"The public wants clean air,
clean water, sensible use of
resources; no brown-outs and
no smog-outs, no products,
conveniences or services that
poison them slowly or quickly;
no beautiful high-sounding
claims by industry or Govern-
ment that are not backed by
solid performance; no short-
term gains and long-term
losses; no lame excuses;
NO NONSENSE."
                                         SEPTEMBER 1971
NO
NONSENSE!
PUBLISHED FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE U S  ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
    EPA  TO HOLD  BRIEFING
       More  than  200  organizations, representing a
    cross-section of the Nation's service, con'servation. labor
    and  professional  groups, have  been  invited  by the
    Environmental Protection Agency to Washington, D.C. for
    an all-day briefing October 1 at the Washington Hilton.
        In announcing the meeting, Mr. Ruckelshaus said, "We
    have invited representatives of these organizations to the
    Capital in  order that they  may  better understand our
    functions and responsibilities, and consequently be able to
    work more effectively with the Environmental Protection
    Agency."

        Russell E. Train,  Chairman of the  Council  on
    Environmental Quality, will address the luncheon for the
    representatives.

        The  briefing will  begin with  an address by the
    Administrator before the entire group. He will be followed
    by top officials of  the  EPA who will explain  how the
    Agency operates  and how  it intends to help provide
    leadership in restoring the environment.


        "We feel the more clearly our problems as well as our
    proposals  are understood the more  effectively we can
    operate," Ruckelshaus said.


        After  the  luncheon, the briefing will break up into
    workshops on separate environmental problems.  EPA
    experts will be chairmen  of the six workshops with leading
    conservationists or other authorities as spokesmen for the
    public.


        In the workshops, EPA officals, environmental leaders,
    and other participants will have the opportunity to discuss
    in detail the specific problems such as air or water pollution
    and solid wastes.
                                      "We  hope  these  meetings will lead  to a closer
                                  relationship between the organizations and EPA in working
                                  toward the  common  goal  of  improving the  Nation's
                                  environment." Ruckelshaus said.
                                                  HEADQUARTERS  MOVE

                                      The first phase of the move into headquarters offices
                                  at Waterside  Mall  has  been  completed.  Problems
                                  encountered have most often included trying to  find one's
                                  way around the new building complex! "You Are Here"
                                  signs seem to help to a degree. Some relief may be in sight,
                                  since it is planned to paint wall  panels at intersecting
                                  corridors in different colors.
                                      The  air-conditioning system has evoked the most
                                  complaints, some areas of the building are too warm, while
                                  others are too cold. The engineers are now trying to balance
                                  the air-conditioning system.  For those who look ahead to
                                  Washington's  long  cold winter, the heating system was
                                  checked out the weekend of September 11-12. It works.
                                      The telephone company has labored diligently to keep
                                  up with the move  schedule and additional phones and
                                  changes have been held in abeyance. However, they plan
                                  now to make necessary changes.

                                      Where  to eat lunch has been  a question faced by
                                  many.  The  answers range from "brown-bagging" it, to
                                  patronizing vending machines; some  buy cottage cheese at
                                  the local  supermarket, while  others dine  at the
                                  "construction shack"snack bar. (Does anybody want to get
                                  into the restaurant business?)

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     There are rumors that some employees located next to
the  12-story Tower,  now  being  built, have  generously
assisted  construction  workers by  serving as "sidewalk
superintendents'"
    The next phase of the move, to the third floor mall, is
scheduled for on or about November 1st. EPA will at that
time occupy nearly 100,000 net square feet on the third
floor mall. This amount of office space, all on one level, is
one  of  the largest,  outside  of the Pentagon,  in  the
Washington area
    EFFECTS  OF  WAGE-PRICE  FREEZE  OUTLINED  FOR FEDERAL  WORKERS
     Economic actions taken by the President on August
15 will affect Federal employees in several ways.


     When  the  President  announced a 90-day  freeze on
wages, prices, and rents, he expressed his intention to delay
by six months the white-collar pay adjustment scheduled
for January  1972, and to  decrease the Federal work force
by five percent


     The reduction m employment  is  expected to be
accomplished largely through attrition; that is, by  not
filling all vacancies.

     Subsequent to the President's announcement, the Civil
Service Commission outlined the  following ways in which
the freeze will affect Federal  employees:

     —All  withm-grade salary increases  and quality step
increases which  did not  have an  effective  date prior to
August  15, 1971, will be  suspended while the freeze is in
effect.

