi-
ence adverse effects  from  exposure
to oxidant  levels only about 50%
above the national standard.
   In Japan, scientists have studied
public  students'  reaction  to smog
episodes in which maximum  hourly con-
centrations reached  .24 ppm, a  level
quite common to many American  cities.
The students experienced  increased
coughing, eye  irritation,  headaches,
and throat  pain during  those peak
concentration  periods.   Furthermore,
the students developed  the same
symptoms when  oxidant levels were
much  lower  (.10 ppm) but  persisted
over  a  24-hour period.
    In carefully  controlled labora-
 tory  experiments,  using  human  sub-
jects,  ozone has  been observed to
 cause decreased  lung capacity, chest
 discomfort, windpipe irritation, de-
 creased general  visual  acuity (espe-
 cially  decreased  night vision), and
 difficulty  in  mental concentration.
 While results  from such experiments
 indicate these symptoms occur only
when the ozone level is two to four
times higher tlfan the national stand-
ard, medical experts caution that:
    - Such experiments are  performed
     using only normal healthy adults,
    - Experiments do not measure  the
     combined effect of exposure to
     more than'one pollutant at  the
     same time,
    - Effects are measured  only for
     short-term exposure.
    Obviously, there are limitations
to  the type of experiments which can
be  conducted with human subjects.
Consequently, scientists frequently
use animals to try to obtain knowledge
of  the health effects of oxidant ex-
posure.  While a wide variety of
harmful health effects (from simple
slow-down of activity to increased
mortality) has been observed in  ex-
periments with animals, perhaps  those
most disturbing to medical researchers
have been:
   - Chromosome breakage,
   - Irreparable damage to lung  tissue,
   - Breakdown in ability  of the body
     to resist infectious  bacteria,
    - The  combined effect of exposure
     to ozone and another  pollutant
     (polycyclic organic matter) which
     can  sharply increase  the  risk of
     cancer as compared to breathing
     either pollutant in the absence of
     the  other.
    It  is  hard to relate observed
effects in animals to expected effects
in  humans, but the disturbing  fact is
that these symptoms have been  observed
when animals breathe ozone in  con-
centrations quite similar  to that
found  in  the atmosphere.   How  high
are oxidant levels in the  United
States?  Almost a^l major  cities are
 (Continued on page 6)
 The CLEANER TIMES n published  monthly by Public
 Affairs, Office of Administration. U.S Environmental Protec-
 tion Agency. Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27711.
  Liz Martin .. -	
  Dorothy Rose 	
  Elaine Hymen ....
	  .....	...... Editor
__	_	Assistant Editor
_..				Reporter
  Produced with the assistance of the Word Processing Center.
  Graphics, Composition, and Printing Sections, ISO, Forms
  and Publications Center, GSD

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     WHO'S UP  FRONT
    The three secretaries who are "Up
 Front" this  month  are  Brenda C.
 Millar, CPDD/OAQPS, Anita J. King,
 ESRL/ERC,  and Jean E.  Ewing, PMD/OA.
 this  office  with  her talent, charm,
 and efficiency, and helps to make the
 day at  the office a pleasant ex-
 perience.  We  salute you, Brenda."
            Brenda Millar

   Brenda is secretary to Norman
Dunfee, Chief, Control Programs
Operations Branch.   She has been
employed by EPA for six years.
Before joining this Agency she was
employed by the Air Force, Army,  and
Internal Revenue Service.
   Brenda graduated from Durham High
School and attended Kings Business
College in Charlotte, N.C.  She is
married and has two sons,  Kenneth,
5 years, and Kevin,  one year.  Her
husband, John, is a programmer at IBM.
Her hobbies are ceramics and sewing.
   In talking with  Brenda's supervisor
Norm Dunfee, he said, "Over the years
it has become clearly evident to  me
that the focal point of any office is
its clerical staff.   Most  always, the
first contact with  any office is  with
the secretary and the impression  she
makes is a penetrating and lasting
one.   Her attitude  generally re-
flects the character and personality
of the entire office staff.  I am de-
lighted to commend  Brenda  Millar  as
a person who consistently  brightens
           Anita J. King

