The University Daily
University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas
KANSAN
Thursday, September 30,1982 Vol.93,No.29 USPS 650-640
Banned insulation used on campus
Toxins ring campus office
By DIRK MILLEF Staff Reporter
An insulation material banned from use in residential buildings because it is a suspected carcinogen was used to re-insulate a KU office building four years ago, a state official said.
Urea formaldehyde foam insulation was used in the University Relations office in 1978, according to specifications on the project, said Barrie Warner, associate director of the state agency.
According to a report issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, urea formaldehyde foam insulation releases formaldehyde gas into the air in minute quantities.
A STUDY CONDUCTED from 1979 to 1981 by the Chemical Industry Institute of Technology found that a significant number of rats were exposed to formaldehyde per-million concentration of formaldehyde gas.
A parts-per-million concentration means that a million parts of air there is one part of the collision.
Other studies have linked formaldehyde gas to
nose, eye and throat irritations, headaches,
respiratory irritations, respiratory problems
gastro-intestinal issues
The commission voted to ban installation of urea formaldehyde insulation in residential buildings beginning Aug. 1. But the foam insulation has been banned from use in commercial buildings.
Urea formaldehyde was sprayed into the office's exterior walls through holes drilled from the outside into the wood siding, Warner said. The holes were then plugged with white caps.
Wiechert said that there were no plans as of vet to re-insulate the office.
William Hogan, executive vice chancellor,
said that he also had heard of no plans by the
University to replace the insulation at the office,
and it is hoped that the installation will be
presented by the urea formaldehyde insulation.
Part of the controversy over the use of any formaldehyde product, said Darol Dodd, a
toxicologist at the Busy Run Research Center in Pennsylvania, is whether the rodent studies that have been done on formaldehyde are representative of its effect on man.
DODD SAID that the government banned any other chemical found to cause cancer in animals.
Drywall Construction Company of Topeka, the firm that insulated the University Relations office in 1978, said it had had no problems with the insulation jobs the company had installed.
John Fernkopf, a Drywall employee, said that if the building had no problems in the first six months then in his opinion it was probably all right.
Robin Everone, director of University Relations, said that she could not recall any event.
MIKE MOORE, associate director of University Relations, said that the windows of the office were open all summer and probably provided adequate ventilation.
But Morris Faiman, professor of pharmacology and toxicology, said that the key to possible health problems was the concentration
See POISON page 5
Many steps ahead for redevelopment
By DOUG CUNNINGHAM Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
Lawrence city commissioners and business leaders said yesterday the naming of a "developer of record" for the proposed downtown Lawrence redevelopment project was an important step, but only one of many toward the final project.
The commission picked Sizeler Realty Co., Inc., Kenner, La., as developer of record Tuesday night.
"We certainly have a long ways to go toward completing a successful project," Gary Toeben, executive vice president of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, said.
But Toeben said, "I know the business community is pleased that a developer has been selected."
DEAN PALOS, a planner in the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Department, said the
city now would work toward reaching a memorandum of agreement with Sizer.
The agreement is expected to include provisions for working out a basic project design, an initial financing plan, required public improvements, some indication of how sites for the project would be acquired and a general timetable for the project, Palos said.
Representatives from Sizerel probably will meet with city officials within two weeks to discuss an agreement. It is expected to be completed in 30 days and no later than 45 days, Palas said.
John Stainback, a representative of the architectural firm working with Sizeler on the project said yesterday he was looking forward to meeting Lawrence's downtown redevelopment.
Stainback said he would be spending a lot of time in Lawrence.
"I AM YERM HAPPY. The project has been important to me ever since I've set foot in Lawrence," said Stainback, director of planning and urban design for the DMJM firm.
"Whatever it takes — that's how enthusiastic I am," he said.
"Believe me, I know this project is very important to everybody in town."
A team of urban designers from DMJM will be joined to Lawrence to work on the project, he should.