     —A notation will be made in the employee's record as
to the date a within-grade increase would have come due if
there had been no freeze,  and that date will be considered
as the date of the employee's last equivalent increase for
future withm-grade increase purposes.
    —Cash and honorary awards may be made for adopted
suggestions and superior performance during the freeze.


    —Promotions to positions of greater responsibility in
higher grade or level are permitted during the freeze, and
pay  on  promotion will  be  fixed in accordance with
applicable law and regulations. However, agencies have been
reminded of the impact of promotions on the lowering of
average grade levels.
     -Employees changing from one pay system to another
during  the freeze, such as from Wage System to General
Schedule, will continue to be paid at the rate earned under
the former system during the period of freeze.
     —No new (blue collar) wage schedule or rate will be
 issued  with  an effective  date  within the freeze  period
 However, a  wage schedule or rate required by law to be
 effective prior to the freeze period will be issued and put
 into effect

     —If  a  wage schedule or rate  was issued with an
 effective date prior to the freeze period it will be effective
 on the date specified. But  a  rate or schedule with an
 effective date within the freeze  period will not be put into
 effect.
                  PRE-RETIREES  ELIGIBLE  FOR  INCENTIVE  AWARDS
     While annuitants are not eligible to receive cash awards
under  the  Government Employees'  Incentive Awards
Program, they can receive honorary recognition as private
citizens.

     Employees  who  are  in  pre-retirement  status may
submit worthwhile suggestions under the incentive awards
program prior to retirement
     A suggestion which is submitted  at any time before
the employee goes off the agency payroll will be eligible for
a cash award if it is adopted and meets the criteria for a
cash award.

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Dr.  Breidenback  meets  employees  of EPA's National
Environmental Research Center in Cincinnati.
CENTER  DIRECTOR
   On  August 6,  1971,  EPA  Administrator,  William   D.
Ruckelshaus,  announced  the  appointment   of
Dr. Andrew W. Breidenbach to a new  EPA  post. As the first
Director  of  the  Environmental  Protection  Agency's
Cincinnati, Ohio, — based  National  Environmental Research
Center,  Dr. Breidenbach will direct the efforts of nearly  1,200
EPA employees  in 10  locations  throughout the city; he will
also  be  responsible for the $28 million  multi-disciplinary
environmental research laboratory to be built at the University
of Cincinnati by  1975.  Under the  program direction  of
Dr. Stanley  Greenfield, EPA's   Assistant  Administrator  for
Research and Monitoring, Dr. Breidenbach will head up  the
Cincinnati complex  as  chief of one  of the three  National
Environmental Research Centers which are being established
within EPA;  the other two are located  in  Research Triangle
Park, North Carolina, and Corvallis, Oregon.
   Dr.  Breidenbach,  who  earned his Bachelor of  Science
Degree  from the University  of  Cincinnati  and his  doctoral
degree from  the  University of Florida, is a chemist with wide
experience in the environmental field.
   While working  at  Cincinnati's  Robert  A.  Taft Sanitary
Engineering  Center  from  1956  to  1960,  he  developed
short-term  graduate  level training courses  in  environmental
chemistry,  and for  two succeeding years, served as assistant
chief of the National Air Pollution Training Program. For his
work  at Taft, he  gained recognition  as  an authority on
pollution measurement.
   As a Federal water pollution control official from 1962 to
1967,  Dr.  Breidenbach  was again recognized  for  his work.
Anthony J. Celebrezze, former Secretary of the  Department of
Health,  Education, and  Welfare, publicly identified him as a
member of the team which determined the  pesticide, Endrin,
to be the  pollutant  which caused a massive fish kill in the
Mississippi River.
   Dr.  Breidenbach  is a prominent  authority on many other
aspects  of  environmental  contamination and  has  frequently
been called upon  to assist State,  local, and industrial leaders
with environmental problems.
   He  has  authored  numerous papers  for  such   scientific
publications  as Bio-Science, Science,  and the  Archives  of
Environmental Health and has lectured widely  at all levels of
government and at  universities across  the  country.  He  is  a
member of  several  scientific  and environmental  science
associations,  including  the  American  Chemical  Society,  a
working group of the President's Cabinet Committee  on the
Environment,  and  the  American  Association for  the
Advancement of Science.
   In his most recent position as chief of national  research and
development  for EPA's Solid  Waste Management  Office, he
was responsible for  identifying  national needs  in the area of
solid waste disposal  and establishing research  to meet these
needs.
                          SPEAKERS  NEEDED
      Requests for speakers to represent  EPA before civic
 and  professional  organizations are being received  in ever
 increasing numbers. The Agency would  like to  be  able to
 comply with  as many of these requests as possible, but to
 do  that  requires  the  assistance  of  well-informed  staff
 members.
      If you would like to volunteer to accept speaking
 engagements, please  call Mrs. Ginger Savell, Director  of
 Executive Scheduling,  Office of Public Affairs    (202)
 755-2760. Potential speakers will be asked for a copy of an
 updated curriculum vitae , a brief statement of your area of
 expertise,  and the types of groups to which you would
 prefer speaking - e.g.,  business or industrial  groups, civic
 organizations,  educational  and  professional societies,
 conferences  on the state and local  level, or  conservation
 groups.

