European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 7, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Saturday december 7,1991 the stars and stripes b Page 7holiday products can be toxic groups warn Washington a two Public interest groups Are urging the Public to beware of dangerous chemicals in christmastime products from window Deicers to Little girls Nail polish. The National environmental Law Center issued a 10-item warning list for the Holiday season urging Consumers to think twice before using artificial Snow sprays to decorate Christmas Trees and balloon toys that contain a solvent. All the products meet Federal safety and environmental standards their manufacturers said. But Congress should strengthen Laws to require Quot across the Board reductions in the use of toxic chemicals a Carolyn Hartmann a lawyer for the . Public interest research group told a news conference thursday. A Home for the Winter holidays often Means More exposure to toxic substances said Hillel Gray of the environmental Law Center. One decorative item on the list is Santa Snow Spray used to decorate Christmas Trees. Manufactured by Chase products co. Of Maywood 111., it contains which can affect the Central nervous system in heavy concentrations the groups said. The product is Safe but Chase products is reformulating the Spray to remove the chemical said president Robb Svendsen. Among the consumer groups examples of toys containing toxic chemicals a a Little Kitty Nail polish for Little girls from Sanrio a san Francisco company. It contains Mek a common Industrial solvent. The product is Safe and Sanrio Hasni to had any complaints about it said Mary of Connell a lawyer representing the company. A wonder balloons from the Tootsie toy division of Stro Becher corp. Of Chicago. The product contains a Gummy substance that can be blown into bubbles with a Straw. The gum contains acetone a common solvent that can affect the Central nervous system the groups said. A a we be had the Standard Battery of toxicity tests run on this product and the results were that it was not orally toxic a said a1 Brouilette executive vice president of Stro Becher. Other Holiday products cited by the consumer groups were flashlight and toy batteries that contain Low Levels of Mercury car window Deicers that contain ethylene glycol decorative Spray paints that contain toluene some Silver polishers that contain Thiourea and household deodorizers that May contain Ortho i Chlorobenzene a hazardous waste. Ethylene glycol is a suspected cancer Causer. Toluene May cause birth defects and Thiourea May pose a risk of causing cancer. Other items on the list aerosol cleaning Spray for video cassette recorders and old fashioned Mothballs used in preserving sweaters. A chemical in the Var cleaner depletes the Ozone layer the two groups said. Instead use dust covers or tapes that clean the tape player they suggested. Mothballs Are dangerous because they look like Candy to children the groups added. As an alternative it suggested that Consumers shake out stored clothing or wrap Wool material in airtight age hike credited for cutting . Traffic fatalities Atlanta apr the number of alcohol related traffic deaths has declined steadily since 1982, according to a Federal study and officials attributed the drop in part to a higher minimum drinking age in most states. A a we re certainly headed in the right direction a said Julie Russel an epidemiologist at the Federal centers for disease control. The trend indicates the nation could meet a government objective of reducing the number of alcohol related fatalities to 8.5 per 100,000 people before 2000, the Atlanta based cd said thursday. The rate currently is 8.9, Down from 9.8 in 1987, the earliest year it was calculated. The study by the cd and the National Highway traffic safety administration also reported that the number of alcohol related traffic fatalities declined from 57.3 percent of All traffic fatalities in 1982 to 49.6 percent in 1990, in 1982, 33 states allowed the Sale of alcohol to people under 21. By 1966, All but seven states had raised the age to 21 that is now the Legal drinking age killed in Maine train crash Bui Wallace an employee of the department of Environ Day. The train owned by the Maine coastal Railroad mental Protection walks through the jumbled wreckage smashed into a hum track carrying eggs. The truck Driver from a fatal train crash in Waldoboro Maine on thurs was killed and two other persons were Hurt Campaign against Indian nicknames opens with lawsuit aimed at chiefs Burlingame Calif. Up a group of native american leaders fired the opening Volley thursday in a Legal Campaign designed to Force the nations professional and Scholastic sports teams to Stop using Indian nicknames. Michael Haney of the United Indian nations of Oklahoma said he filed suit thursday in Kansas City against the nil s Kansas City chiefs claiming the teams willingness to let its fans dress up As indians and act crazily deprived him of the right to enjoy chiefs games. A your religion and tradition need to be recognized a Haney said. A the negative imagery of mascots and the commercial use of Indian names create a basis of misunderstanding of our people a a misunderstanding which Breeds Haney and other leaders were in the san Francisco area this week for the National Congress of american indians annual convention which was to end Friday. The group has wrestled with several issues Over the past few Days including the 1992 goal of ending the use of indians As mascots. Bill Means executive director of the Minneapolis based International treaty Council Calls the mascots a form of racism. A if we can to get White America to understand a Basic Issue of human respect How Are we going to move on to other More substantive issues a Means said. A we Are the Only race that Are used As native american ire against the use of Indian mascots has been soldering for years. In the 1970s, a Campaign by Indian leaders leaders resulted in Many colleges scrapping their native american nicknames. For instance Stanford University dropped its Indian Moniker and adopted the nickname but after initial successes Progress has come slowly. This fall the nation was bombarded with the a Tomahawk chop by the fans of baseball s Atlanta braves in the world series and by College football s highly ranked Florida state seminoles. Other examples the native american leaders cited As offensive included toilet paper embossed with a a fighting a Linin from the University of Illinois and sports paraphernalia bearing the likeness of the nil s Washington redskins. Don Messec an Indian Congress spokesman said his group had approached the braves about changing the teams nickname but said owners rejected such a move because of marketing considerations. A a every one of these symbols has a Dollar attached to it a Messec said. A when we talked to the braves they told us they were Riding a wave of merchandising Success a the Cai also criticized native american leaders who have stepped Forward to defend the Tomahawk chop particularly Jonathan Taylor the principal chief of the Eastern band of cherokees in Cherokee . A where souvenir rubber tomahawks Are made. Taylor a is trying to defend capitalism but he a standing along with the cavalry a said Floyd a red Croter Westerman who appeared in the movie dances with kills twins locked in closet relatives charged Chicago api police on thursday charged the grandmother and Mother of 4-year-old twins who died in a fire after being locked in a closet. The grandmother Rosa Ruiz 40, was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter and cruelty to children. The twins Mother also named Rosa Ruiz 22, was charged with cruelty to children. The children died in the fire they lit while playing with matches. Their Mother told authorities that the children were regularly locked in the closet either when they were being disciplined or when adults were away said fire chief Robert Datz. 1 the grandmother would apparently lock them in the closet before leaving for work about 4 a.m., then let them out upon her return in the late afternoon. Firefighters found Rafael and Rosa Santiago in the locked closet
