Greenlist(tm) Bulletin 03/28/2008
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:
- Choosing a new cleaning product based on environmental, health and safety issues
- The benefits of energy and water audits
- EcoPinion Survey, “Branding Green But Seeing Red,” Highlights Lack Of Consumer Awareness And Acceptance Of Green Brands
- A turn to alternative chemicals
- Beets: A Biodegradable Bonus for Earth-Friendly Plastics?
- FDA relied on industry studies to judge safety
- Nanotechnology: An insurer's perspective
- GREENGUARD Expands into Certifying Computers & Electronics
- Pulp friction
- Recirculating air filtration significantly reduces exposure to airborne nanoparticles
1. Choosing a new cleaning product based on environmental, health and safety issues
Author: Marshall, Jason
Source: Process Cleaning, March/April 2008, pp37-41
Abstract: Performance of an alternative is not the only selection criterion that needs to be addressed when looking for a new cleaning product. In keeping with the objective of the Toxics Use Reduction Institute’s (TURI) Surface Solutions Laboratory (SSL) to develop and promote environmentally-friendlier, safer alternatives to hazardous solvents, the determination of a product’s overall risk is based on five environmental indicators: volatile organic content, global warming potential, ozone depletion potential, flammability/reactivity and toxicity/carcinogenicity.
WWW: http://www.processcleaning.com/documents/articlearchive/
marapr08/choosecleanproduct.pdf
2. The benefits of energy and water audits
Author: Wortman, David
Source: GreenerBuildings, March 26, 2008
Abstract: As any facility manager will tell you, energy costs have become a major budget concern for those in the lodging industry, and as energy prices continue to climb, the future doesn't appear to offer much relief. And while energy-wise green building principles are quickly catching on for new construction, many managers are unaware of the basic opportunities for saving energy in their existing facilities.
How does one go about finding such opportunities? Often, the solutions begin with an audit of your facility's existing energy and water use. While such audits can come in many levels of detail, even a simple half-day walk-through by a qualified engineer, along with an analysis of your utility bills can reveal significant opportunities for savings.
WWW: http://www.greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?Page=1&NewsID=55803
3. EcoPinion Survey, “Branding Green But Seeing Red,” Highlights Lack Of Consumer Awareness And Acceptance Of Green Brands
Source: EcoAlign, March 10, 2008
Abstract: EcoAlign, a strategic marketing agency focused on energy and the environment, today released the results of the third EcoPinion survey on green brands and brand messaging.
The third EcoPinion Survey highlights the fact that very few brands have any resonance in the market for green products and services. Consumers largely have a neutral, wait-and-see stance on company commitments and leadership on renewable energy, energy efficiency and the environment.
Findings from the EcoPinion Survey Report include:
1. Fifty four percent (54%) of consumers could not name, on an unaided basis, a company who supplied renewable or “green” energy.
2. Seventy one percent (71%) of respondents were not familiar, on an aided basis, of 10 “pure play” companies in the renewable and green energy space.
3. When asked about how committed respondents thought their electric utilities are to promoting or providing renewable energy or energy efficiency, ratings were about evenly split: 31% thought not at all committed, 36% were neutral and 33% rated the commitment level 7 or higher on a 10-point scale.
4. Respondents were then shown a mix of 12 companies representing various industries and asked which they thought were most committed to using or providing renewable energy. GE dominated with 81% while Toyota was second at 65%.
5. Seventy seven percent (77%) of consumers think that an energy efficient or green operational model is the single most important quality of a corporation trying to be an environmental leader.
6. Respondents were asked to rate their familiarity with various terms. Seventy-one percent (71%) rated their level of familiarity 8-10 with the term “energy efficiency” versus only 53% for “going green.”
WWW: http://www.ecoalign.com/node/74
4. A turn to alternative chemicals
Author: Moran, Susan
Source: The New York Times, March 26, 2008
Abstract: Joel Tickner is trying to build a greener future one molecule at a time. Dr. Tickner directs the chemicals science and policy program at the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. The center researches and promotes environmentally sound chemicals policy and production.