   Anita J.  King is a secretary  in
the Gas Kinetics and Photochemistry
Branch of ESRL.   Her supervisor  1s
Dr. Joseph J.  Bufalini.   She  also
works for the  Air Characterization
and Special  Projects Group.
   She was born  in Virginia,  but has
been living  in North Carolina for nine
             years.  She  is a graduate of Hard-
             barger Business College, Raleigh,
             N.C.  Anita  has been employed by EPA
             for  six years.  She is single and
             currently lives in Parkwood.  Her
             hobbies are  playing the piano, col-
             lecting antiques, traveling and read-
             ing.
                When contacted, Joe Bufalini said,
             "Anita is a  good executive secretary.
             She  gets the day-by-day work done In
             a pleasant and efficient manner.   This
             is not an easy task since the people in
             our  branch have diverse personalities.
             Nonetheless, she accomplishes this
             difficult task without a flaw.   I'm
             happy to have her as a secretary  and
             I'm  certain  that my co-workers feel
             the  same way.  I'm also pleased to
             hear that she has been chosen as  this
             month's "Up  Front" secretary for  ERC.
             She  justly deserves this honor."
             (Continued on page 4)
                                              August 26,  1920.   The
                                          Secretary of State declares
                                          the Nineteenth  Amendment  law.
                                          Women are allowed the  right
                                          to vote.  It was a good day.
          REPORT  ON  EEO  COUNSELORS MEETING
                  by John H. DeFord,  Acting  EEO  Director
   The end of July I held a meeting with  the newly appointed EEO counselors.
We discussed training for them and Jim  McDuffie  outlined the courses avail-
able.  The basic correspondence course  is available immediately to all
counselors.   This course and others will  help train our counselors to insure
high quality service.   There are  also several courses in the EEO area for
Federal employees who do not have the responsibility for managing EEO pro-
grams.  Supervisors  and managers  are encouraged  to take one of the more
comprehensive courses  so that they will thoroughly understand the EEO pro-
gram and be able to  implement it  more effectively.
   We discussed the  issue of privacy at this meeting since some counselors
do not have a private  office.   The EEO  Associates for each organization,
John Haines, OAQPS,  Denny Martin, ORD,  and Dee Houston, OA, will be working
closely with the counselors to provide  privacy and preserve confidentiality.
   All EEO Counselors  are available to  all EPA employees.   They will serve
as a bridge between  employees  and management to  resolve problems connected
with equal employment  opportunity.
   Please do not hesitate to  use  their services.
includes:
                        List of EEO Counselors
       Name
Alfred Campbell
Daniel DeRoeck
Francis P.  Duffield
Elaine Hyman
John Jefferies
Kathryn MacLeod
Roosevelt Rollins
Organization
                                            Ext.
OAQPS-SASD
OAQPS-CPDD
ORD-HERL
OA-PA
OA-CMD
ORD-HERL
ORD-ESRL
291
226
2525
2952
1401
2725
1271
                                                            Location
                                                         Mutual  Building
                                                         Mutual  Building
                                                         ERC
                                                         Wing C, ERC
                                                         Admin.  Building
                                                         Monsanto
                                                         ERC Annex

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 Who's  up  Front...cont'd  from page 3
Secretary is the notation that such
a person is a "loyal  and trusted"
assistant.   While this is clearly
true of our association, Jean brings
far more to her work  including a
special measure of common sense,
absolute integrity, versatility, and
a sincere willingness to do her share
and more.  She also possesses a
realistic optimism about people which
is always a desirable trait,  but
which is absolutely vital in  personnel
management.  It is good to be able to
comment publicly about Jean's excel-
lent performance.  The Federal Ser-
vice is fortunate to  have people such
                                                                                          IN MEMORIAM
                                                                                       Glen A. Fairchild
                                                                                      Commissioned Officer
                                                                                  U. S. Public Health Service
                                                                                   Senior Research Scientist
                                                                                            HERL/RTP
                                                                                          1934 - 1976
             Jean Ewing