Mayor Marci Francisco said the process used in selecting a developer had been a good one.
"I'm very hopeful," she said. "I think we were talking with some very good firms. I'm glad we took as much time as we did with the developer selection process."
COMMISSIONER NANCY Shontz said the commission had discussed each developer thoroughly.
"I thought he had an excellent discussion and I thought everyone was very reasonable and sensible."
Mike Amyx, a downtown merchant and
SE REACTION page 5
Nancy Shawhaker, assistant to the dean of libraries, watches as her partner makes a shot during the Carrie Watson Memorial Courier Tournament.
Croquet, look-alike librarian add to library re-dedication
By MATT BARTEL Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
There is a new Carrie Watson at the University of Kansas whose "shhh" would have made the
Brenda Owens, an acquisitions clerk at Watson Library, won the Carrie Watson look-alike contest by successfully shushing the cat. It was much the same way the Real Carrie did Watson.
Carrie Watson was the University's first librarian, serving from 1897 to 1921, and was a pioneer in computer science.
THE EVENT, along with a Carrie Watson Memorial Croquet Match, is part of the re-dedication going on this week to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Library Innovation, library officials said.
Owens edged out five other competitors in the contest to win a $5 gift certificate from the Kansas University Bookstore. The contest was one of the few games Waltons, who knew the real Wallon.
Owens said her act had an added dimension that the other competitors lacked.
"Just call me the 'terror of acquisitions,'" she said.
"It was the ruler that won it," Owens said, referring to the fact that she not only "shushed" vehemently at the crowd and threateningly waved a ruler as well.
"I practiced for days," Bishop said, laughing. She said sour looks in her family.
NORMAL BISHOP, circulation librarian, won a
gift certificate for second prize even though
he was not a graduate.
"Carrie Watson looked a lot like my grandmother," she said. "If my grandmother could have been here, she would have won hands down."
Though her grandmother may have won the look-alike contest, it's doubtful she would have stood a chance in another game on the front lawn.
"This game's getting mean." Fritz Menginger, Topeka senior, said as he tucked his tie into his white slacks and readied himself for his next shot.
MENNINGER WAS ONE of the four finalists in the Carrie Watson Memorial Croquet Matech.
Each finalist earned his birth in the final by winning one of four preliminary matches, each
The four lagged to determine the order of play, a procedure in which each player hits a ball from center court, with the player whose ball comes to rest nearest the end post going first.
But for this day at least, the match was never
See FUN page 5
Steve Putthoff, Lawrence postman, found a convenient spot to take a break yesterday while waiting for a mail drop-on on west 14th Street.
Lamborn speech upsets mayor, commissioners
Staff Reporter
By JULIE HEABERLIN
"It puts the Commission in an awkward position, because now we will probably need to offer his opponent equal air time." Lawrence Mayor Marci Francisco said yesterday.
Remarks directed to the Lawrence City Commission by a local political candidate during its meeting Tuesday night have been branded by the mayor. The mayor said he would private' and a campaign ruse for free air time.
Doug Lamborn, who is running against Democrat Betty Jo Charlton for the 46th District seat in the Kansas House of Representatives, read a prepared statement opposing the city franchise tax during the weekly meeting time scheduled for public comments.
THE 5 PERCENT city franchise tax on natural gas utility bills will bring in $1,500,000 for the city of Lawrence in 1983, according to city officials.
Francisco said that she interrupted Lambert twice, explaining that his remarks must relate to city business, but that he insisted on reading a document that did not specifically request city action.
The Federal Communications Commission could not enforce its equal time provision with Sunflower Cablevision, which broadcasts the television service. That decision said Lamborn had forced the City Commission to
make an "awkward" decision about giving Charlton a chance to speak.
The FCC, in its regulation of public air waves, insists political candidates have equal opportunity to voice opinions on issues. However, cable television is exempted from this provision.
CHARLTON, IN A PHONE interview yesterday, said she would not respond to Lamborn's campaign speech because it would create a challenge for her in giving air time to other political candidates.
