Democrat and Chronicle from Rochester, New York • Page 16

4B DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1998 Calendar Hospitals seek to be mercury-free Officials say Strong Memorial, region's largest, hopes to be free of the toxic metal within 20 years. Network, 7 p.m., Cancer Action, 255 Alexander St. Discussion on the relationship between cancer and nu-tritioa Details: 423-9700. Pageant of Steam, 9 a.m., Gehan Road, off Routes 5 and 20 (about three miles east of Canandaigua), Hopewell, Ontario County. Flea market, field demonstrations, tractor pulls and chicken barbecue.

Cost: $4, free, 11 and younger. Details: 394-8102. Poetry Slam, 7:30 p.m., Writers Books, 740 University Ave. Host: Todd Beers. Cost: $2, members free.

Details: 473-2590. Princess Beanie Baby raffle, 10 am, Hannah Junction, Route 21, Canandaigua. Cost: $5 for six tickets. Benefits Ontario ARC, an organization serving people with developmental disabilities. Details: 394-7500.

Coffee Saloon, 696 University Ave. Free. Details: 244-5370. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, 8 p.m., Dryden Theatre, George Eastman House, 900 East Ave. Cost: $4 members and students.

Details: 271-4090 or 271-3361. TOMORROW Alzheimer's support group, 7 p.m., Family Wellness Center, Lakeside Memorial Hospital, 156 West Brockport. Free. Details: 395-6044. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, 1:30 p.m., Dryden Theatre, George Eastman House, 900 East Ave.

Senior citizen matinee. Free to ages 60 and over. Details: 271-4090 or 271-3361. Holy Cross Festival, 6 p.m., Holy Cross Church, 4492 Lake Ave. Amusement rides, music and chicken barbecue.

Details: 663-2244. Men's Health and Prostate Help Send items for the community calendar to Democrat and Chronicle, 55 Exchange Rochester, NY 14614. TODAY Book reading and signing, 8 p.m., Borders Books Music, 1000 Hylan Drive, Henrietta. June, 2004: A Political Novel by Laurence Britt. Free.

Details: 292-5900. Concerts by the Shore, 7:30 p.ra, Ontario Beach Park, northern end of Lake Avenue. Featuring the Greece Choral Society and Greece concert band. Pure Kona Poetry Reading Series, 8:30 p.m., Moonbeans Gallery and waste water treatment plants. "There are extreme benefits to doing this voluntarily," said Mary Joy DelConte, a staff environmental scientist with the law firm Nixon, Hargrave, Devans and Doyle.

Three years ago, as a master's degree project, DelConte studied how mercury was used in medical settings. In 1995, she helped the county get a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. Mercury is expensive to buy and recycle, said DelConte. Using less of it should save hospitals money. It's a naturally occurring metal that is hard to eliminate from the environment clinging to soils, turning to a liquid, vaporizing at room temperature and combining with other compounds.

Hospitals are a significant source of mercury contamination. But most comes from coal-fired utility plants and municipal waste incinerators neither a big factor in the Rochester area. New York ranks second, behind Ohio, in annual mercury emissions deposited from the air after being imported from the midwest. But hospitals "are a good place to get some impact" on mercury pollution, said DelConte of the project. "It doesn't take care of the past," she added.

"But it helps the future." And in December, Strong closed its medical waste incinerator, a potential source of mercury pollution. Since 1995, officials said, these steps have eliminated 54 pounds of mercury a year going into the waste stream. That saves up to $20,000 a year in disposal costs, said Strong spokeswoman Teri Agostino. The hospital has already replaced its standard feeding tubes 46 pounds worth a year with mercury-free versions, eliminating 1.5 quarts of mercury. And of 750,000 patient temperatures to be taken at the hospital this year, fewer than 5,000 will be done with traditional mercury thermometers.

The University of Rochester's Eastman Dental Center, part of the project, has developed new ways to collect and recycle dental amalgam, which contains mercury. Some local dentists will recycle amalgam by mailing it to the county's hazardous waste facility for processing. The pilot project anticipates new, stiffer federal standards for mercury disposal in incinerators BY STAFF WRITER CORYDON IRELAND Local doctors and dentists are reducing the use of mercury, a toxic metal widely used in thermometers, dental fillings, feeding tubes and other medical supplies. Strong Memorial Hospital, the region's largest, may be mercury-free within two decades, officials said. Strong and Monroe County announced the results yesterday of a three-year pilot project on reducing the use of mercury in medical settings.

