European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 21, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday june 21, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 9hazardous tar stalls Ramstein project by Deedee Arrington Doke Kaiserslautern Bureau Ramstein a West Germany a German authorities Are scratching their Heads Over the Sticky problem of How to get rid of a tar that was popular for Road construction in the 1950s but now is known to be an environmental Hazard. The quandary has delayed major work on an expensive Security improvement project that was started in january at Ramstein Abs East Gate. A nobody in Germany has experience on How to Deal with this tar a said Rainer Muller the air forces environmental coordinator in the Kaiserslautern military Community. The tar creates no environmental problems until it is removed from a Road because the surface has been sealed and Rainwater can to Wash it away. But when excavated the substances environmentally harmful polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons May seep from the unsealed tar into the ground water. A a it a similar to an Oil spill a Muller said of the tarts possible effects on ground water. A a it a hard to clean out of the water later  at Ramstein the tar surfaced on a Road built in the 1950s by the germans which links the base with a main Public thoroughfare. Crews began digging up about 1,450 feet of the Road in january to build Security improvements at the East Gate. Old construction records done to detail the materials used on the Road. But an analysis of the old roads construction material determined that it was tar. Asphalt replaced tar As a primary Road construction material about 20 years ago. But about 30 percent of a amps Lynda Davidson environmental coordinator Rainer Muller and capt. Randy Eide chief of construction management at Ramstein a inspect bits of tar found in a Road leading to the base. Germany a streets still Are made of tar Muller estimated. No Landfill for this Type of special waste exists in West Germany Muller said. If an appropriate disposal method Isnit found the Only alternative would be expensive facilities to treat ground water before it undergoes Standard treatment. A your approach has been to get approval for temporary storage on site Quot Muller said. The regional office of the state of Rheinland Pfalz supper waste disposal Agency on May 25 approved a six month permit for the base to store the material. About 3,500 tons of the material covered with plastic Are being stored on Ramstein in an area with a Concrete floor to proven i seepage into the ground Muller said. Experiments Are under Way throughout West Germany to find a Way to Recycle the material. One such Experiment Muller said is a Road re pair project under Way near the wat Venheim exit of autobahn 6 Between Kaiserslautern and Mannheim. The tar mixed with gravel and Asphalt is sandwiched Between a Bottom layer of rough gravel and a surface layer of refined Asphalt to rebuild the Road. Sheets of plastic separate the layers. Ramstein a East Gate closed Early in the year and originally was scheduled to reopen in september. Current projections predict completion in december. In the meantime cast Gate traffic is being rerouted through a smaller Entrance. The improvements represented half of a Security enhancement project costing 4.6 million Marks or $2.7 million for both Ramstein entrances. But the Cost May go up because of the  War dog tutors May Point to Gist risks Washington apr military dogs that served in Vietnam and were exposed to the same chemical sprays As . Soldiers developed almost twice As Many tutors of the Testicles As military dogs that served elsewhere a study found. Howard m. Hayes co author of the study in wednesdays journal of the National cancer Institute said the development of testicular cancers among the dogs May predict the development of such tutors among infantrymen who served in Vietnam. A the dog is a Sentinel Model for Man a said Hayes a researcher at the National cancer Institute. A the could be used to foretell the risks for exposure to the same chemical insults encountered by soldiers in Vietnam. Hayes and his co authors examined autopsy records for dogs that served with american troops in Vietnam from 1968 to 1973. They also examined records of dogs that served in Vietnam and died elsewhere. Those records were compared with medical histories of military dogs that served Only in the United states Japan Korea and Thailand. During the earlier period Hayes said the dogs serving in Vietnam had 80 percent More testicular tutors of All kinds than did dogs that served Only in the United states. The Vietnam dogs also had 90 percent More cases of a malignant tumor of the testicle. Dogs serving in Korea Japan and Thailand had fewer of both types of tutors than did the . Dogs. To further verify the risks Hayes said his group examined records of 96 male dogs that served in Viet a the dog is a Sentinel Model for Man. He could be used to foretell the risks for  a Howard m. Hayes Nam and died elsewhere Between 1974 and 1978. These records were compared with those of dogs that served Only in the United states and died during the same period. A we observed the 96 Vietnam Veteran military working dogs to have significant excess risk for Semi Noma malignant Tumo which supported the findings in the earlier period a the report said. Additionally the study showed that dogs that served in Vietnam were 70 percent to 100 percent More Likely to be diagnosed with some Type of testicular dysfunction than were dogs that served Only in the United states. Hayes said about 99 percent of the military dogs in the study were German shepherds a Breed that has a predisposition to testicular tutors. As a result he said the dogs a May be a particularly sensitive Sentinel for exposures leading to increase Semi Noma risk in  dogs in Vietnam Hayes said served Side by Side with infantry troops and were exposed to the same chemical sprays such As the herbicide agent Orange As were the soldiers. Unlike most of the humans however the dogs Tours in Vietnam were not limited to one year. Additionally Hayes said the dogs in Vietnam were treated several times with tetracycline an Antibiotic used to control a tick borne parasitic disease. The tetracycline the study said a May have contributed to the increased risk of testicular  veterans groups have contended for years that soldiers who served in Vietnam have experienced More cancers and other ailments As a result of their exposure to chemical sprays while there. The department of veterans affairs announced earlier this year that it would provide compensation to Vietnam veterans who have non Hodgkin a Lymphoma or soft tissue Sarcoma two cancers that have been associated with chemicals in agent Orange. Adm. Elmo r. Zumwalt jr., a special adviser to veterans Secretary Edward j. Derwinski said there was no compensation to Vietnam veterans for development of testicular cancers but that it May now be considered. A in be already recommended that testicular cancer be included and this the Hayes study is powerful evidence in support of it a he said. Zumwalt had a son who served in Vietnam and later died of cancer which Zumwalt attributed to agent  issues Alert on faulty breathing monitors Washington apr some models of a device designed to warn parents that an infant has stopped breathing May not work the food and drug administration said monday. The device also used to Monitor adults who suffer Apnoea is manufactured by electronic monitors inc. Of Euless Texas the Fra said. Those persons who Are suffering from Apnoea temporarily Stop breathing during sleep. The models involved Are re-134b and Mon a therm res pirate for those older than 4 years old and models re 134c and re-134d for infants. A some models May fail to signal an alarm a the Fra said in issuing a first class Alert its most serious health warning. The problem the Agency said is with a defective time delay switch. Fra said the company is recalling the 1,583 electronic monitors it has distributed. Sixty percent went to hospitals and the rest were sent to Home health care agencies that rent or distribute them to the Public. A it is not known How Many arc still being used by Consumers a the Fra said