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September 29, 1979 - Image 3

Resource type:
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Publication:
The Michigan Daily, 1979-09-29

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FUTURE CASES ANTICIPATED

The Michigan Da

Three more victims of Reye's Syndrome

By STEVE HOOK
Three girls have been listed in critical con-
dition at M tt Children's Hospital for cases of
Aeye's syinrome, an often-fatal children's
disease.
Sixteen-year-old Julie Jakab of Petoskey was
the only patient to be identified. In addition, a
nine-year-old Ann Arbor girl, admitted Sept. 3
with chicken pox, and a five-year-old girl from
Peck,. Michigan, admitted Sept. 21, are being
treated for the disease. Both the Peck and
Petoskey natives were admitted with
respiratory infections, hospital officials said.
ACCORDING TO Joseph Baublis, University

Medical School pediatrics and communicable
disease professor, the disease is not contagious
and occurs in children and young adults
recovering from viral infections.
Baublis explained that this "initiating"
disease breaks down the body's defense.
mechanisms, causing harmful "toxins" to store
up on the body, ultimately damaging the brain.
The three patients brought the total number of
Reye's syndrome cases in Michigan t\o 63 so far
this year. Nine deaths have been reported as a
result of the disease.
BAUBLIS, WHO is the coordinator of Mott's
'Reye's syndrome team," has been battling the

disease since 1974. He says the worst is yet to
come for this year.
"We anticipate more cases in the near future,"
he said yesterday. "We're not even in the busy
season yet."
Symptoms of the disease are quite clear, ac-
cording to Baublis. After coming off a virus,
which could rpnge from the common cold to
chicken pox, the afflicted person will experience
severe vomiting. As the defense mechanisms
fail, mental disorders occur, -such as
hallucinations or periods of delerium. It is at this
point, Baublis said, that parents must call the
hospital.

THE "REYE'S syndrome team" at the Mott
Children's Hospital, while not finding a cure for
the disease, has managed to reduce the death
rate of afflicted children. Baublis said when the
team was established in 1974, nearly 50 per cent
of the victims died. Baublis said that figure is
now down to 20 to 30 per cent.
Baublis said the team still does not know what
causes the disease, although environmental fac-
tors are suspected. There are no clues as to what
children are more vulnerable to Reye's syn-
drome than others.
Baublis listed the following strategies in com-
batting Reye's syndrome:

ily-Saturday, September 29, 1979-Page 3
treated
* Prevention of "initiating" diseases, which
will prohibit the emergence of the Reye's syn-
drome;
" Minimization of environmental hazards,
such as pesticides;
" More parental awareness of the symptoms,
for more effective response, and;
" Improvement of medical facilities, including
24-hour supervision for diseases such as Reye's
syndrome.
"Reye's syndrome will probably be with us for
a long time," Baublis said. "The likelihood of a
cure is small. The most important tool for bat-
tling the disease is prevention."

Nukes still issue after 6 months . -.

By JOYCE FRIEDEN
Sporting painted faces and gas'
masks, more than '150 people held a
rally yesterday at the Ann Arbor office
bf Detroit Edison to commemorate the
six-month anniversary of the Three
Mile Island accident.
Chanting, "We don't want another
.niike, Harrisburg was not a fluke,"
protesters surrounded the Edison
Building on the corner of Main and
William Streets and carried signs with
such slogans - as , "Dollars for the
owners, poison for the people" or
"nuclear is unclear." Members of the
Arbor Alliance, a local anti-nuclear
'group, and area residents participated
in the rally.
SOME OF the marchers said they felt
anti-nuclear protest is growing. "It (the
rhovement) is picking up a lot," said
''Bea Hanson, LSA sophomore and
member of the Public Interest Resear-
ch Group in Michigan (PIRGIM),.
. PIRGIM members are currently trying
-"to get a "nuclear moratorium" on the
ballot in the 1980 state election.
- "We want it on the ballot in 1980 kso
that the people of Michigan can vote for
themselves on this issue," Hanson ex-

