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Water Sample Results GivenJACKSONVILLE. Ark. lt;AP -“No significant environmental damage was uncovered by 270 surface water, ground water, air and soil samples conducted around the devastated Titan II missile silo near Damascus, an Air Force official saidMaj. (iary Fishburn. chief of the water quality branch of the Air Force's occupational and environmental health lab at Brooks Air Force Base in San Antonio. Texas, told of the samplings in a news conference at Little Hock Air Force BaseHe said the fuel in the missile at the time of the :i a.m. Sept. 19 explosion would be broken down in the environment to nitrates bv now. But•rhe said there are other sources of nitrates in the environment as well, such as fertilizer, septic tanks andmanure.Fishburn said the Air Force took some air samples between 9 p.m. Sept. IB and 3 a.m. Sept. 19, and those air samples did not show the presence of missile fuel vapor.He said water samples were not taken at that time.State Health Department water well samples taken after the accident showed the presence of nitrates. But Health Department director Dr. Robert Young said itronld not be conHusivelv shown thatthe silo explosion caused the higher-than-normal level of nitrates.Fishburn said the nearest wrell to the explosion site is an Air Force well about 1,500 feet to 2,000 feet south of the missile complex. Tests of the water did not show any unusual concentration of nitrates, he said.However, he said the Air Force intends to drill eight wells around the silo to monitor any possible leakage.The federal Environmental Protection Agency has a standard of safeness of 10 milligrams of nitrates per liter, Fishburn said, but there have been documented cases of 50 miligrams per liter from natural cases such as the presence of septic tanks or fertizilers.He said the low “safe*’ standard for nitrates was set by the EPA because nitrates particularly can be a problem for young children. He said the presence of nitrates is believed to be a factor in the “blue baby syndrome because it affects the ability to breathe.Fishburn said he does not believe any problem like that could occur because of the silo explosion.About 50 residents of the community of Guy have complained of nausea, headaches and shortness ofbreath lt;?inr*p tho nvnlncinn
Newspaper Details
Blytheville Courier News
Blytheville, Arkansas, US
Thu, Oct 02, 1980
Page 6
Full Page
Clipped by
Arkansas S.
AR, USA 14 Feb 2020
Other Publications Near Blytheville, Arkansas
Blytheville Army Air Corps News
Blytheville Courier News
