European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 23, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday May 23, 1992 the stars and stripes b Page 7 pollution in Rio Grande May cause birth defect phone changes ordered to help hearing impaired Houston up a the environmental Protection Agency on thursday announced a $352,000 two year study of a possible link Between the polluted Rio Grande and birth defects in Brownsville Texas and mat Amoros Mexico. A this study is urgent a said Epa administrator William k. Reilly. A we need it and we need it now to find out whether environmental pollution is causing the High incidence of birth defects in the lower Rio Grande Valley a and whether the health of residents along the Border is at  in a speech to the clean air conference Reilly announced that the Epa will fund the study to test water sediment and fish samples along the River from Elpaso to the Gulf of Mexico. The Epa plans to work with the Texas health department the National centers for disease control and other health organizations. The Epa study is separate from one being done by the cd. For More than a year health officials have been investigating a near epidemic of rare brain and spinal birth defects. A preliminary count shows 41 cases in Cameron county on the Texas Mexico Border since 1989. It is believed that at least 42 cases have been identified in Matamoros during the same time period. The birth defects include Spina Bifid and anon Cephal in which All or part of the brain is missing. Babies without brains Are stillborn or die shortly after birth. Environmentalists suspect a link Between the birth defects and toxic air or water emissions from mexican plants along the Border. If any Texas plants Are found to be the source of pollution causing the birth defects Reilly said he will work to shut Down those plants. He also vowed to talk with mexican officials if the cause is traced across the Border. He said he was optimistic that the mexican government will prove cooperative if the cause is determined to be coming from Mexico. A we have not seen conclusive data. We have simply become concerned about whether pollution might be causing the birth defects Reilly said. A we want to get to the Bottom of  he said the chronically dirty water of the Rio Grande has posed a concern to Epa officials for some time. A we know less than we should i think about the sources of pollutants in the water a he said. Noriega s defense attorneys question jurors use of prayer i Liberty Beni protected n i a 1 # Philadelphia the Liberty e from wire reports Washington a telephones in a variety of facilities must be equipped Tor people with hearing losses by May 1, 1993, the Federal communications commission announced thursday. The order pertains to phones in workplaces prisons and rooms in hotels motels hospitals senior citizen residences and convalescent Homes when the facility has 20 or More employees. For facilities with fewer than 20 employees the phones need not be changed until May 1,1994. In most cases the retrofitting of the phone would involve adding an amplification device to the earpieces said acc spokeswoman Rosemary  Falls into machine new York a a honduran immigrant employed by a Bronx debris hauling company apparently fell to his death thursday when a piece of garbage hit him in the leg and caused him to Tumble into a huge Wood chopping machine. The victim who was not identified fell into the two Story High Wood chopper at debris Hauler inc. In the Bronx police said. The victim was described As about 22 and was supervising items being lifted by Crane into the chopper when the Accident occurred a spokesman said. A the was. On top of the machine to make sure that nothing was jammed up. Something struck him in the leg and he lost his balance and fell into the machine a a police spokesman said. Felicidad Noriega wife of ousted panamanian Leader Manuel Noriega enters court in Miami on thursday. Miami up a Manuel Noriega a attorneys sought permission thursday to question the jury that convicted the deposed panamanian dictator hoping to learn whether the panel improperly used prayer to pressure a juror who held out for acquittal. . District judge William Hoeveler said he would Rule on the request by monday. After deliberating four Days jury Foreman Lester Spencer told Hoeveler on april 8 that the panel was hopelessly deadlocked at 11-1. One Day later jurors reached their unanimous verdict finding Noriega guilty on eight of the 10 cocaine racketeering counts against him. Citing newspaper interviews published after the verdict defense attorney Jon May said several female jurors had prayed with holdout juror Bernadine Cooper in their hotel the night of april 8, asking god to change her mind. A a in a not saying that god did participate or that there was any kind of divine intervention but what we have Here is jurors using religious appeals a May told the judge. A the purpose of this prayer session. Was in order to change her mind about the  May said such an Appeal put undue pressure on Cooper who had reportedly told the panel earlier that a my mind is made up and Only god can change my  at the very least May argued the jurors violated the judges order by discussing the Case outside the courtroom and without the entire panel present. Prosecutors opposed the request saying there must be Clear evidence of misconduct in order to a a interrogated jurors about How they reached their verdict. Assistant . Attorney Pat Sullivan said the juror who described the prayer meeting had not been present and May Only have speculated about the nature of the divine Appeal. The panel May Only have prayed for Wisdom to do the right thing Sullivan said. Philadelphia a the Liberty Bell is a Touchy subject. Constant patting and rubbing have discoloured the nations Symbol of Freedom so the National Park service wants to keep people farther away a without denying them the right to Caress it. Park service spokeswoman Lee Dickinson said thursday that Park officials plan to move Back ropes to keep tourists at a greater distance from the 2,080-Pound Bell in Independence National a historical Park. A curators want to Cut Back on touching for six months to a year and see what happens to that discoloration Quot Dickinson said. Moving the ropes is intended primarily to Cut Down on accidental banging and excessive rubbing Dickinson said.  be kept close enough to allow visitors a Quick touch. Quot there Are people to whom it is very important to touch it. And those people at least for the foreseeable future will be allowed to touch it a she said. Dickinson said 1 i million to 2 million people annually visit the Liberty  fire controlled Allagash Maine a Forest fire that blackened More than 1,100 acres of Timberland near the Canadian Border and threatened to overrun two towns was declared under control thursday. But officials warned that dry conditions and any sudden gusts of wind could rekindle the soldering Blaze. Firefighters using bulldozers helicopters and planes contained the fire wednesday before it caused serious damage to Allagash and nearby St. Francis along the St. John River. Gov. John r. Mckernan or. Had put National guard helicopter Crews on Alert during the height of the Blaze in Case any More fires broke out. Breast cancer epidemic declared quake shakes aleutians a Palmer. Alaska a a moderate Earth qual Boston apr Massachusetts declared a breast cancer epidemic and said it would study cases by neighbourhood to try to find out Why the disease strikes one in nine women nationwide. Public health commissioner David i. Mulligan said he was a a bit sheepish about the word a epidemic because it usually is used with communicable diseases. But the facts persuaded him to use the term. A clearly with one in nine women experiencing it. And Over 5,000 cases identified each year in this state it is clearly an epidemic that causes great human suffering and great loss of life he said. Between 1982 and 1988, the incidence of breast cancer in the state increased slightly More than the 26 percent National increase for the period. The state will begin education programs this summer aimed at poor uninsured women who done to have medical checkups and May learn too late they have breast cancer. Researchers will Analyse cases by neighbourhood and design Early intervention programs Mulligan said. A group called the Massachusetts breast cancer coalition had presented petitions with 15,000 signatures calling on the state to declare the epidemic. Palmer Alaska a a moderate earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale rocked the Aleutian islands Early Friday the National oceanic and atmospheric administration reported. The quake was entered about 340 Miles West of Adak and 1,550 Miles Southwest of Anchorage said Alec Medbery of the Alaska tsunami warning Center in Palmer. The quake was Felt at a military air base at Shemya Island but no injuries or damage was reported Medbery said