The Michigan Daily - Monday, November 4, 1985 - Page 3 Coalition seeks toxic chemical regulation Art Appreciation The sculpture in front of the Museum of Art on State Street provides a game of hide-and-go seek for two youngsters over the weekend. C 0 C. Aeria rferendu "m proposd By LAURA COUGHLIN A coalition of local groups hopes to convince the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners that small, non-manufacturing companies in the area must inform their workers as well as the community about toxic chemicals in their workplaces. The PublicInterestwResearch Group in Michigan will collect signatures during a petition drive on the Diag today and tomorrow in sup- port of the proposed regulation. BOARD chairperson Meri Lou Murray in the next few weeks will in- troduce the regulation, which will ap- ply to companies not covered under codes of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration regarding toxic chemicals in the workplaces. The regulation would require these: firms - generally small, non- manufacturingcompanies - to provide access to information about the types of chemicals used, how much is used, where the substances are located in the workplace, and how the toxic wastes are disposed of. The county health department would en- force the rule. "At a meeting I attended, Detroit area firefighters claimed that there were 2,000 cases of firefighter ex- posure to toxic chemicals," said Andy Buchsbaum, state program director for PIRGIM, one of eight groups af- filiated with the Washtenaw Right to Know Coalition. "It will be important to get students activated on this issue through the ATTENTION STUDENTS SAVE 20% On all Michigan Daily Classified Ads with Student I.D. " FIND A ROOMMATE * SELL UNWANTED ITEMS " ANNOUNCE PARITES " BUY OR SELL TICKETS Place your ad Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. at The Michigan Daily office, 420 Maynard, or Wednesdays at the Fish- bowl. rally and petition drive since the rule would directly affect them then dealing with coursepack copiers, dry cleaners, and research areas on cam- pus.' NEITHER Buchsbaum or other members of the coalition, however, could say just how many companies would be affected by the proposed rule. The board of commissioners will help decide the actual scope of the regulations. Murray said the board's aim is to provide "an enforceable regulation" which will protect the environment and community by targeting non- manufacturing companies who use large amounts of toxic chemicals." "We don't want to go after com- panies who use negligible amounts of chemicals or who use common sub- stances which can be picked up at the grocery store," Murray added. THE coalition hopes that the board will approve the regulation so that it sends a message to the state and federal governments to toughen up laws already on the books for bigger manufacturing companies. The only opposition to the proposed rule the coalition foresees is from the state Chamber of Commerce, which challenged a similar regulation ap- proved in Macomb County. The chamber argued that Macomb County's ordinance was uncon-, stitutional because it violated the companies' rights to due process and proper search and seizure methods. But a federal district court upheld the county's rule. The chamber is curren- tly appealing the court's decision. Chamber leaders also believe that current state laws are adequate and are being improved under three house and senate bills, said Rich Studley, vice president of government relations for the chamber. "A negative impact on prospective new business in Washtenaw County and on current businesses diver- sifying is also a concern of the Cham- ber of Commerce," Studley said. Buchsbaum, however, said that liability insurance for firms that comply with the rule could be lowered. By AMY MINDELL A local coalition opposed to President Reagan's policy in Central America is circulating a petition to place a resolution outlining its com- plaints on the city elections ballot in April. The month-old Coalition for Peace in Central America needs 3,654 valid signatures by Jan. 6 to put their "Or- dinance Establishing Initiatives for Peace in Central America" on the =ballot. So far, about 200 signatures have been gathered in three days. IF APPROVED by a majority of voters in the city elections, the resolution would become an ordinan- ce that requires the city clerk to notify .." local congressional representatives that the residents of Ann Arbor: *Oppose all military aid to Central America and support the right to self- determination; *Oppose any support for the over- throw or destabilization of the gover- nment of Nicaragua or the aerial bombing of El Salvador, and support a negotiated peace settlement; *Request that federal funds freed for these purposes be spent for promotion of services vital to the welfare of our citizens, as well as toward similar needs of the people of Central America. -HAPPENI NGS- Highlight Curt Wands, director of the Guatemalan Health Right Network, will be giving a talk and slide-show entitled "Guatemala: Healing the Wounds" at noon in room 3042 in the School of Public Health building. The talk is sponsored by the Latin Solidarity Committee, the American Medical Student Association and the Public Health Student Association. Films MTF - Ziggy Stardust, 7 & 9 p.m., Michigan Theater. Performances ARK - Saline Big Band, 8 p.m., 637 S. Main St. School of Music - Composers forum, 8 p.m., Recital Hall. Speakers Near Eastern & North African Studies - Teshome Wagaw, "Assimilation of Ethiopian Jews into Israeli Society," noon, Lane Hall Commons room. Women's Club - Nancy Reame, "Premenstrual Syndrome: The Ups & Downs of PMS Research," 7:45 p.m., W. Conference room, Rackham. Classical Studies - W. Geoffrey Arnott, "The Chorus in Euripides: Realism vs. Convention," 4:10 p.m., Rm. 2009, Angell Hall. School of Business - Dewalt Ankeny, "The Banking Industry," 4 p.m., Hale Auditorium. Studies in Religion - Harvey Cox, "Jesus & the Moral Life," 8 p.m., MLB 3. Friends for Mental Health - James House, "Social Support and Coping with Stress," 7:30 p.m., Ann Arbor Public Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave. Meetings LSA faculty - 4:10 p.m., MLB 4. Society for Creative Anachronism -7 p.m., East Quad. MS counseling group -7 p.m., Washtenaw United Way, 2301 Platt Rd. Miscellaneous Canterbury House - Open class on developing intuition, 8 p.m., 218 N. Division St. Microcomputer Education Center - Workshops: Basic Concepts of Database Management, 1to 3 p.m., Rm. 3113; MacManage: Disc & File Management on the Macintosh, 3 to 5 p.m., Rm. 3001, School of Education. Guild House Campus Ministry - Reading: J. Radcliffe Squires & Lawrence Smith, 8 p.m., 802 Monroe St. Chemistry - Seminar, James Hoeschle, "Platinum Anti Tumor Com- plexes: Selected Chemistry, Structure-Activity Correlations & Recent Clinical," 4 p.m., Rm. 1200, Chemistry building. The ordinance would also mandate that Ann Arbor be linked to sister cities in five Central American coun- tries, and that a temporary task force be created to oversee the match-up. "Our goal is to give voters - in- cluding students the chance to ex- press their opinion on the U.S. policy," said Jeff Alson, a coalition member and Ann Arbor resident. "We realize that (the resolution) is largely symbolic, as we can't change U.S. foreign policy." Alson said that the coalition has chosen to circulate the petitions rather than ask a councilmember to introduce the resolution because of the symbolism demonstrated by in- dividual residents requesting change in American foreign policy. About 10 local groups, including the Latin American Solidarity Committee and the Michigan Alliance for Disar- mament, compose the coalition. Are you LOOKING FOR A JOB NEXT TERM? Are You A CAMPUS LEADER? Apply to be a Campus Day Student Leader Help prospective students experience the University Applications andainformation available at the Office of Admissions, 1220 S.A.B. through Nov. 8 __________________________________________________________________ a IT'S ALL OVER CAMPUS! DAILY~ &T I2' RAIL Y1 ri C - G 'T jr ,( . ' , L° r : ' ,T _ GET Irl l- 1-7- §;c .. .... titi d ^ .1 . , 91\X 4% i r C // 1 J '~'I If /t w N . I I 11 r~ 1 ~ ~.4-** A . ,l. tt ' A- ' - 1 1/1 ISN'T ALWAYS THE BE~ ST i v% iim I A mk. - mw A