   Jean Ewing is secretary to Gerald
Groon, Director, Personnel Manage-
ment Division,  OA.   Jean grew up in
Pennsylvania and received her busi-
ness training from Bryant and
Stratton Business Institute in
Buffalo, N.Y.  Although Jean and her
family have moved around the United
States a lot, she considers coming to
North Carolina  their best move.
Prior to joining EPA she held a
variety of jobs with an auditing firm,
insurance company,  military service
club, social services agency, military
college, office of the justice of the
peace, and at one time owned a motel.
   Jean is married and has a family,
but still has-time to become involved
in various community activities  such
as participating in the Chamber  of
Commerce Board  of Directors, Welcome
Wagon Club, coordinator for Meals on
Wheels, "Mother in Charge" for
kindergarten field trips and at  one
time was certified by the State  of
Pennsylvania as a District Magis-
trate.  During  her six years in
government she  has received three out-
standing ratings, a QSI, a meritorious
service award and two outstanding
division awards.
   Her supervisor, Jerry Groon,  says,
"Included in the definition of a
      MAKING FRIENDS
         THE EPA  WAY
   It was a sunny, clear day out in
Whittier, California,  last February
and a fourth grade class was out on
the playgound for their physical
education period.  As  they were play-
ing kickball, a balloon slowly drift-
ed down into the school yard.   The
fourth graders rushed  over to it and,
   The following was received  by
Glen Fairchild's colleagues.   It is
a thoughtful  tribute we would  like
to share.
   "Personal  and scientific  integrity
were the hallmarks of Glen's private
and professional life.   He was
quiet and  unassuming, yet highly
respected  by  all who knew him.  Glen's
devotion to his research and to his
family was carefully and thought-
fully balanced in the way that many
seek but few  attain.  Long hours at
work were  followed by frequent trips
to the countryside to share with his
family a deep appreciation of  nature.
   Glen's  desire for the Agency was
depth and  quality in research  and con-
fidence and trust in administration.
He was sensitive to the twin problems
facing the Agency -- the need  to re-
spond quickly and effectively  to
much to their excitement, found a
bottle tied to the end of the balloon,  immediate environmental  problems,
In the bottle was a note from Paul
Haskins, EMSL, asking the person who
found the bottle to write.
   According to the fourth  graders'
letters "... the balloon floated down
about 1:40 p.m. and the temperature
was 75°.  Arthur saw the balloon
first but his friend, Eddy, ran and
got the balloon first.   I got it
second.  We all jumped and  the girls
screamed and we made a hole in the
balloon because we were so  excited."
   Paul had been in the Los Angeles
area on the L.A. catalyst study.  He	
and other EPA'ers were monitoring     -^———————-^—^i—i—*'-^—.——
along the freeways, sampling for sul- "-"m"mi
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  PERSON TO  PERSON

    Gary  Rzasa,  son of Frank Rzasa,
 CMD/OA,  was  selected to play the
 role  of  Archie  Kramer in the student
 production of Tennessee Williams'
 "Summer  and  Smoke."  Gary is a
 student  at Cary High School.
    An investment club has been
 formed by employees of  EPA.  Anyone
 wishino to obtain more  information
 about the club may contact James
 Kinn (.'1D-72), extension 2617.
    Susan  Sharpe, Chemical Processes
 Branch,  IERL/RTP, gave birth to a
 9 Ib.  6 oz.  boy, Samuel Norris,
 July 7.   Susan's husband Fred is
 football  and track coach at Southern
 High School.  Susan will return to
 work September 7.
    Cathy  Jo Jones, AV/ISD, and
 Bobby  Poole, TP/ISD, were married
 September 3, at 8:00 p.m. at the
 First  Baotist Church in Hillsborough.
 We all wish them lots of luck and
 happiness.
    Nancy  Rhew, GSD/OA, got her wish.
 She gave  birth to an 8 Ib. 10 oz.
 girl,  Kimberly Dawn, July 11.
    Claire Thomas, CPDD/OAQPS, has re-
 turned  to work after having had heart
 surgery in April.  We all missed
 Claire  and are delighted to welcome
 her back.  And, incidentally, Claire
 has agreed to be a recruiter for EPA's
 blood program.  She was one of our
 regular donors until her surgery when
 she realized in a very personal way
 how Important EPA's blood program is.
 But as  Claire says, "Don't wait to
 be  asked to give.  Blood comes only
 from people, and your gift could mean
 life for a sick child, an accident
 victim,  or a person facing surgery."
    Gary  L. Johnson, Environmental
 Engineer with the Special Studies
 Staff,  Industrial Environmental  Re-
 search Laboratory, has been elected
 Vice-Chairman of the Eastern Carol inas
 Section  of the American Nuclear
 Society  for 1976-77.

