Editor:

I would like to clarify a statement attributed to me in the Oct. 28, 2011 article in The Aegis regarding the "Easing of gas station rules..." In the article, I was reported to have stated "…stations could leak benzene, a known carcinogen, while there has been no proof to date that MTBE is carcinogenic." That statement, taken out of the context of preceding statements, may lead to the wrong conclusion. While MTBE has not been definitively classified as carcinogenic in humans due to the unavailability of studies in humans, MTBE still remains a likely carcinogen in humans and a proven carcinogen in animals. The intent of my statements was that the removal of MTBE from gasoline should not lessen our concern about the proven human carcinogen, benzene, in gasoline.

Roman E. Ratych

Fallston, Maryland