The Daily Spectrum from Saint George, Utah • 4

4 -Spectrum Wednesday, March 18, 1992 1WUUWIMWII lllliminMIFlMOT I'm TolliflV Efe Waste incinerator could emit toxic doses of dioxin rm lf jf mr a mm -mm m. I mvsum- mrm tmm ''f ii i mm ii i -wk m'v xj jti ki ii Mm ii i 1 rm i turn the rest will be present in such small quantities they pose no known risk. Finally, he said the figures used to calculate the maximum, acceptable lifetime dose of dioxin are based on very conservative estimates that greatly overstate the risk. Dioxin was one of the chemicals in Agent Orange, the herbicide sprayed on forests during the Vietnam War. mm jt mm i m.

buwv-j. ima i THREE DAYS ONLY LADIES SUITS FAMOUS BRAND Greenpeace chemist makes claim at hearing SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -The USPCI hazardous-waste incinerator being built in western Tooele County could emit in one year 40 million times the dioxin one person can handle during a lifetime, a Greenpeace chemist said. A consultant for the company building the incinerator accused Greenpeace of misusing scientific information to increase its shock value. Pat Costner, toxics research director for the San Francisco-based environmental organization, testified Monday afternoon at an administrative hearing before the Utah Board of Solid and Hazardous Waste. The Sierra Club is challenging the state's decision to issue an incinerator permit to USPCI, a subsidiary of Union Pacific.

The Sierra Club claims the state has failed to prove the incinerator will be safe. The facility already is under construction about 85 miles west of Salt Lake City. It would be Utah's second commercial hazardous-waste incinerator. Costner said the incinerator's permit allows it to release to the atmosphere slightly more than half a gram of dioxin each year. While this sounds like a small amount, there is some evidence of health effects when people are exposed to dioxin levels measured in the millionths of a gram.

Safe levels of dioxin exposure are estimated in billionths of a gram. The amount of dioxin that could be emitted from USPCI's incinerator would be equal to the "acceptable lifetime dose" of this chemical for 40 million people, she said. Peter Williamson, a consultant for USPCI, said in an interview that Costner took "an enormous leap of bad faith" to link the plant's possible dioxin emissions with exposure to millions of people. "She's using those numbers for their shock value," said Williamson, a partner in a Philadelphia-based company named Four Nines. Williamson said a half -gram of dioxin is the most the incinerator would be allowed to emit.

A well-run plant could release less than that, he said. Costner's figures also assume that every bit of the dioxin released by the plant will be absorbed by humans. Williamson said most of the chemicals will be dispersed. Some will be destroyed by sunlight and other environmental factors. Most of Feel the Quality Try the Fit Sizes 6-18 Short Sleeve ALL SltlWEAR and under One Two piece Brights Solids Values to 49 it rirx' Worthington pleads guilty to escape death penalty A tjl Rorapers by Sporting Club If If if Sizes S-L 4 color way Feels great Sunset Sleep Sit LOOK AT THESE SAVINGS NEW STYLES TO CHOOSE FROM IN xM TOWN New SELECTION RODEO 325 95 50 ALL BACKSAVERS II, III, IV Styles To Choose From Discover the Magic Ajust-a-Magic Bed now 99995 Reg.

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In exchange, prosecutors agreed to dismissal of a capital murder charge for which Worthington could have received the death penalty. Jury selection in the case had been scheduled to begin March 24. Third District Judge Timothy Hanson scheduled sentencing March 26. Worthington theoretically could face up to 10 sentences of life imprisonment. Salt Lake County Attorney David Yocom said he would ask for a 30-year sentence for the aggravated kidnapping charges and for a consecutive life sentence for the slaying of nurse Karla Roth.

"I think the consensus of everyone is that death would not be a likely sentence in this case," Yocom said. "I think justice is served anytime you can settle a case with very serious charges." In court, Worthington said he was not entirely happy with the wording of some of the charges, but added, "I'm not sure I'll ever be happy." Then he broke into tears. Defense attorney Andrew Val-dez said he has not decided what sentence to ask for Worthington. He said Worthington is preparing a statement of responsibility and remorse to read at the sentencing. He said the only debatable issue in the case was whether the slaying was intentional.

Yocom said the victims and relatives would have an opportunity to write letters to the judge prior to sentencing. The 18-hour standoff at Alta View Hospital in suburban Sandy began early Sept. 21 when Worthington stormed the facility's Women's Health Center armed with two guns and explosives. Worthington shot Roth in the hospital's parking lot and holed up in the women's center, threatening to detonate a dynamite bomb that authorities said could have leveled half a city block. A baby was born during the ordeal, which ended when Worthington released the hostages and gave up.

Detectives said Worthington, a landscaper, had gone to the hospital looking for Dr. Glade Curtis, an obstetrician who had performed a tubal ligation on Worthington's wife, Karen, two years before without his permission. The operation prevents pregnancy. The Worthingtons have eight children and two that died shortly after birth. The judge said the events of last September could not be undone.

"I cannot bring Karla Roth back. Neither can you. It's tragic but it's done. It's occurred," Hanson told Worthington. "It's a serious crime that deserves a serious punishment." After his arrest, Worthington twice attempted to commit suicide in the Salt Lake County Jail but was not seriously injured.

Worthington's family, including Karen Worthington, now divorced, was present in the packed courtroom. Nurse Margie Wyler, who helped hostage Christian Downey give birth to a daughter during the standoff, said, "The thought of a trial was real stressful. I'm real pleased. "I don't think we would have got the death penalty anyway," she said. "We've probably gotten about as good as we can get." Wyler said the case has caused her to re-examine her views about capital punishment.

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