    Gary  was a pivotal figure in  the
 formation of the Eastern Carol inas
 Section  in the spring of 1975 and
 served as Interim Chairman.  He  was
 Chairman of the Program Committee
 during 1975-76 and also served on
 the Executive Committee.
   Carmen Hoover, ESED/OAQPS, our FWP
 "Employee of the Month" last June,
 recently underwent a "bilateral
 hemilaminectomy and foramenotomy"
 which sounds serious even if you do
 not know what that is.  Actually, it
 is a complex surgical procedure in-
 volving the vertebra at the base of
 the neck.  The operation was a
 success, and Carmen has been dis-
 charged from the hospital and is con-
 tinuing her recovery at home.  We all
 miss her pretty face and enthusiasm
 and look forward to her return in the
 near future.
   The Eastern Carol inas Section of
the American Nuclear Society repre-
sents scientists and engineers  in  the
eastern Piedmont and Coastal  Plains
regions of the two Carol inas who are
interested in the study of the  atomic
nucleus and the benefits to be
derived by mankind.   In one year,  over
eighty professionals have joined the
Eastern Carol inas Section.
   Lula Knotts has a brand new hus-
band, Kenneth Murphy, of Durham.
The couple was married July 10,  in
Sanford, N.C.  Mrs.  Murphy is  a
Personnel Clerk in PMD/OA.   Con-
gratulations and best wishes to  both
of you.
   Carol Whaley, daughter of Mary
Whaley, CPDD/OAQPS, is spending the
summer in Tunisia as an American
Field Service exchange student.  Carol
left the U.S. June 21  and is living
with a Tunisian family.   She speaks
French with the family and is learn-
ing some Arabic.  She  will return
to this country late August.
             IN MEMORIAM

        Ernest T. Allen, Jr.

  Biological Laboratory Technician

 Health Effects Research Laboratory

       Research Triangle Park

             1943 - 1976
   The editors of the Cleaner Times
and all friends and associates of
Miriam Harper, ISD/OA, extend their
deepest sympathy to her on the death
of her husband, Alan A. Harper,
July 28, 1976.
   The Facilities Management  Branch,
GSD/OA, welcomes Shirley Walston,
who will be working in Preventive
Maintenance for one year.
     CHANGE IN
     MAIL DROP NUMBER
   In order to ensure that copies of
the "Cleaner Times" reach all
employees at their respective mail
drops, we would appreciate it if
employees changing jobs  or locations
would notify the Public  Affairs
Office immediately, so that we can
change our records accordingly.
   REFERENCE MATERIALS

                 IN

   PUBLIC AFFAIRS  OFFICE
    The Public Affairs Office, C-233,
 Tech Center, receives single copies
 of speeches, statements, and con-
 gressional  testimony by EPA officials
 along with  all  press releases from
 EPA's Washington  Press Office.   These
 are reference copies only.  They may be
 used in the Public Affairs Office or can
 be checked  out  for a week at a  time.
 Recent speeches are listed below.

 Russell  E.  Train, EPA Administrator:
 "Making Regulation Work," National
 Conference  on Regulatory Reform,
 Washington, D.C., May 26, 1976.
 Remarks prepared for delivery at the
 International Waste Equipment and
 Technology  Exposition,  Chicago,
 Illinois, June 2, 1976.
 "Controlling the Risks  That We
 Create:  The Need for Toxic Sub-
 stances Control  Legislation," Spring
 Luncheon Drug, Chemical  and Allied
 Trades  Association, New York, New
 York, June  17, 1976.