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                                Dr. Melvin W.  Carter, Director of WERL, speaking with Dr.
                                Stanley  M.  Greenfield,  Assistant Administrator  for
                                Research and  Momforing, EPA, at the opening session of
                                the Tritium Symposium.
                                     TRITIUM  SYMPOSIUM  HELD
     The  first  EPA-sponsored  symposium  dealing  with
radiation was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, August 30 through
September 2, 1971. This Symposium was jointly organized
and   co-sponsored  by   EPA's  Western  Environmental
Research  Laboratory  and  the University of Nevada,  Las
Vegas.


     Dr. Stanley M. Greenfield, Assistant Administrator for
Research  and  Monitoring  of EPA,  stated in his  keynote
address  the importance of  tritium  as  an  environmental
contaminant. According to  Dr. Greenfield, tritium is  not
yet an acute problem from  the environmental standpoint,
but it can become one. The  Assistant Administrator asked
the Symposium and researchers  in the field  to concentrate
 on  four areas  with  respect  to  tritium:  a  prediction
 regarding future  production  and environmental levels  of
 tritium; determination as to whether there is any biological
 magnification of tritium  in  the food chain  and in the
 biological system; an understanding  of biological effects of
 low levels of tritium; and finally, a solution to the problem
 of  disposal of tritium waste. Dr. Greenfield stated, "We in
 EPA want to encourage tritium disposal research before,
 rather than after,  it becomes an acute problem."

     Tritium  production  from  various  sources such  as
nuclear reactors  and particularly various  types of power
reactors,  nuclear weapons, and Plowshare experiments was
discussed in the following session.

-------
      The behavior of tritium in soils, in plants, in various
 animals, and  human beings was extensively discussed. Dr
 William L  Russell  from Oak Ridge National  Laboratory
 described their recent findings of genetic effects of tritium
 Although these findings were preliminary, their  significance
 as the  first  extensive genetic studies with  tritium  was
 apparent  Several other sessions dealt with environmental
 surveillance, detection and measurement techniques, health
 physics aspects and results of extensive surveillance by EPA
 and other similar organizations in the world


      Dr   Walter  Seelentag  from  the  World  Health
 Organization  described the history and  medical findings of
 two  deaths which  resulted from tritium contamination
 Both cases involved careless handling of  large  amounts of
 tritium
      The  question of  biological  effects of  tritium, in
 particular   tritium  as  a  carcinogen,  was  discussed
 extensively   Dr   D  J  Mewissen from  the  University of
 Chicago described the production  of tumors in  mice  as a
 result of incorporation  of tritiated thymidme at birth  He
 indicated that tumors could be produced at lower levels of
 exposure than had been  shown in previous experiments
     Two  scientists  from  Belgium  and  Germany,
respectively, discussed tritium behavior m cow's milk Also,
results of experiments in  aquatic systems were presented
One session was dedicated to the application of tritium in
biology and medicine A group headed by Dr Wood from
the  Lawrence  Livermore Laboratory  presented  a new
approach to combat cancer using tritiated tetracyclme

