FROGGIES

Halloween is finally here! It will be fun to see what everyone is wearing to the Halloween Pub,tonight and other Halloween parties this weekend.I will bet that most of them got their costumes at Froggies,the secondhand clothing store on Jordan Cresent in Charlottetown.This nine-year old business has been carrying masks, wigs,capes, witch hats,make-up,and other Halloween acessories for about three years now,and the staff can help you put together your costume. They said that the witch look was the popular choice.

Froggies expected big business for this time of

year. They changed the hours from 9:00am-5:00pm to 9:00am-9:00pm until October 30th. Throughout the year, Froggies carry a fine selection of clothing rang- ing in price from three to twenty-five dollars.Come down and check it out.

Stacy Dunn

PCBs : Bark Worse Than Bite?

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been con- tained on the University of Prince Edward Island’s campus since the early seventies. PCBs are used asa coolant in electrical equipment, and are very effective because of their high boiling point, stability and unreactiveness, and with the addition of extra chlorine atoms, they are non-flammable. However, PCBs have also been linked with cancer, and are regarded as being potentiaily harmful to humans. But recent research has shown PCBs aren’t as toxic as their reputation suggests.

At U.P.E.I., P\Bs are stored in electrical transform- ers in the basernents of Robertson Library and the Utility Buildirg. On the cement floor beneath these transformers are a series of barricades which, in the case ofa leak, would contain the PCBs. This liquid chemical is potentially dangerous if it can leak into the environment, however, this is not the case here. Also, the transformers are inspected every six months by Environment Canada and monthly by security staff. The cost for the removal of these PCBs, which can only be done away with at great risk, would be 30,000 dollars (for perspective, the new parking

spaces by the Field House and the o!d cafeteria cost 750 dollars each, which adds up to approximately 40,000 dollars by my calculations). At the beginning of the year the motion to move the PCBs was turned down because of it’s cost.

When ingested PCBs cause acne, and in large amounts cause cancer. However, there are many substances that are harmful in large quantities. PCBs seem to be the victim of bad publicity and misinfor- mation. In an article in Research News it states that PCBs, even in large amounts, may not cause any health problems. The first incident that led to PCBs being banned occurred in Japan in 1968 when fluid from a heat exchanger leaked into cooking oil result- ing in about 1,000 people eating PCBs. These people developed askin disorder and were suspected of having cancer. Itis now believed that the cause of these health problems was the presence of another chemical - polychlorinated dibenzo, which is far more toxic -rather than the polychlorinated biphenyls.

However, is it worth the risk to have banned, poten- tially dangerous chemicals ona university campus? Bruce Davison, the student representative of the Board of Governors at U.P.E.I., believes it isn’t, and has expressed much concern over the matter. On the opposite page are the letters between Bruce and Don Coles, the Director of the Physical Plant (whose office is in the Utility Building where PCBs are stored). Itis honorable to be concerned about possible health hazards on campus, but in this case, there definitely is nota problem. The Student Union is looking to form an Environmental Coalition so that matters such as this are investigated and changed if there isa problem. Anyone interested can contact Jo- — Anna Murphy atthe Barn.

Kirby Ferguson

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UPEI X-P RESS

October 31, 1991

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