Greenlist(tm) Bulletin 02/22/2008
This is the weekly bulletin of the TURI Library, reporting a selection of recently published titles we have acquired. Our pledge is to keep the bulletin relevant to your work and brief -- no more than 10 titles. You are welcome to send a message to jan@turi.org if you would like more information on any of the articles listed here.
Titles here, abstracts below:
- Options for state chemicals policy reform: a resource guide
- Formaldehyde levels in FEMA-supplied trailers
- Nanotechnology lends a hand with 'self-cleaning' wool and silk fabrics
- Lead contamination of inexpensive plastic jewelry
- Doing good: business and the sustainability challenge
- Greener Gadgets Design Competition 2008
- Paving the way for green roads
- Community-Specific Chemical Release Data Available for Massachusetts; New England continues trend of lower releases to air, land and water
1. Options for state chemicals policy reform: a resource guide
Source: Lowell Center for Sustainable Production (LCSP), 2008
Abstract: The primary law in the United States that regulates industrial manufacture and use of chemicals, called the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA ), is now 30 years old and has proved largely ineffective in restricting problem chemicals in commerce or in minimizing or mitigating their harm to humans and the environment. It has also failed to effectively stimulate the development and marketing of safer chemicals and products. Basic toxicity information that is publicly available exists for only a small percentage of the thousands of chemicals in commerce.
The chemical hazards of everyday consumer products are receiving more attention from scientists and others. Our bodies and ecosystems are showing build-ups of chemicals, and research links some chemicals to serious diseases. The public has expressed its concern about tainted foods, leaded toys, and the risks of emerging technologies. State governments have noted the failures of leadership and will at the federal level, the growing public concerns, and the sweeping chemicals overhaul by the European Union (EU), called the Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH ) regulation. Many favor change to policies that get hazardous substances out of our homes and communities.
Recent discussions and actions in at least eight states have raised the prospects for change by state and regional governments. Some aspects of chemicals policy can be conducted effectively by states and thereby help catalyze federal action. This report explores what states can do and how to do it. A resource guide for state leaders and concerned citizens, this report examines the policy options and structures they might put in place and the critical issues in doing so. With dozens of examples, it also seeks the lessons learned in one place that might be applied elsewhere: what works in Massachusetts may work in Oregon.
WWW: http://www.chemicalspolicy.org/downloads/OptionsforStateChemicalsPolicyReform.pdf
2. Formaldehyde levels in FEMA-supplied trailers
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, February 14, 2008
Abstract: From December 21, 2007, to January 23, 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted testing to assess levels of formaldehyde in indoor air of occupied travel trailers, park models, and mobile homes supplied by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as temporary housing for displaced residents of the US Gulf Coast Region following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
The testing was one of several actions CDC initiated in response to a request from FEMA to investigate concerns about formaldehyde in occupied FEMA trailers in Louisiana and Mississippi. CDC randomly selected 519 trailers for testing from FEMA’s database of all existing occupied trailers. These results represent only that group. These 519 trailers represent a cross-section of the most frequently used trailer types and manufacturers. CDC has done preliminary analysis of the data from the testing and has identified preliminary findings with significant implications for public health.
Key Findings:
• In many trailers, mobile homes, and park models tested, formaldehyde levels were elevated relative to typical levels of US indoor exposure.
• Average levels of formaldehyde in all units was about 77 parts per billion (ppb). This level is higher than US background levels. Levels measured ranged from 3 ppb to 590 ppb.
• These measured levels are likely to under-represent long-term exposures since formaldehyde levels tend to be higher in newer travel trailers and mobile homes and during warmer weather.
• Indoor temperature was a significant factor for formaldehyde levels in this study independent of trailer make or model.
• Formaldehyde levels varied by model (mobile homes, park homes, and travel trailers), but all types of trailers tested had some high levels.
• At the levels seen in many trailers, health could be affected.
WWW: http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehhe/trailerstudy/pdfs/SummaryofStudyFindings.pdf
3. Nanotechnology lends a hand with 'self-cleaning' wool and silk fabrics
Source: ScienceDaily, February 14, 2008
Abstract: Wool skirts and silk ties may avoid those pricey trips to the dry-cleaner in the future and clean themselves, researchers in Australia and China suggest. They report development of a nanoparticle coating that could lead to "self-cleaning" wool and silk fabrics.
