The Nation - News from June 19, 1988

Tougher standards and more uniform testing of new and rebuilt steel oil tanks could prevent spills such as the one in Pennsylvania this year that contaminated the water supply in three states, a government report said. The investigation by the Commerce Department’s National Bureau of Standards concluded that the Ashland Petroleum Co. tank near Pittsburgh did not meet current, nationally recognized standards for fracture toughness and the welds in the tanks, while not contributing to the split, did not conform to standards and only served to make the metal around the flaw more brittle when the tank ruptured.