Record,
book reviews
Page 1B
Oregon daily
emerald
Wednesday, December 1, 1982
I
Eugene, Oregon
Volume 84. Number 62
Asbestos
Work continues on
fiber-covered pipes
By Faris Cassel
Of the Emerald
Repairs of deteriorating asbestos pipe insulation
in McArthur Court that were temporarily delayed late
Tuesday afternoon pending results of air monitoring
tests can be continued today, according to Ed Bailey,
manager of the University's environmental health and
safety office
Work to repair the tattered pipe insulation began
Monday after University officials confirmed that the
insulation contained asbestos fibers, but was halted
Tuesday afternoon until results from the air tests could
be analyzed to determine whether it is safe to work in
the area
Bailey reconsidered late Tuesday his decision to
wait for test results He gave physical plant workers
the OK to go ahead because he felt the procedures
they were using to remove and contain the asbestos
insulation were safe, he says
Bailey says he originallv decided to stop work and
wait for the tests because of the likelihood of high
concentrations of asbestos fibers being released into
the air from the repair work.
' The insulation on the Mac Court pipes was so
dry in some places that it actually broke up into dust in
your hand," Bailey says
In the past workers have come in from some
asbestos jobs "covered from head to toe with dust,”
he says.
But workers in Mac Court are following safety
procedures exactly as they are supposed to, Bailey
says The procedures include wetting down the in
sulation before removal and setting it carefully in
plastic bags instead of knocking it off with a hammer
Removing insulation this way has practically
eliminated the risk of contaminating the air with
Jerry Henry of the physical plant s sports services department removes pipe insulation made of asbestos from
the south end of McArthur Court early Tuesday afternoon
asbestos fibers, he says
Still, the tests are being rushed through a state
laboratory in Portland and will be available in several
days, Bailey says
The 1 %-inch thick steam pipe, which rings the
playing area of Mac Court, is suspended from the
ceiling above the lower balcony and the floor seats
"If we have asbestos in an area that gets dis
turbance, then we should get to it right away," says
physical plant director Harold Babcock
If the test results show that the work is disturbing
the asbestos and creating unsafe levels of airborne
fibers, it will be necessary to stop the project and
contract the job off-campus, Babcock says.
“We have to keep the fibers from becoming
airborne, because they will settle someplace else
where they may be disturbed later," he says.
Additionally, a monitoring program has been
scheduled by Bailey to determine the fiber level during
different activities, including basketball games.
Continued on Page 3A
Citations enhance awareness of asbestos danger
By Paris Cassel
Of the Emerald
The discovery of tattered asbestos insulation in
McArthur Court comes on the heels of a citation
issued to the University for asbestos code violations
this fall by the Accident Prevention Division of the
state Workers' Compensation Department.
The citation is the the third asbestos-related
citation the University has received since 1979
The citations have contributed to a growing
awareness on campus that asbestos is not a problem
confined only to a small group of workers in the
heating plant and tunnel system as previously
assumed
Asbestos — used extensively throughout the
University for pipe insulation — is made of microscopic
fibers that have been known to cause disease and are
believed to cause cancer when breathed into the
lungs.
University officials say they are facing the task of
upgrading a safety program that, while extensive, is
not meeting its own standards.
This fall's citation — issued after an APD inspec
tion — covered a wide range of campus health and
safety violations and carried a fine of $2,135, of which
$335 was for asbestos violations
APD inspector Shawn Baz was checking a
Science I storeroom when she heard banging on the
steam pipes in adjacent tunnels, according to Ed
Bailey, manager of the University’s Office of Envir
onmental Health and Safety
Bailey says Baz found workers cutting through
the asbestos insulation to make repairs and letting the
debris fall in chunks instead of attempting to contain it.
Baz reported that the tunnel's entrance was
littered with asbestos debris from prior maintenance
and that the workers were inadequately trained and
monitored for asbestos exposure levels. Some had not
received the required medical examinations, she
reported.
In the citation, Baz also noted that other physical
plant workers were not adequately trained and moni
tored.
Baz says the inspections are not intended to be
thorough surveys of the entire campus but are
Continued on Page 3A
Suspect in Tylenol case surrenders to FBI
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A mechanic
wanted for questioning in the Extra
Strength Tylenol poisoning deaths was
arrested Tuesday in Los Angeles after he
contacted FBI agents voluntarily, auth
orities said
Kevin John Masterson, 35, walked into
the FBI office in West Los Angeles on
Monday afternoon and said he was
willing to be interviewed about the
Chicago-area poisonings, said FBI
spokesman John Hoos.
Masterson was questioned, detained
overnight, then turned over to Los
Angeles police, who arrested him
Tuesday at FBI headquarters on an
outstanding warrant from Illinois on an
unrelated matter, Hoos said.
Authorities who searched Masterson’s
rooms in Chicago in October found two
Tylenol capsules and two bottles labeled
poison Investigators have also suggest
ed that Masterson had a grudge against
two of the retail outlets where the poi
soned Tylenol was purchased
Hoos said he did not know why
Masterson came to the FBI office, nor
would he comment on what Masterson
said during interviews.
“We interviewed him as a possible
suspect in the Tylenol case," Hoos said
Asked whether Masterson was still con
sidered crucial to the Tylenol case, Hoos
said: “All I can say is there are no federal
charges against him.”
Masterson was held without bail on an
outstanding warrant for possession of
marijuana and was scheduled for
arraignment on that charge Wednesday,
said police Lt. Keith Ross.
Authorities in Du Page County, III., had
issued an all-points bulletin for
Masterson's arrest on the marijuana
charge, but he was wanted primarily for
questioning in the Tylenol case.
Masterson could waive extradition and
be returned within 10 days If he does not
waive, extradition could take as long as
90 days, Floss said.
Seven people in the Chicago area died
between Sept. 29 and Oct. 1 after taking
Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules laced
with cyanide.
The deaths touched off a massive hunt
for the killer.
In an affidavit filed when a search
warrant was obtained for Masterson's
home, Chicago investigators said that
Masterson and his wife Joann had once
sued the Jewel Food Stores claiming she
was manhandled by employees in an
alleged shoplifting incident.
The suit was settled out of court, but
investigators said Masterson, who
worked both as a mechanic and as a
stained glass artisan, held a grudge
against the store.
The other retail outlet against which
Masterson held a grudge was identified
in the affadavit as Frank s Finer Foods,
but the document did not elaborate the
reason for Masterson's resentment.
The affidavit also detailed a conversa
tion with a clinical psychiatrist in which
Masterson was quoted as saying ‘many
people will suffer" because of his grudge
against Jewel Masterson also reportedly
said that "Son of Sam (a notorious New
York multiple-murder case) will pale by
comparison.”