 John  R. Quarles, Jr.,  EPA Deputy
   Administrator:
 "Beyond NEPA,"  Conference on the En-
 vironmental  Impact Statement Process
 Under NEPA,  Co-Sponsored by the  Cen-
 ter for Administrative Justice of the
 American Bar Association and the En-
 vironmental  Law  Institute,  Washington,
 D.C., June 4,  1976.
   In the last issue of  the "Cleaner

Times" we invited employees to sub-
mit their opinions regarding recent

changes in the format and content of
the newsletter.   We are  sorry to say
there was a very poor response to our

request.   However, from  the replies
received, we feel  the "Cleaner
Times" is heading in the right

direction.   Comments and suggestions
are always welcome,  and  so is news.

Don't be  bashful.   Let us hear from
you.

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 The Path of Pollution
          O3=Ozone
  PREVAILING
    WINDS	
            OZONE
           FORMATION
            BEGINS
POLLUTANTS
                        ^. :;«=>•!",,
                                                                       HIGH
                                                                 \    OZONE

           New York Cit
  New York City's auto and industrial pollutants, transformed into ozone by the sun, have their
  most serious effect in Connecticut and parts of Massachusetts 200 miles northeast of the city.
in violation of the national standard.
That is their citizens are breathing
oxidant at more than .08 parts per
million for at least an hour, more
than once a year.  On midsummer days
when skies are sunny, temperatures
high and winds sluggish, urban people
may breathe oxidant concentrations
twice the national standard for eight
or more consecutive hours.  If there
is wind, these pollutants can spread
more than fifty miles into rural areas
Hydrocarbon emissions from a Youngs-
town, Ohio plant may eventually add
to oxidant concentrations breathed
by a Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania
farmer.
   Quantitatively speaking, where do
emissions come from—these hydrocar-
bons that later become oxidants?
About half of our hydrocarbons come
from motor vehicles.   A 1970 model
car produces ten times as much hydro-
carbon as a 1975 model.   By 1985,
when almost all  of the high polluting
clunkers are at rest in junkyards, we
will have reduced the national hydro-
carbon output from automobiles to
about one-third of its 1970 level.  So
that part of the solution is moving
along.
   Meanwhile, new factories are
cranking up their furnaces, paint
booths and degreasing lines.  More
service stations are being built, more
oil wells drilled, and refineries
expanded.  Dry cleaners are continu-
ing their open-vat processing, and
you keep repainting the backyard
fence.  Half of the hydrocarbons
                  that  later  result  in the formation of
                  photochemical oxidants originally
                  come  from these  stationary  (non-
                  vehicular)  sources.  Mother nature
                  compounds the problem, or, rather,
                  we compound  the  problem of naturally
                  produced oxidants.  Anywhere there
                  is plant growth, rotting forest
                  humus  and other  natural organic pro-
                  cesses going on, there is a produc-
                  tion  of natural  hydrocarbons.
                  Scientists  estimate that natural
                  sources can  contribute as much as  .04
                  parts  per million  to the oxidant
                  concentration.   That is half the
                  national standard  coming from natural
                  sources alone, which explains why  it
                  does  not take much additional pol-
                  lution from  the  city to start the
                  farmer coughing.
                    But work  by scientists at the U.S.
                  Environmental Protection Agency in-
                  dicates, that even though it may not
                  be possible  to reduce oxidant levels
                  to the national  standard in all
                  places in the near future, the risk
                  of adverse  health  effects can be
                  substantially reduced just through
                  relatively  small reductions in present
                  oxidant levels.  This is particularly
                  true  for those places where oxidant
                  levels above about .20 ppm are ex-
                  perienced.
                    For example,  using the best and
                  latest available data, EPA statisti-
                  cians  have  computed the effects of
                  oxidant exposure as it relates to six
                  symptoms—aggravation of heart and
                  lung  disease, aggravation of asthma,
                  chest  discomfort,  eye discomfort,
cough and headache.  From this work
EPA estimates that when the second
highest hourly oxidant concentration
is reduced from .30 ppm to .15 ppm,
there is a 902 reduction in the
health effects indicated by the six
named symptoms.  There is reason to
believe other adverse health effects
would similarly be reduced.  So,
even though the national standard
might seem unattainable in the near
future, many cities with severe
oxidant problems can receive sub-
stantial health effects gains through
small improvements in peak oxidant
levels.
   Fortunately, there is proven
technology available to greatly re-
duce oxidant levels.  Much of this
technology can be used without
seriously disrupting normal life
styles.  Also new and improved
technology is being developed, and
there is promise that this techno-
logy can be consistent with the
nation's economic and energy needs.
   However, if we want to receive
these health benefits, we are going
to have to accept some changes.  A
closed system dry cleaning plant may
charge you an extra nickel for
cleaning your winter coat.  When your
service stations install completely
closed pumping and storage systems
your gasoline costs may rise slightly
(less than a penny per gallon).  How-
ever, some optimistic industry
watchers say that when gasoline pro-
ducers convert to non-vented storage
and  handling systems, they may save
enough fuel to offset the cost of  the
new  equipment.   In addition, the
nation would realize an energy savings
of millions of barrels of fuel now lost
annually to evaporation at dozens  of
points between the oil well and your
gas  tank.
   Everytime an auto manufacturer
paints a fender, it releases hydrocar-
bons in the air, just as you do when
you  paint  the  backyard  fence.   For the
(Continued  on  page  8)