Wool and silk, which are composed of natural proteins called keratins, are among the most prized and widely used fabrics in the clothing industry. However, they are difficult fabrics to keep clean and are easily damaged by conventional cleaning agents. A better way to fight stains in these and other protein-based fabrics is needed, scientists say.
In the new study, Walid Daoud and colleagues prepared wool fabrics with and without a nanoparticle coating composed of anatase titanium dioxide, a substance that is known to destroy stains, dirt, and harmful microorganisms upon exposure to sunlight.
The researchers then stained the fabric samples with red wine. After 20 hours of exposure to simulated sunlight, the coated fabric showed almost no signs of the red stain, whereas the untreated fabric remained deeply stained, the researchers say. The coating, which is non-toxic, can be permanently bonded to the fiber and does not alter its texture and feel, they note.
WWW: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080211094258.htm
4. Lead contamination of inexpensive plastic jewelry
Author: Yost, Jamie L.; Weidenhamer, Jeffrey D.
Source: Science of the Total Environment, E-pub ahead of print February 1, 2008
Abstract: The neurological hazards of lead to children are well-known. As a result of recent documented cases of lead poisoning, regulatory attention in the United States has focused on the lead content of children's metal jewelry. By contrast, little is known about the possible hazards of plastic jewelry items. The objective of this study was to determine whether inexpensive plastic jewelry is a possible source of toxic lead for children. Samples of more than 100 inexpensive plastic jewelry items were analyzed for lead content. Beads were screened by soaking in 1 M nitric acid. Nine items found to release more than 30 microg of lead per bead were further tested for accessible lead, and scrapings of the bead coatings were analyzed for total lead content. The maximum accessible lead found was 49 microg per bead, which is below the current US Consumer Product Safety Commission limit of 175 microg. However, when the number of beads in each item was taken into account, six of the nine leaded samples contained more than 175 microg accessible lead per item. The lead in these items appears to be associated with lead-based paints used to produce glossy coatings on imitation pearls and similar items. Coatings obtained by scraping individual beads contained 3.5-23% lead, which far exceeds the US regulatory limit of 0.06% lead in paints on items intended for children. Our results demonstrate that plastic jewelry items merit the attention of public health and consumer protection agencies seeking to limit the exposure of children to lead.
5. Doing good: business and the sustainability challenge
Author: Kielstra, Paul
Source: The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2008
Abstract: Being a good corporate citizen has never been so challenging. Companies have long been under public scrutiny for practices ranging from recruitment to workplace safety, from attitudes to overseas investment to environmental pollution.
The emergence of climate change as a mainstream political issue, however, has served to drive home the breadth of ethical issues with which firms must now grapple. The business—and societal—implications of how companies address these are so far reaching that a new area of management practice has come into being to manage them, known by many as “corporate sustainability”.
Accordingly, grasping the nature and scope of the sustainability challenge—as well as best practice in addressing the attendant opportunities and risks—is of immense importance to the corporate community. However, this report suggests that companies are at an early stage in developing such an understanding. While 53% of firms worldwide surveyed by the Economist Intelligence Unit claim to have a coherent sustainability policy, only half of these extend this beyond internal operations to encompass their supply chains. In all, less than one in three executives (29%) say their company has a coherent strategy that covers the whole business and its supply chain. Uncertainty also lingers as to whether sustainability can be seen as an opportunity, or if it is merely another drag on the bottom line.
To investigate this, and to assess the impact of sustainability on business today, the Economist Intelligence Unit drew on a wide-ranging survey of over 1,200 executives worldwide, along with numerous in-depth interviews with leaders of businesses and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as well as other sustainability experts.
WWW: http://www.resourcesaver.org/file/toolmanager/CustomO16C45F97307.pdf
6. Greener Gadgets Design Competition 2008
Source: Core77 in conjunction with Greener Gadgets, 2008
Abstract: The Greener Gadgets Design Competition took place during the month of February, 2008, as part of the Greener Gadgets Conference in New York City. Core77 challenged the global design community to design a "greener gadget"; to create innovative solutions addressing the issues of energy, carbon footprint, health and toxicity, new materials, product lifecycle, and social development.
