European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 15, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes sunday january 15, 1989 . Revises worker safety standards curtails exposure to toxic materials Washington a the govern ment on saturday drastically overhauled standards for work place exposure to hazardous materials regulating 164 sub stances for the first time and reducing exposure limits for hundreds More. It said the action could prevent 700 deaths and 55,000 illnesses a year. The regulations two years in the Mak ing should significantly curtail the risk of illness to 21 million americans who work in general Industry and Are potentially exposed to toxic and hazardous substances the labor department said. Of that number 4.5 million workers face exposure to hazardous materials at rates above the new limits the depart ment s occupational safety and health administration said in releasing the regulations the first Large scale changes to exposure standards in nearly 20 years. This is a monumental Job said John a. Pendergrass the assistant Secre tary of labor in charge of Osha who said the standards had been outdated now they Are up to  application of new standards should Cost employers an average of $6,000 a year the government said. Those costs would Range from $77,400 a year for Petroleum refineries to $360 annually for Auto dealers. The average per worker Cost is $ 150. The department considered limits for More than 400 Industrial chemicals and substances in a single review departing from a policy of Case by Case study that had produced new comprehensive Stan Dards for just 24 substances in the past17 years. We were Able to make a 20-year leap Forward in the level of worker Protection in a relatively Short time said Pender grass. We also have saved the american taxpayers tens of millions of dollars that otherwise would have been spent Over a Long period of time in individual  Osha placed 164 substances under exposure limits for the first time reduced allowable limits for 212 others and let stand existing limits on 52 sub stances. The new limits take effect March 1, and employers must be in compliance by sept. 1. Exposure limits will remain unchanged for 169 additional substances not covered by the two Yea review. Included in the revisions were some of the most commonly used Industrial sub stances among them chloroform Carbon monoxide Hydrogen cyanide and Perch Lor ethylene. Wood dust and Grain dust Are among substances subject to expo sure limits for the first time. The limits for maximum work place exposure to acetone Carbon disulfide and Styrene also were among those reduced. Reducing the limits Means that the Agency lowered the maximum amount of a substance a worker can be exposed to at any Given time during an eight hour workday. Osha said it needed to conduct fur ther review before setting limits for exposure to Asphalt fibrous Glass dust and Mineral Wool. The Agency said it is looking to strengthen worker Protection further by considering rules on medical surveillance respirators and exposure monitoring. The new standards apply Only to Gen eral Industry but will be extended Fol lowing additional proceedings to the construction and maritime industries. The government said the changes should help reduce work related Inci Dence of cancer liver and kidney ail ments and heart and respiratory ill Nesses by 55,000 cases each year. The woman begins space travel test on effects of isolation on humans tighter standards also should Cut the number of lost workdays each year caused by exposure to hazardous and toxic substances by 500,000 each year Osha said. It did not provide estimates of deaths illnesses and lost workday currently lost due to exposure. New limits were first suggested two years ago and then subjected to 13 Public hearings and a Public comment period during which More than 90 companies Trade associations and labor unions Testi fied and submitted documents for Shato consider. States wanting to adopt their own exposure standards must get Osha approval. The 23 states with such standards now will have to make sure their limits comply with the revised Federal Stan Dards. Those states Are Alaska Arizona California Hawaii Indiana Iowa Kentucky Maryland Michigan Minnesota Nevada new Mexico North Carolina Oregon South Carolina Tennessee Utah Vermont Virginia Washington and Wyoming. Affected to a lesser extent Are Connecticut and new York which have state expo sure standards for local government employees. Stateside1 Carlsbad . A a 27-year-old italian researcher has begun months of isolation in a plexiglas enclosure inside lost Cave As part of an Experiment. Ciao Stefania Follini called out Friday As she grinned and waved then descended a 20-foot ladder. Pioneer Frontier researches and explorations an italian team of speleology its and researchers under the direction of Maurizio Montalbini Hopes the Experiment will yield knowledge about the effects of Long term space travel. Joining her underground for a Brief Farewell party were Montalbini team physician Andrea Galvagno . Bureau of land management representative Jim Goodbar and several friends. After they shared wine and Follini Sang a few songs and played the guitar the guests left her alone in the Cave and its Entrance was sealed. Follini then began to make herself at Home in the 100-Square-foot enclosure she had not seen before Fri Day. The room in which she plans to study English and practice judo is sparsely furnished with a red Metal chair and a table holding two computers. It has 400books. The Cave is adapted so that Follini will be isolated from sound sunlight and human Contact even the sound of a human voice for at least four and Proba Bly five months. She will be monitored by a video camera and brain electrode implants. Montalbini called her isolation a Long and lonely circumnavigation not of the world but of a single mind your  supplies pack shelves from floor to ceiling. Her bed consists of several foam pads spread across the wooden floor. Her chemical toilet is secluded from the Cam Era s View. A five month food and water Supply i stored in the Cave. While electrode implants Monitor her brain Waves Follini will place blood and urine samples in a con a Stefania Follini says goodbye to the outside world. Tainer to be pulled to the surface. The samples will be tested for immunology endocrinology and hormones at three .-based medical centers. Montalbini said the tests would come at random intervals to keep Follini from knowing How much time has elapsed. Officials said an essential element of the Experiment will be her time perception. Police car crashes in Chase 2 die Dallas a a police Cruiser slammed into a pickup during a Chase on a rain Slick freeway killing two police officers and seriously injuring an officer trainee officials said saturday. The Cruiser went out of control while pursuing a suspected stolen car crossed the median and collided with the truck Friday night police spokesman Hollis Edwards said. The dead officers were identified As Lisa Sandel 27, and her partner Mark Fleming 24, who died after emergency surgery Early saturday. The trainee Nathaniel White 25, was in serious but stable condition with head and internal injuries police said. White entered the police Academy last septem us the Driver of the pickup was hospitalized but his injuries were not believed to be serious a Nursine supervisor said. It took 70 years but vet gets purple heart St. Charles Minn. A a 93-year-old world War i Veteran Milroy Tollin who caught a Shell in the leg and was gassed by German soldiers but continued to fight has been awarded purple heart 70 years later. For years Tollin insisted that he had been gassed during the War but no mention of that was made on his records said Goodhue county veterans service officer Bernie Melter. Without that the army could not award the purple heart Melter said. Last summer however Melter found army documents showing Poison attacks had been made on . Troops on the dates and in the areas Tollin had claimed. Dod schedules Send off for leaders Carlucci Taft Washington a the defense department which said goodbye to president Rea Gan last week with an elaborate review ceremony has scheduled two other farewells this week Tor its top civilian leaders. Defense Secretary Frank c. Carlucci will be honoured tuesday during a ceremony in the Pentagon hosted by adm. William j. Crowe the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff the Penta gon said. And Deputy defense Secretary William h. Latt in will be honoured the same Day in the ceremonial Hall of fort myer va., next to Arlington National cemetery. Thought process captured in image of Monkey brain Thap fit connecting electrodes to a Monkey s brain scientists at Johns s118  say they have produced computer image of the thinking process mix ave visualized a thought process mental transformation said or. Apostolos Georgopoulos a neuroscientist and Leader of the am Larrt be used a Chique that a mental process be seen As a physical  St Joyu published Friday in science knee cells the motor brain that Contr is move can be tracked during the thinking that precedes purposeful movement dunking Inai Hje is May help scientists develop Arti � St res and electronically to Thein s instructions Georgopoulos said