Funded by a federal grant, the project outlines pollution prevention strategies for 50 dental centers and 12 hospitals in the Rochester area. Severe mercury exposure has been associated with reproductive disorders, seizures, mental retardation and cerebral palsy. Less acute exposures can lead to developmental delays and other neurological disorders. As part of the three-year project, Strong has changed its purchasing policies, buying up stocks of mercury-free thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, meters, scales, ventilators and other supplies. miss Police Blotter II I III I Vrit1 IV if niii wtt 1 MIL WXWjiX I I HENRIETTA I JEFFERSON RO ir rap -1 BITHlilTorTiIlMFIEl Who's in the news? See Newsmakers every day.

Dcmucrat anb Chronicle Clearly Rochester. "1 BETTER DINING ROOMS, DINETTES COUNTER STOOLS Jeffrey Freedman Attorneys at Law GREECE: 663-1070 HENRIETTA: 424-4040 or 1-800-343-8537 Over 3. 000 Inonblt dacisions. I- We put "YOU" in our s'U'rvice I ll Proa Uanrinn AiH TacI I mmmi mm I Home Service Available Finance Plan Available IQELTOHE I li 'i fly Bress smart, because gou never know who's looking. The Hearing Aid ou Can Hide I 232-4372 1454 Monroe Ave.

ft mm 0283 Free Motorola STAR TAC 3000 mm Talk FREE 'Til 2000 Only at The Cellular Shop 3 I I were arrested by the Rochester Police Department: James T. Baker, 40, of 452 Magnolia St. charged Monday with second-degree assault and fourth-degree grand larceny. Patrick J. Carter, 17, of 25 Kohlman St.

charged Monday with third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Mikehl Castillo, 35, of 3111 Hei-th Apt. 55B, Bronx, charged Monday with first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Terrance Clark, 22, of 33 Gardiner Ave. charged Monday with third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance.

John M. Cookinham, 26, of 105 Pittsford St. charged Sunday with fourth-degree grand larceny. Chancellor D. Dash, 20, of 297 Murray St.

charged Monday with fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property. James A. Dees, 25, of 131 Baldwin St. charged Monday with first-degree criminal contempt. Christopher Gilbert, 21, of 127 Maryland St.

charged July 30 with fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property. Angel Gordils, 53, of 1233 N. Clinton Ave. charged Monday with first-degree assault. Tyrone A.

Green, 27, of 459 Garson Ave. charged Monday with fourth-degree grand larceny. Michael Huffman, 37, of 260 Adams St. charged Monday with third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. Tyree Little, 27, of 13 Locust St, charged yesterday with first-degree criminal contempt.

Wyndell J. Mewborn, 16, of 132 Barton St. charged Monday with third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Jessicamarie Morales, 19, of 452 Amsterdam New York City, charged Monday with first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. James E.

Morrow, 41, of 106 Parkway charged Monday with third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. Jerry Overton, 31, of 87 Alexander St. charged Monday with third-degree aggravated sexual abuse. Caliph Quinn, 47, of 91 Fairbanks St. charged July 22 with aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle.

Denise M. Reynolds, 25, of 1902 E. Main St. charged Monday with first-degree criminal contempt. Samuel Smith, 21, of 184 Avery St.

charged Monday with third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. Charles Townsend, 35, of 681 Brown St. charged Monday with two counts of first-degree criminal contempt. Terrance Wallace, 28, of 1063 St. Paul St.

charged Sunday with second-degree robbery, second-degree assault and fourth-degree grand larceny, a All information is compiled daily from the Rochester criminal court arraignment calendar. This is a partial list. Only felony arrests are included. Hours: M-F 9am-7pm Sat 10am-5pm Brockport 1 Main St. 637-2190 GatesChili Chili-Paul Wegmans 889-0550 Victor 2 Main St.

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