The design competition engaged established design firms, emerging designers, design students and design enthusiasts, and top entries were showcased live at the Greener Gadgets Conference by a distinguished panel and the audience. (There were 2 rounds of rigorous pre-judging prior to the live event.) Panelists were Valerie Casey (founder of The Designers Accord and Global Practice Head, Software Experiences at IDEO), Ryan Block (editor-in-chief of Engadget), and Jill Fehrenbacher (publisher of Inhabitat and coordinator of GreenerGadgets).
Core77 invited designers to explore the concept of "Greener Gadgets." Designs sought to minimize the environmental impact of consumer electronic devices at any stage in the product lifecycle. Areas of sustainability to consider included:
1. Energy
2. Materials / Lifecycle / Recycling
3. Social & educational development
Participants were encouraged to consider their designs as part of the entire product ecosystem, and to think as holistically as possible. Designers could choose to focus their entries on a particular area of human enterprise (learning, playing, communicating, etc.), or a particular context (work, home, school, etc.), a particular material, or a specific device. Entries could also seek to create new paradigms for products and services.
WWW: http://www.core77.com/competitions/GreenerGadgets/brief.asp
7. Paving the way for green roads
Source: University of New Hampshire, February 21, 2008
Abstract: "A lot of the infrastructure in this country needs to be re-built," says Kevin Gardner, University of New Hampshire associate professor of civil engineering and director of the Environmental Research Group. "We have a real opportunity to re-build the infrastructure the right way with sustainable materials and socially sensitive designs that protect air, water, land, and human resources."
Funded by the Federal Highway Administration and pooled state highway funds, as well as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grants for specific research projects, Gardner established the new Recycled Materials Resource Management Center (RMRC) at UNH on June 1, 2007. The RRMC is a collaboration between UNH environmental and social impact researchers and University Wisconsin-Madison geotechnical, or soil behavior, faculty. Working closely with a board of advisors composed of representatives from the EPA, the Federal Highway Administration and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, as well as numerous other stakeholders, one of the Center's activities is to establish a green roads program that develops criteria for what makes a roadway green.
To jump-start the process, the RMRC faculty teamed up with the UNH Stormwater Center in Durham. Their task is to account for both environmental and social impacts of road-building, as well as establish better uses of recycled and virgin aggregate materials, such as crushed rock, much of which must be transported from New Hampshire. Green standards, according to Gardner, will give road builders the guidelines they need to effectively reduce the environmental impacts (such as carbon footprint, wetlands disturbance, and stormwater runoff generation) and improve the quality of life in communities affected by infrastructure re-construction.
The first step is to figure out how to reduce the 300 million tons of virgin aggregate materials mined in this country every year. The U.S. currently recycles 90% of used asphalt, but still uses a large percentage of virgin materials in the recycled mix. The question is, can pavement be made with 90% recycled asphalt, or does it have to be less than 40% or even 20% to get a roadbed that lasts? What happens to the modifiers that bind these materials over time? How recyclable are the recycled materials?
WWW: http://www.unh.edu/news/cj_nr/2008/feb/dj21green.cfm
8. Community-Specific Chemical Release Data Available for Massachusetts; New England continues trend of lower releases to air, land and water
Source: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), February 21, 2008
Abstract: EPA’s most recent Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) data is now available for the reporting year of 2006. This year, due to continued increases in electronic reporting by industry, TRI data is available earlier than ever for both local communities and national analysis.
In Massachusetts the reporting data show that overall releases of pollutants to the environment have declined. TRI information is a key part of EPA’s efforts to provide greater access to environmental information and get information to the public as quickly as possible.
During 2006, the latest year for which data are available, approximately 27.7 million pounds of chemicals were released in the six New England states, a reduction of 2,560,906 pounds. In Massachusetts, 546 facilities reported in 2006 approximately 7.0 million pounds (a reduction of 667,871 pounds). Approximately 89 percent of releases in Massachusetts were emitted to the air during 2006.
Reporting includes information on chemicals released at a company's facility, as well as those transported to disposal facilities off site. TRI data do not reflect the relative toxicity of the chemicals emitted or potential exposure to people living in a community with reported releases.
WWW: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/5E110F695D42566B852573F600639367
You are welcome to send a message to jan@turi.org if you would like more information on any of these resources. Also, please tell us what topics you are particularly interested in monitoring, and who else should see Greenlist. An online search of the TURI Library catalog can be done at http://slk060.liberty3.net/turi for greater topic coverage.
This page updated Friday February 22 2008