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         ALASKA 49
   It was hot and cold,  rainy and
dry, sunny and cloudy, but most of
all, big and mosquitoey.  That is how
John Robson and his  three children
found Alaska during  their July vaca-
tion.  Robson, a community planner
in SASD, returned to EPA August 2
after keeping an age-old promise to
visit his brother, who lives in Fair-
banks.
   Much of the time  was  spent
traveling.  He and his children
drove to Buffalo where they left the
car with his sister.  Then they flew
to Seattle, took the Alaska State
Ferry up the Inside  Passage to
Skagway, and rode the narrow-gauge
White Pass and Yukon Railroad to
Whitehorse, VT.   There they were met
by his brother who had a camper.  The
five proceeded up to Dawson City, west
to Tetlin Junction,  and  north to
Fairbanks.  Side trips from Fairbanks
were made by commercial  airlines, a
bush plane, and an old,  borrowed
Chrysler.  The return trip was by air
to Buffalo, and car  to Chapel Hill.
   The narrow gauge  railroad trip was
a highlight.  After  three nights and
two days of rain on  the  ferry trip,
the four climbed out of  the gloom and
into a sunny, warm Yukon.  They
forwent their seats  in order to stand
outside for better views of the
spectacular scenery  and, of course,
to experience the clackety-clack that
once was the so-very-familiar sound
of trips by rail. The railroad served
lunch by Lake Bennett—the headwaters
of the Yukon River—which must rank
as one of the most beautiful lakes
in the world.
   The side trip to  the  North Slope
was somewhat uncomfortable, but very
rewarding.  The four flew to Barrow,
with backpacks, explored every corner
of that small Eskimo community, slept
on the shore of the  Arctic Ocean, and
then flew to Prudhoe Bay to see the
ARCO and BP oil  field development.
The discomfort  came several ways.
First, it was cold.  North Carolina
sleeping bags are not made for sleep-
ing on the beach of a breezy Arctic
Ocean, which at that time was still
frozen.  Second, there was no escape
from eternal sunlight.  This can be
more destabilizing than jet lag.
Third, the oil  workers in Prudhoe--
who had never seen children on the
North Slope—gave the four so much
food that they  were not ready to eat
again for a day.
   Other side trips included a three-
day backpacking trip on Pinnell  Mt.
just south of the Arctic Circle, a
three-day camping trip at Mt. McKin-
ley, a one-day  canoe trip along  20
miles of the Chena River, and a  visit
to Alakaket, an Indian village above
the Arctic Circle, by bush plane.
They will  never forget the mosqui-
toes --mosquito  netting is a must in
many places—and the experience of
hiking through  tundra, which must be
one of the most difficult mediums for
hiking.
TRIANGLE AREA RECYCLING
 INFORMATION FROM  THE
SIERRA CLUB NEWSLETTER
 Chapel Hill
 Aluminum--Bins at Glen  Lennox and
 Elliot Road Fire Stations and behind
 Municipal Building (Cadette Troup 59).
 Pick-ups at University  Mall every
 other Wed., 2-3:30 p.m.; next date
 Nov. 12 (Reynolds Aluminum).
 Glass—Clear and green, Plant Road
 Glass Depot (Boy Scout  Troup 39).
 Newspaper—Collection dumpsters at
 Plant Road Glass Depot, Elliot Road
 and Glen Lennox Fire Stations, Wilson
 library, Carrboro Town  Hall (Town).
 Plastic—Gallon milk and juice jugs
 with caps, Plant Road (Ecos).
 Durham
 Aluminum—Pick-ups at Northgate every
 other Tues., noon-1:30; next date
 Nov. 11 (Reynolds Aluminum).
 Glass—Clear and green, no metal
 rings, Northgate, second Sat. of each
 month, 10:00-noon.
 Paper—Newspaper bought by Paper
 Stock Dealers, 410 Clay St., Mon.-
 Fri., 8-12, 1-5, 604 per 100 Ib.
 Newspapers, magazines,  cardboard ac-
 cepted by Reclamation Systems, Hoover
 Rd., weekdays  8-8, Sat. 8-12; pay-
 ment for loads over 400 Ib.
      NEW PUBLICATIONS
   The following  is a list of new
publications which are available from
the Public Affairs Office, C-235
(MD-31):
   Farmers-Know Your Responsibilities
    Under the Federal Pesticide Law
  Save Energy, Air, Money - Carpool
    It To Work
  Air Pollution is Hazardous to Your
    Health
  Clean Air - The Breath of Life
  Radioactive Wastes
  EPA - Emission  Investigations Report
  Charlie Was Just a Chipmunk
  Health Effects  of Air Pollutants
  A Drop to Drink (Revised)
  Noise Control Programs of the
    Federal Government
  The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide,
    and Rodenticide Act (as amended
    11/28/75)
 Aluminum—154 per Ib.  for cans and
 104 per Ib. for scrap  at Reynolds
 Recycling Plant, 908 Downtown Blvd.,
 Tues.-Sat., 8:30-5:00.
 Glass—Clear and green, next col-
 lection at Jaycee Park on last Sat.
 in Feb., 9:00-1:00.
 Paper—25 bins for newspapers and
 magazines throughout Raleigh; call
 Raleigh Rescue Mission for nearest
 location or deliver to the Mission at
 211 S. Person St., Mon.-Sat., 6 a.m.
 to 10 p.m.
 For more information call the
 agencies sponsoring the recycling.
 Q «c stiiif
     PERSONNEL  CORNER
     The following awards were
  approved during July 1976:
     QUALITY SALARY INCREASES:
     Audrie K. McCauley - HERL
     Nadine W. Vogel  - HERL
     CONTINUED SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE
    AWARD:

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      CONFERENCES
    International Conference on Photo-
chemical Oxldant Pollution and Its
Control, Raleigh, N.C. , September
12-17.  Contact:  Dr. A. P. Altshuller,
Director, ESRL, U.S. EPA.
     TRAINING COURSES
     The following  courses have been
  scheduled to  be conducted locally:
   National Conference on Energy and
 the Environment, Cincinnati, Ohio,
 October  5-7.  Contact:  Air Pollution
 Control  Association, 4400 Fifth
 Avenue,  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
 15213.
   m»» « « » « 8 m » tit »»»««« jJUMML'JUUL'
   Les Assises  Internationales de
 1 'Environnement, with session on
 industrial  pollution, urban environ-
 ment  and health and environment,
 Paris, France,  December 6-10.  Con-
 tact:  Les  Assises Internationales
 de 1 ' Environnement, 40 rue du Col i see,
 75008 Paris, France.
    1977  Environmental Technology
 Meeting  and  Equipment Exposition,
 Marriott Hotel, Los Angeles,
 California,  April 23-27, 1977.   Dead-
 line  for submission of abstracts is
 September  15, 1976.  Contact:
 S.  Baber,  IES Technical Program Chair-
 man -AM  '77,  Boeing Aerospace Co.,
 P.  0. Box  3999, MS-86-09, Seattle,
 Washington 98124.
  September
    Factor Evaluation System of
    Classification
    September 21-23,  1976  $100.00
    Contract Project  Officers Course
    September 28-30,  1976
    No tuition
    n 11 jii JMMML' JUUUUUUUUAJ _« _« ' JUULV**.
  October
    Listening and Memory Development
    October 21-22, 1976    $100.00
   llimillllli ttttiitt a o iio»oo o o
  November
    Personnel Management for Super-
    visors
    November 16-18, 1976   $125.00
                                      SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
                                        The following IERL/RTP employees
                                     are scheduled to attend conferences
                                     and give presentations:
                                        J. Abbott, Chief, Particulate
                                     Technology Branch, D. Drehmel ,
                                     Research Chemical Engineer, and R.
                                     Statnick, Chemist, 82nd National
                                     Meeting, AIChE, Atlantic City, N.J.,
                                     August 29-September 1 .
December
  Accelerated Reading
  December 6-10, 1976
                          $150.00
   A  symposium on "Methods and
 Standards  for Environmental Measure-
 ment," will  be held September 20-24,
 in Gaithersburg, Maryland.  Discus-
 sion  will  center on the need for
 improved measurement methods and
 standards  for measuring air and
 water pollution.  Contact:  R. B.
 Johnson, Materials Building, Rm.
 B-348, National Bureau of Standards,
 Washington,  D.C. 20234.
   Optional  Form 170 is  due at least
30 days prior to the starting date
of each course.
   This list represents  only those
courses that have been confirmed.
Other courses will  be added to the
list as soon as  they are confirmed.
  Hydrocarbons. ..cont'd  from page 6
auto makers,  the answer  may be a
dry-flake type of paint  that is
applied to the fender then melted as
it passes through an  oven.  For you
and the fence, the answer will lik'ly
be a water based paint which contains
fewer hydrocarbons.
   Yes, you too can help.  That extra
trip you make to the  grocery store
adds a small  amount of hydrocarbons
to the atmosphere.  Your car, when
properly tuned,  produces far less
hydrocarbons  than when untuned.  Car-