     The overall impression of the Symposium was that the
interest m tritium  research was high  Investigators all over
the world are concerned about the environmental aspects of
tritium,  and  the  questions  raised  by  the  Assistant
Administrator  of  EPA were  of  great  interest  to  the
audience. Approximately 400 participants from  11 nations
attended  the Symposium banquet where the  Novel laureate
W  F   Libby  described   circumstances  leading to  the
discovery of tritium and its development, a matter in which
Dr  Libby played a prominent role. His description  of the
acquisition  of first-class  French wines to  study  tritium
decay added a note of humor to the evening

     Published  proceedings  of  the  Symposium  will  be
available  m  July,  1972  The  Symposium participants
suggested that  the next  Tritium  Symposium be held in
Europe during the summer of 1975
                                        WANTED:    YOUR  MONEY
      If you need a loan or want to start saving for the rainy
 days ahead,  we're  m business'  EPA's  Credit  Union is
 located  in Room 717 in Building  II,  Crystal Mall, and is
 open from 11 00 to  1 00 every workday


      You can open  a savings account with $5 00 plus 25ef
 entry fee and can arrange for automatic payroll deductions
 Interest will be paid  quarterly, but the rate has not yet been
 determined


      Three types of loans are available  personal, new car
 and used car  For personal loans, the interest is  1% on the
^unpaid balance per month.

               For new car loans, 3/4 of 1%
                  For used car loans, 1%


      Savings and loan transactions can be handled by mail,
 but check cashing for members must be done at the Credit
 Union  Checks are limited to S25 00
     To date 179 accounts have been opened totaling over
830,000  Forty-five loans totaling 818,500 have been made
to EPA employees by the Credit Union


     Business meetings are being held every third Thursday
of each month, and officers, and members of the board of
directors- will  happily accept  your  recommendations for
consideration at these meetings  Thus  far,  no date for a
general membership meeting has been set


     The Credit Union will be relocated to Waterside Mall
next January  during Phase 2 of  the  EPA headquarters
move

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     Forms to open an account, to apply for a loan or to
arrange for payroll deductions are available from the Credit
Union officers and board members who are listed below
     Officers:
    President

    Vice President

    Secretary

    Treasurer
James  L  Teare,  Water  Programs,
557-9800
Domimck  A  Manfre,  Enforcement,
557-7604
Helen  G   Stamback,  Research  &
Monitoring, 557-7706
Anna V   Wright,  Water  Programs,
443-4580
Board of Directors:
Polly P  Anderson, Personnel, 755-2649
James Davis, General Services, 557-7417
Lillian E. Ross, General Counsel, 55707750

Credit Committee:
Jaye Swanson, Water Programs, 557-7600
Jessie  Hodo, Media Programs, 755-2660
George Webster, Research & Monitoring, 522-0731
Sidney Green, Office of Equal Opportunity, 254-7414
Supervisory Committee'
Donald L  Hambnc, Procurement, 557-7436
Herbert  C  Yablon,  Facilities,   Construction
Operation, 557-7721
Walter R Hager, Water Programs, 557-7343
                                                                                                             and
                     QUESTIONS  &  ANSWERS  ON  MATERNITY  LEAVE
What is maternity leave?

     It is the period  of approved absence of an employee
who is considered unable to work because of pregnancy and
recent confinement (delivery)


     It is  not a special  kind  of  leave  Maternity leave is
chargeable to sick leave or to  a combination of sick leave,
annual leave and as necessary, leave without pay


Who is entitled to maternity leave7

     The Federal Government's policy, as expressed in  the
leave regulations, is that "an agency shall grant sick leave
 when  the  employee        is  incapacitated  for   the
performance of duties by     pregnancy and confinement
     As a pregnant employee, you will be granted sick leave
that you have accumulated  Generally, you will  also be
granted the annual leave that you have accumulated  Your
agency is not required to grant you leave without pay but
most agencies will do so for employees who have been on
the rolls for at least a year


     Because agency practices differ, be sure to check with
your  personnel officer  for details  about  yojr  agency's
policies with respect to maternity leave
                                        How long does maternity leave last7

                                             There  is  no  fixed  Government-wide  rule on  this
                                        matter, and policy varies from  one agency to another In
                                        many  agencies  the  general policy  is  to  authorize
                                        approximately  14 weeks  of maternity  leave  (beginning
                                        about 6 weeks before  the expected date of delivery and
                                        extending about 8 weeks beyond it)  In other agencies the
                                        period may be longer or shortet