plained. "Ann Arbor is an unusual town
because most of the people are aware of
the nuclear power issue and have an
opinion on it, whether it be for or again-
st. We would like to educate all the
people in the state."
"It (the protest) will be worth it in the
long run," said John Freeman, an
Engineering student. "It raises
questions in people's minds. This issue
will be the Vietnam of the80s."
AFTER A half-hour of marching, the
crowd retreated to the parking lot for
skits and presentations. The crowd
heard a short speech from Art Schwar-
tz, a University math professor. Sch-
wartz, one of the founders of the Allian-
ce, emphasized the lack of safety-
precautions in the reactor.
"Many people overlook a very simple
fact. The most important thing in the
operation of a reactor -is to keep the
core cooled with water at all times. Yet
Babcock and Wilcox, (Three Mile
Island builders), had no way of knowing
how much water was in the reactor,
Their indirect metiod of measuring
was proved to be inaccurate," Schwar-
tz said.,
SCHWARTZ ALSO cited the recent

mishaps in New Mexico and Tennessee
plants and told the audience to be alert.
"The state government'and the federal
government will not protect us. The in-
dustry itself will not protect us. We
have got to protect ourselves," he said.
After the final presentation, the
protesters marched in small groups
toward the Diag, and disbanded.
{"I wish there had been more people,"
said Onah Bilmes, member of the
Direct Action Committee which
organized the rally. "Other than that, I
thought it went well. The crowd was
really getting into it," she added.
YESTERDAY'S rally came six mon-
ths to the day after the accident at the
Three Mile Island nuclear power plant
in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. On Mar-
ch 28, a leak in the plant's cooling
system caused radioactive material to
be discharged into the air, according to
reports from the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC). The damage
which resulted caused one of the plant's
teactors to be shut down.
Protesters and scientists agreed in
separate interviews yesterday that
Three Mile Island has brought in-
creased attention to the nuclear power
issue. "'Three Mile Island has helped
solidify the anti-nuclear movement,"
said Dan Ruben, an Ann Arbor
resident, who participated in the
demonstration.
"Now it's just a question of gathering
steam. At the latest national anti-nuke
rally in New York, there were twice as
many people (200,000) as there were at
the one in Washington in May," Ruben
said.
PRO-NUCLEAR supporters are also
getting increased attention, according
to Chihiro Kikuchi, University Nuclear
Engineering professor. He added'that
in the last few years he has noticed
more interest and."' decided shift of
students to the nuclear power side: I
teach a class called 'Nuclear
Engineering and Modern Society.' Last
year there were 30 people enrolled..
this year there are 60," Kikuchi said.
While people seem to agree on the in-
tensity of the movement, marchers and
pro-nuclear scientists can't agree on
whether or not nuclear power should be
used to generate electricity. According
to Steve McCarter, University Ecology
Center coordinator, officials in the
nuclear industry are not willing to ad-
mit that there are problems. "I was
talking with a lawyer from Detroit,
Edison last night," he explained. "He
didn't mention Three Mile Island until
he was forced to. But we're not going to
let him forget it! The secret is out. We
know that there are waste disposal
problems that are not going to be
solved."

Daily Photo by JOSEIDLER
MEMBERS OF THE Arbor Alliance and PIRGIM, both local anti-nuclear organizations, took part in a march which
culminated in a rally outside the Ann Arbor Detroit Edison Office yesterday. PIRGIM membeis are currently trying
to generate support for a proposed anti-nuclear referendum which would appear on the 1980 Michigan state ballot.

Waste disposal is no problem accor-
ding to Kikuchi. Nuclear wastes would
be put into stainless steel casks and
then lowered into salt mines. "These
salt deposits have remained intact for
over 400 million years (according to a
geological survey)," he said. "Even if
water were to seep in, where would it go
after that? If anything, it will go
lower."'
PIFOPLE ALSOcopuldn't agree ;on
what energy alternatives are available
in the near future if nuclear power is
not used. "The alternatives are getting
closer all the time," Schwartz said at
the rally.
"If the government were to invest
more money in solar power, it could be
ready for widespread use in about 20
years. However, no technology can get
along without government support. The
government has spent over $20 billion
on nuclear power, and it wants to
protect that investment," said Schwar-
tz.
Kikuchi disagrees about the amount
of time it will take to get solar power
ready for large-scale use in generating
electrivity.
"Anyone who knows anything about

this will tell you that the use of solar
energy for the generation of electricity
on a large-scale basis will not be before
the year 2,000 or later. . . Fusion is also
way in the future, possibly around the
middle of the next century,".he said.
REGARDING THE nuclear power
safety issue, Paul Hoffrichter, acting
manager .for; Detroit Edison in Ann
Arborcommented,1 "The company is
conducting a thorough examination of
all nuclear power plants currently un-
der construction or in the planning
stages to assure that all systems are as
risk-free as possible.'.' The newest
nuclear reactor being built for Detroit
Edison is Fermi II near Monroe,
scheduled for completion sometime in
1982.
Hoffrichter added that Detroit Edison
"respects the right of individuals to ex-
press their concerns regarding nuclear
power." He said Detroit Edison of-
ficials were pleased with the way the
rally was conducted.

