A brief summary:

• We in the U.S. use 14.5 billion gallons of M.T.B.E. a year to 'reformulate' gasoline.

• M.T.B.E. has already contaminated thousands of drinking water supplies across the country; over 10,000 in California alone.

• M.T.B.E. has been shown to cause Testicular Cancer, Luekemia, and Lymphoma in test animals.

• Unlike many chemicals, it doesn't break down in the soil, and because of it's very high soluability in water, it travels down through the soil rapidly until it reaches an underground water supply.

• In 1998, California Department of Health Services issued a secondary drinking water standard at 5 parts per billion (ppb), or 5 ug/l.

• The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) reports that some consumers can detect MTBE at levels as low as 2 ppb (2 ug/L).

• According to polls, MTBE smells like paint thinner or turpentine

• The US EPA has established a draft "taste and odor threshold" for drinking water at 20-40 micrograms per liter (ug/l). (the EPA also says it is O.K. for you to have 7 million particles of asbestos per liter in your drinking water).

• The EPA draft "taste and odor threshold" is their estimate of human detection, and has nothing to do with any potential health effects at that level of contamination.

• The EPA did Zero testing before they approved M.T.B.E. as an additive to 'reformulate' gasoline. and subsequently unleashed it into the nations' watersheds almost ten years ago.

• One gallon of gasoline 'reformulated' with M.T.B.E. contains about 12.8 onces (10%) of this chemical.

• One gallon of gasoline will contaminate almost 8 million gallons of drinking water to a level of 14 parts per billion MTBE, making it unfit to drink.

• One teaspoon of gasoline will contaminate a 10,000 gallon swimming pool to a level of 14 parts per billion of MTBE!
  
  (methyl tertiary-butyl ether)

• Chemical adsorption (chemisorption) property of S.C.B. (solid carbon block) technology recently N.S.F. Certified for M.T.B.E. reduction in drinking water.

• The 60 Minutes Program, broadcast on 1-16-00
• http://www.oxybusters.com/mtbe.htm
• http://tsrtp.ucdavis.edu/mtbe/
• http://water.wr.usgs.gov/mtbe/
• http://wwwsd.cr.usgs.gov/nawqa/pubs/factsheet/fs114.95/fact.html
• http://www.house.gov/bobfranks/mtbe.shtml
• http://www.epa.gov/swerust1/mtbe/mtbepubs.htm
• http://www.epa.gov/region09/cross_pr/mtbe/charnock/
• http://www.acwanet.com/legislation/regulatory/mtbe2.html
• http://www.api.org/ehs/mtbelink.htm
• http://www.mtbecontamination.com/
• http://www.tahoe.com/tribune/stories.11.17.98/news/1trpamtbe17Nov3286.html
• http://www.energy.ca.gov/mtbe/index.html
• http://www.tahoe.com/tribune/stories.9.30.98/news/1mtbeveto30Sep5101.html
• http://www.wcas.com/TECH/MTBE.HTM
• http://co.el-dorado.ca.us/envmtmgt/mtbe.html
• http://www.epa.gov/swerust1/mtbe/briefs/njdep/index.htm
• http://www.dhs.cahwnet.gov/ps/ddwem/chemicals/MTBE/mtbe_overview.htm
• http://www.dhs.cahwnet.gov/ps/ddwem/chemicals/MTBE/mtbe_standards.htm#Action Level for MTBE

• First, you should have some type of Anti-Virus software installed on your system if you are going to be on the net. With 48,000 viruses floating around, update the data files often. While this may sound like a no-brainer, even multi-billion dollar corporations get hit with these things. At least pick up a freebie from the ICSAR 'Viruses' section.

• Install a firewall. You can get a pretty decent one for Free, called Zone Alarm from Zone-Labs. If you have a trojan lurking around in your box somewhere that tries to call home, a decent firewall will ask your permission before your computer starts talking behind your back. A couple others are Conceal from Signal9, and BlackIce from Network Ice.

• If you are Not on a network, unbind your NetBios ports 137, 138 & 139 so that your computer stops acting like a server announcing to the world that you are on-line, so come on in and play. Printer and file sharing is an ablsolute no no if your computer in Not on a network. At least 'Un-Check' your "Printer & File Sharing" opton.

• Make sure that all those innocuous little boot and emergency start-up discs you have laying around, are freshly updated.

• If you have a back-up system, you should use it on a regular basis. Copy your anti-virus programs' '.dat' files to the root, normally your "C" drive, so they are easy to find in an emergency DOS boot from your recently updated floppy, as mentioned above.

• Hang on to that old I.S.A. Floppy drive card. Failing all else, you can plug in a $20 floppy drive and have a shot at recovering from a total crash as long as you can still access your bios ... beats a re-format by default.

• Transaction Security. If you're getting a bunch of spam ads for 'Accepting Credit Cards' on the internet, you're in good company. If you are a SHO or 'small time operator', or love to play on eBay, here is a new alternative which doesn't require five years worth of financial statements. It is called Paypal. Great for fund raisers.
  

Someone you know was in the Korean War. Please let them know that they are not forgotten. The 50th anniversaries of the Korea War will begin on June 25, 2000, and continue through July 27, 2003. In preparation for commemorative ceremonies that will be held here in the United States and abroad, Korean War veterans are being encouraged to register with the U.S.-Korea 2000 Foundation.

Please visit http://www.uskorea2000.org/, or write to: Info@USKorea2000.org For a complete text, get a copy of this Newsletter (M$Word6 23K) More

U.S.-Korea 2000 Foundation, Inc.
4600 Duke Street, Suite 416
Alexandria, VA 22304-2517
Phone: (703) 212-8128 - Fax: (703) 684-0193