The State - News from Aug. 18, 1985

Three giant electronics companies, facing possible litigation by federal officials, have agreed to conduct a multimillion-dollar investigation of soil contamination caused by leaking chemicals in Silicon Valley. Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corp. of south San Jose, Intel Corp. of Santa Clara, and Raytheon Corp. of Mountain View have told Environmental Protection Agency officials that they will spend between $2 million and $4 million to conduct a 12- to 14-month investigation of contamination caused by trichloroethylene and trichloroethane, solvents used in the manufacture of electronic components. The pollution problem, first discovered in 1981, was caused by chemicals leaking from storage tanks. Judith E. Ayres, regional EPA administrator in San Francisco, said the agreement means federal officials will not have to sue the companies to recover costs of a government investigation.