VeinKipp ur.
.Services
Sept. 30 Oct. 1
Orthodox 6:55 PM 9 AM
Conservative -6:55 PM 9 AM
Reform 6:55 PM 10AM
Orthodox and.
Reform Services
at Hillel.
Conservative Services
at Lydia Mendelssohn
Theatre in the
Michigan League.

Daily Photo by MAUREEN OMALLEY
AN ANTI-NUCLEAR demonstrator tries to rally support from passsing
motorist in front of the Detroit Edison Building. Over 150 persons partici-
pated in the march and demonstration, marking the six-month anniversary
of the Three-Mile Island nuclear accident.
-4
FILMS
Alternative Action-Seven Beauties, 7, 9:20 p.m., MLB, Aud. 4.
Ann Arbor Film Co-op-Dr. Strangelove, 7, 10:20° p.m.; Funny Thing
Happened on the Way to the Forum, 8:40 p.m., MLB, Aud. 3.
Cinema Guild-White Dawn, 7, 9:05 p.m., Old Arch. Aud.
Cinema II-Slave of Love, 7, 9p.m., Angell Hall, Aud. A.
C'~ 'Mediatrics Films-Sleuth, 7, 9:30 p.m., Nat. Sci. Aud.
PERFORMANCES
Ark-Fennig's All Stars, Contraband and String Music, 9 p.m., 1421 Hill.
Canterbury Loft-Richard Jennings in Space Opera One, an original
one-act opera, 8 p.m., 332 S. State.
Eclipse Jazz-Ann Arbor Jazz Festival, 1979,8 p.m., Hill Aud.
Music School-Michigan Band Day, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Michigan
Stadium.
Pendleton Arts Center-Traditional African Drum Music, 8 p.m., Union.
MEETINGS
Handicapped Coalition-Meeting to discuss the formation of a South-
estern Michigan coalition to work on issues concerning the handicapped,
9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Salvation Army Headquarters, 100 Arbana (at W. Huron).
For information or pre-registration call Sally Taber at 971-0277.
Michigan Association for Emotionally Disturbed Children-Annual
Meeting, workshops, "Are Public School Services for the Disturbed Im-
proving?" and "Are Mental Health Programs for Children Improving?"
9:30 a.m.-noon; Luncheon Speaker, author Clara Claiborne Park, noon,
Michigan League.
MISCELLANEOUS
Book Sale-American Association of University Women, sponsors, 9
a.m.-noon, Union Ballroom.
Cnntemnnrarv Tnuit Granhics Conference-nanel discussion, "Granhic

University legaleaid
restriction prevalent

(Continued from Page 1)
court if the matter is University-
related.
But, Jeff Muhn, the student director
of M4SU's Student Legal Services, says
his organization has never tried to ob-
tain the privilege. He explained that a
series of more than a dozen appeal,
boards - all of them with at least 20 per
cent student membership - handle
student-university disputes. Mtihn aded
that such appeal board decisions are
binding on the University.
AT THE UNIVERSITY of Wisconsin
at Milwaukee, the University Legal
Clinic also faces the restriction against
intervention in student-university
cases. Director Pete Koneazny says the
group has been vying for the privilege
since its inception in 1977 but the U-W
Regents,"don't want their money used
to sue them."
Koneazny said U-W offers many ap-
peals boards for students with gripes
against the university.
According to University of Minne-
sota (Minneapolis) Legal Services at-

torney Phil Fishman, few students
would be able to challenge the college in
court.
BUT WHILE "there's not a high level
of need, there's a high level of interest"
on campus in securing that privilege.
While his group is also prohibited from
taking on the university in court, he ad-
ds that "only five or six cases in the last.
year could have gone to court."
The only official University of
Michigan appeals body, the Central
Student Judiciary, is presently in lim-
bo, Vice President for Student Services
Henry Johnson said. There are other
appeal processes for academic disputes
in each of the schools, but students may
be excluded from the decision-making
process, Johnson added.
One of the campus legal services that
can represent students against its
school is the State University of New
York at Buffalo. However, the
organization may only represent
students as a group (such as the
school's student government) and not
individuals.

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