                                             Also,  more or less maternity  leave may  be granted
                                        depending upon the employee's physical condition and the
                                        type of work she  does  For example, if you perform heavy
                                        physical labor such as lifting and carrying, you may want to
                                        stop working earlier than an employee who has a desk job


                                        What should you do7

                                             It would  be a good idea for you to notify your agency
                                        when you  are  sure that you are pregnant Your agency can
                                        then take  reasonable steps to protect your health  on the
                                        job

                                             You will probably want to get medical advice from
                                        your doctor or a  clinic about how  long you can continue
                                        working,  whether  there are  particular tasks you  cannot
                                        perform,  and  whether  there  are working conditions that
                                        you should avoid  Some agencies require a woman to get a
                                        written statement from her doctor or a clinic certifying to
                                        her pregnancy and showing the expected date of delivery

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     If you have gotten a written  statement from your
doctor or a clinic, give it to your immediate supervisor. This
will be important in determining how long you will be able
to continue working.


     Try  to keep your supervisor  informed of changes in
your physical condition that might  affect your  ability to
work  Unless  your  agency is aware  of your  physical
condition  it cannot take the steps necessary to protect your
health on the job


What will your agency do?

     When you  report your pregnancy, your agency will
determine whether  your duties or surroundings  involve
exposure to hazards which can be reduced or eliminated

     Should your agency  find that your duties  require
activity or exposure to hazards which may be injurious to
your health, it will  make a reasonable effort to detail or
temporarily reassign you to other available work for which
you are qualified. If another assignment is not available and
if  a  medical  certificate  indicating that you  are unfit
physically to perform the duties of your position has been
received, then your agency will probably find it necessary
to place you on leave—that is, sick leave,  annual leave, and
as necessary, leave without pay
     In many cases, your duties or surroundings will not
present any  hazards and you  will  be able to continue  in
your job until you are ready to go on maternity leave  Your
supervisor will probably discuss  with you  such matters  as
how long you expect to continue working, how soon you
plan to return to work after the birth of the baby, and how
much leave you will be granted, including leave without pay
if  necessary   In  addition,  your agency will answer any
specific  questions you may  have regarding employment
rights, life insurance coverage, health benefits, etc
EPA  REPS  VISIT  RUSSIA
     EPA has sent its top air pollution experts to the Soviet
 Union for two weeks  as part of a  U S.-U SS.R. bilateral
 scientific  exchange  agreement. The EPA delegation, which
 left for the Soviet Union on  Friday, September 17, and will
 return October 2, is headed by Fitzhugh Green, Associate
 Administrator  for  International  Affairs,  and  included
 Donald  Mosmian,  Assistant  Administrator  for  Media
 Programs, John Middleton  and his Deputy, John Ludwig,
 Office  of  Air  Programs,  Donald  Makte,  a NOAA
 meteorologist and Bill Earth.


     The  delegation will travel  as guest  of  the  Soviet
 Union's Hydrometeorological Service, to at least four cities
 including Moscow, Leningrad, Tbilisi, and Alma-Ata


     This trip is part of a series of meetings that the United
 States has agreed to hold with the Russians m the field of
 pollution control Last fall  the Soviet Union sentitswater
 quality  experts  to  the  United  States  to  visit  our
 laboratories The  United States will  reciprocate next spring
 by sending EPA water quality experts to the U S.S R


     For  EPA specifically,  the trip is part of the Agency's
 efforts to increase its own expertise and to encourage other
 nations  to become  active  in  Government  control  of
 pollution
           REPORT  SHOWS  YOUNGEST,
               OLDEST  DRIVERS  SAFEST
     Who's the safest driver of them all' The most unsafe?
     A  review of moving traffic violations last year in the
 District of Columbia  showed this  relationship to drivers'
 ages.

     Drivers  aged  16 and  17 accounted  for  7percent of
 total drivers  but .1 percent of violations, 18-19-year-olds
 accounted  for  2 5  percent  of the  total,  5 2 percent of
 violations, those aged 20-24 for 131 percent of total, 23 7
 percent of violations, 25-34, 28 5 percent of total, 32 5
 percent of violations,  35-64, 48 4 percent of drivers, 36 8
 percent of violations; and those 65 and older accounted for
 6 8 percent of drivers,  1 7 percent of violations

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The  Wizard  of  Id     By Parker and Hart
       WHAT PC?
           5UIUC?
Reproduced by permission of Johnny Hart and Field Kntt-rprises, Inc.

-------