January 7, 2000

SRSW PRESS RELEASE

In the past Pall-Gelman Sciences Inc. has asked the State to approve a "no action" plan for its western underground contamination plume.

The MDEQ has previously rejected such proposals, which would have allowed Pall-Gelman underground 1,4-dioxane plume to spread and dilute without any cleanup effort.

Now the MDEQ will hold a public meeting on the latest Pall-Gelman "no action" proposal. The hearing will be at 7 p.m. Monday, January 10, at Abbot Elementary

School, 2670 Sequoia Parkway, Ann Arbor.

The "no action" proposal is strongly opposed by a citizens' group, Scio

Residents for Safe Water (SRSW), on grounds that "it is likely to lead to further

contamination of private wells in the areas which do not have access to municipal

water."

"Pall-Gelrnan claims that the 'no action' plan will result in 'acceptable' levels

of contamination as the western plume spreads," notes Roger Rayle of SRSW.

"But this conclusion is based on faulty analysis. Pall-Gelman's own data

shows that while dioxane contamination has decreased in some areas of the western plume, it is still increasing in other areas of this plume," says Rayle.

"Adding to the problem is the serious lack of monitoring wells to define the actual extent of contamination," says Rayle.

The 7000 foot long western plume roughly extends from Saginaw Forest on Liberty Road northwest across Jackson Road and I-94 and into the area of West Delhi and North Zeeb Roads. It is one of the biggest underground plumes emanating from the core contamination at Pall-Gelman's Wagner Road property.

The public meeting is important, according to SRSW, because a ruling by the MDEQ on this "no action" plan could set a precedent for future plans in other parts of

the Pall-Gelman cleanup.