3 Skeena Cellulose adjusts mill and workers to new anti-stain Skeena Cellulose in Terrace has switched to a dioxin-free anti-sapstain chemical to use on its export lumber sawmill, manager Jim Davis says. The new chemical, TCMTB, pre- vents mold and fungus from forming on the packaged soft- wood as it’s being shipped to Japan and Europe. The chem- ical formerly used, chlorophen- ol, had a long half-life, while TCMTBS breaks down in two to seven days once exposed to sunlight. With the change from chloro- phenol, the mill also redesigned the manner in which the lumber is handled to reduce the workers’ exposure to the chem- ical. Davis and processing super- intendent Arnie Euverman ex- plained that the boards are sprayed after sorting and grading so that chips and ends are not unnecessarily treated. Any lumber that needs to be re- manufactured is not sprayed, meaning those employees aren’t working with the chemical. Instead of 18 people a shift working with treated wood, there’s now seven in total. Those workers most directly involved with the spraying operate the machines from a distance of several meters away, and wear protective gear. The TCMTBE solution is recycled within the building, reducing possible air pollu- tion and keeping it contained within the system. An elaborate set-up of tanks and hoses mixes the solution automatically as needed. . *°A few other mills have been here looking at the site, It’s recognized as the best, most responsible system,’? Euverman said, John Zak, the union represen- tative on the chemical and safety committees, said since May, when the new chemical and sys- tem were put into operation, there have been only five first aid cases. ‘‘There were some skin irritations, like a dermatitis or rash, caused by misuse of safety equipment, In the past six Sewage plant — continued from page 13 effluent polishing. Certified industrial laboratory _ tests have shown that the system is three to five times more effec- tive than costlier disposal systems and indicates that the costs of maintenance are decreased because sludge disposal won’t be required for at least 20 to 40 years. Original estimates for the pro- ject were about §2.5 million but design work by KLM Engineer- ing reduced the cost by replacing a concrete liner in the lagoons with locally available clay. Pro- ject construction was done by Bud Smith Contracting of Ter- race, and all that remains is some landscape work. The old clarifier and digester will be _ demolished at a later date. chemical or seven weeks, though, there have been no further incidents.”’ TCMTB contains a caustic substance which keeps it in its water-soluable form. Unlike chlorophenates, where exposure is difficult to detect (a monthly urinalysis was required), TCMTB shows up immediately, and it is not absorbed easily. ‘The danger warning is a big ad- vantage,”? Euverman said. Euverman explained that there are 35 different kinds of mold and fungus that can affect B.C, lumber, with anti-sapstain chemicals being used for the past 40 or 50 years. ‘The chemical of choice was chlorophenate — it was cheap, easy to use and effec- tive.’’ But awarenesss of how to use such chemicals safely was not there 40 years ago, as mill workers used simple watering cans or dip tanks for chemcial application. With more aware- ness of the dangers of the diox- ins in chlorophenates, and with cost-saving measures becoming more important, limiting the use of chemicals, even safer ones, became an issue. Although TCMTB is about five times as expensive as chlorophenates, Davis said pressure from Waste Manage- ment motivated them to make the switch. Hoa Le, a waste management officer in Smithers said that the Waste Management Branch had an anti-sapstain workshop in April, where the government was able to con- vince the industry to move to less-persistent chemicals. ‘“‘TCMTB and chlorophenates are equally toxic, but TCMTB is less persistent in the environ- ment,’ he said. There are a lot of misconcep- tions about chemicals, including TCMTB, Zak says. ‘‘We heard about a sawmill using TCMTB having 18 or 23 birds in the vicinity dying. It turned out to be one bird. The sawmill man- ager said birds had been dying around there for years before they even started using chlorophenates.”’ Because of the concerns, however, union and managen- rment attended a TCMTB sem- inar in Vancouver in June, and have been working together to ensure the safest possible use of the chemical, ‘‘We’re proud of the approach we're taking,” Euveron said, and Zak agreed, saying ‘Management has been exceptional. They’ve shared everything with us, so there’s no major issue.’’ He added, ‘‘The union doesn’t condone the use of any chemical but we must work with management to pro- tect the membership. We know the mill won’t run without anti- stain chemicals,”’ A 1938-1988 Terrace Review — Wednesday, August 24, 1988 23 The new antl-sapstain sprayer at Skeena Cellulose recycles mist to be reused, keeping the TCMTB within the automated system. Amie Euverman (left), Jim Davis and John Zak of Skeena Cellulose are proud of their new anti-sapstain chemical spraying system and the safety procedures they have developed together. Holiday delay Swimming pool project still treading water TERRACE — The last time the city discussed the municipal swimming pool expansion pro- ject was at a Committee of the Whole meeting about six weeks ago, and it probably won’t be discussed again until mid- October. According to city ad- ministrator Bob Hallsor, several aldermen have been on holidays, and the issue will have to wait until they all return and the en- tire council can get together. Hallsor says city aldermen have already ‘‘touched base’’ with MLA Dave Parker and will also have the opportunity to discuss options with a number of other provincial government representatives during the Union of British Columbia Municipali- ties annual meeting to be held at Whistler on Sept. 21. One option is to scrap the pool expansion and put the money into another recreation- oriented project, but council isn’t sure they can do that. “‘If we don’t do it (the pool expan- sion), we don’t want to lose the money,’’ explained Hallsor, adding that the meeting will give aldermen the opportunity to discuss the project with people from a variety of government departments such as Municipal Affairs and the Provincial Secretary. In March of 1987 the project was valued at $469,200 by Ter- race architect Alex Inselberg, but this was upped to $501,160 in August. Changes and revi- sions called for another estimate in April of this year, and the price was raised to $565,000. When two sealed tenders for the project were opened, however, the lowest was more than 40 percent higher than the last estimate. Giesbrecht Developments of Burns Lake said they could do the job for $806,000 while H & H Builders of Terrace said it would cost $836,000, Inselberg attributed the dif- ference to the fact that the con- struction industry in Prince George and Vancouver were “very busy’ and no bids were received from the larger centers. However, when Dennis Palmu of H & H Construction was ask- ed to explain the difference, he said that the difference probably centered around the fact that the project contained so many renovations. He explained that the usual procedure in developing an estimate is for the architect todo the initial design work and then rely on electrical, structural and mechanical consultants to come up with a cost. Palmu said this system works fine when working on a new structure, but renova- tions can cost two to three times more than a new building, and there are often differences be- tween the estimate and bids. Inselberg said, however, that electrical work was estimated at $75,000 while the low bid was $86,000 and plumbing and heating were estimated at $125,000 but the low bid was $188,900. Inselberg suggested scaling the project down or negotiating a contract with H & H Construction for specific work at a predetermined sum.