"He was electioneering," she said. "As far as I'm concerned it was inappropriate and I would not take up the City Commission's time with another campaign speech."
Francisco said that Lamborn should have addressed his comments to the City Commission during public hearings held on the franchise tax, before the preparation of the 1983 budget.
Lamborn, who did not attend the summer hearings, told the commission that unless they responded to his appeal, he would introduce himself and move authority of Kansas cities to levy the tax.
BUFORD WATSON, Lawrence city manager, said Lambor's suggestion was hardly feasible because the city budget had already been presented to the state.
Elimination of this tax would further burden the property tax. Watson said, which had been set at $235 per square mile.
See LAMBORN page 5
Pork shortage means more expensive ham
By MATTHEW SCHOFIELD
Staff Reporter
Michael Sands, extension economist at Kansas State University, said many pork producers went out of business last year or cut back on them because they were raising because of poor prices on pork.
Sunday hams will be more expensive and harder to find for the next year because of two straight dismal years for pork producers, an agricultural economist said this week.
HOG PRICES are measured by each 100 pounds of weight, and a pig usually will weigh between 300 and 500 pounds. Thus, a 600 lb pig is compared to a price last February of about $100.
the profitability since mid-1979 has been terrible," he said. "It takes hog prices in the mid-50s for a hog operation to break even. Last February the prices were down to about $38."
pork producers now because they caused a shortage of pork by cutting back on their operations. He said many producers butchered sows to decrease future herd size. The shortage brought prices up to a record high of $67 in August and has kept them close to that since
JIM LEWIS, owner of the four Rusty's food stores in Lawrence, said the shortage will have a major impact on local farmers.
Sands said prices had turned around for the
"Theprice of some smoked hams I bought last week went up 12 cents a pound this week," he said, "and when pork prices get high people buy poultry, which causes a shortage of that."
The shortage should continue for the next year and a half, he said.
"Just the biological aspect of it will take us into late 1883 before pork is plentiful again."
Floyd McCain, manager of the Smart hog operation north of Lawrence, which produces 16,000 hops a year, said his operation had not cut costs. But he didn't have cut savings saved much money to do so.
McCain said most of their money was invested in equipment and housing for the animals, thus at the time it was just as expensive to run the farm as with the logs as it would have been with only a few.
BUT HE SAID the operation did suffer the same problems other operations did.
"We could fold," he said. "It takes a lot of time to get an operation back on its feet."
McCain said the low prices hurt most operations more last year than they usually would have because hog raisers had to deal with exceptionally high interest rates on loans.
Doyle Talkington, head of public relations for the Kansas Fork Council, said the high rates on loans were a reason the industry would not recover from its low production soon.
"Most producers rely on borrowing when they want to expand," he said. "Producers can't borrow if the bank is calling in its loans," he said.
The industry would try to control expansion this time so that they would not bottom out and get stuck.
As interest rates come down, the pork industry will return to its normal cycle, and production will rebound.
IN KANSAS, BOTTOMING out had meant a decrease from 2.9 million bighits in 1881 to 1.6 million bighits.
Talkington said the grain surplus would hurt grain growers as much as it would help hog producers, but he said that was typical for agriculture.
"MCDONALD'S IS using a lot of pork now," he said, "and with the present grain surplus husgs will be cheaper to feed, which makes raising them that much cheaper."
Interest in increasing operation size and entering the hog market should also increase soon, he said, because of the higher pork prices, which would fund for the product and an over supply of grain.
"It itens that one branch of agriculture always has to make its profit at the expense of another," he said. "They all relate each other, and they all make to make a profit while the other areas suffer."
Weather
Today will be partly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers, according to the National Weather Service. Highs will be in the north from the south to southeast 5 to 15 mph.
Tonight will be mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of rain. Lows will be around
Tomorrow will be cloudy with a chance for rain. Highs will be in the low 70s.