                                         B. Harris, Sanitary Engineer,
                                     ASME Textile Engineering Con-
                                     ference, Charlotte, N.C., September 14,
                                     and Engineering Foundation Conference
                                     on  Emission Sampling for Source
                                     Evaluation, Houston Woods, Ohio,
                                     September 15.
                                       ji o o « a o mmmoooooimili «JUUL.UUUI
                                         J. Kilgroe, Mechanical Engineer,
                                     4th National Conference on Energy
                                     and the Environment, Cincinnati,
                                     Ohio, October 5-7.
   U.  Kuykendal,  Mechanical  Engineer,
and R.  Statnick,  Chemist, ASME
Committee Meeting,  Cincinnati, Ohio,
October 7.
  ^0 0 0 0 0 0 P 0 0 0 « 9 OJ Qj » 0^ 0 0 » « B ttttS
   J.  Williams,  Chemical Engineer,
150th  Meeting,  Electrochemical
Society, Inc.,  Las  Vegas, Nevada,
October 18-22.
                                          R.  Stern,  Chief,  Process
                                       Technology Branch, 69th Annual Meet-
                                       ing, AIChE, Chicago,  Illinois,
                                       November 28-December  2.
                                          R.  Hall,  Research  Mechanical
                                       Engineer, 1976 ASME Winter Annual
                                       Meeting,  New York, N.Y.,
                                       December  5-9.
pools can greatly reduce  hydrocarbon
emissions while cutting down on
traffic problems.   When practicable,
water based paints should be used, and
open burning of trash should be avoided.
Equally important, your local and
state governments need your support
for programs such as annual inspec-
tion and maintenance of autos to en-
sure that hydrocarbon reductions are
being achieved.  Collectively, you,
industry and government at all levels
can provide clean air for your com-
munity.
                                       Scholarships. . .cont'd from page 1
                                      at NCSU, Raleigh, N.C., where she is
                                      majoring in psychology.  Wanda's
                                      sister, Susan, had received two  scholar-
                                      ship awards from EPA.
                                         The EPA Scholarship Fund, which
                                      was established five years ago,  comes
                                      primarily from honoraria and fees of-
                                      fered to Agency officials for
                                      speeches and published magazine
                                      articles.
                                         Scholarship applicants must be
                                      children of career employees having
                                      at least three years of service, and
                                      must be full-time students at an ac-
                                      credited college or junior college.
                                      Children of deceased or disabled
                                      employees are also eligible.  Selec-
                                      tion is based both on need and
                                      academic performance.

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