When he’s not teaching, Dr. Tickner may be darting off to Washington, New York, Montreal and cities in Europe to speak with legislators, regulators and executives about making safer, more competitive products. He also works with chemists in the industry and at Lowell to help them think about designing environmentally benign chemicals.
“We’re at a turning point,” Dr. Tickner said. “Companies and states are taking leadership where the federal government isn’t.” He spoke to a reporter before flying to Pittsburgh to speak to executives at Bayer’s United States headquarters about European and American chemicals policies. “It’s not about banning chemicals one by one, but about thinking more holistically about how we use chemicals in the design process itself.”
This approach is the core of green chemistry, which tries to eliminate waste, use renewable or environmentally benign materials and avoid relying on toxic reagents and solvents when designing chemical products.
WWW: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/26/business/
businessspecial2/26chemical.html?ref=science
5. Beets: A Biodegradable Bonus for Earth-Friendly Plastics?
Source: Agricultural Research, March 2008
Abstract: Sugar beets supply one-third of the world’s sugar. Each year, America’s $1.27 billion sugar beet industry generates about 40 million tons of pulp—most of which is used as an inexpensive livestock feed or disposed of at cost.
But ARS scientists in Peoria, Illinois, and Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, have teamed up on a project to breathe new economic life into the pulp. Led by ARS chemists Victoria L. Finkenstadt and LinShu Liu, the team has found a way to turn the fiber-rich pulp into a biodegradable filler material that could make polylactic acid (PLA) more cost-competitive with some petroleum-based thermoplastics, like polypropylene and polystyrene.
PLA is considered a promising natural alternative to such plastics because it is biodegradable and has comparable tensile strength and other mechanical properties. But PLA costs more because of the process by which it is obtained from fermented corn sugars.
“Use of fillers helps manufacturers cut the cost of the product,” notes Finkenstadt, who is with ARS’s National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria.
WWW: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/mar08/beets0308.htm
6. FDA relied on industry studies to judge safety
Author: Rust, Susan
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 21, 2008
Abstract: Ignoring hundreds of government and academic studies showing a chemical commonly found in plastic can be harmful to lab animals at low doses, the Food and Drug Administration determined the chemical was safe based on just two industry-funded studies that didn't find harm.
In response to a congressional inquiry, Stephen Mason, the FDA's acting assistant commissioner for legislation, wrote in a letter that his agency's claim relied on two pivotal studies sponsored by the Society of the Plastics Industry, a subsidiary of the American Chemistry Council.
One of the studies has never been published, and therefore never subjected to peer review; the second has been heavily criticized by researchers who say the results are inconclusive because of flawed experimental methods.
In January, Michigan Democrats Rep. John Dingell, chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Rep. Bart Stupak, who leads a subcommittee, launched an investigation into the use of bisphenol A in cans containing baby formula and other products aimed at infants and toddlers.
Studies have shown that bisphenol A causes breast cancer, testicular cancer, diabetes and hyperactivity in laboratory animals. Two government panels, including one that has come under fire as being biased in favor of chemical-makers, have warned that bisphenol A might be dangerous to developing fetuses and children younger than 3.
WWW: http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=730965
7. Nanotechnology: An insurer's perspective
Author: Baxter, David
Source: SafeNano, February 2008
Abstract: Insurance is the transfer of a risk for which the insurer charges a fee. For example, employers' liability insurance cover requires the insurer to pay for any injuries incurred by an employee in the course of their employment. The cost to the company is the premium paid each year for the insurance plus an agreed minimum amount, or deductible, paid in the event of any claim. Generally all costs greater than the deductible will be met by the insurer. This begs the question, how does the insurer manage the risk they have assumed from the company? Insurers can take on risk from many different companies and pool it. Assuming they have a good estimate of the probability of each company claiming on its insurance policy the insurer can estimate the average cost of claims each year from all of its policies. For many types of insurance, the more policies the insurer has, the more likely the predicted cost of all claims will match the actual cost of all claims; this is known to many as the "law of large numbers". Therefore in theory, an insurer with a large number of policies can predict how much they would have to pay out each year and will set the cost of the insurance premium to cover those predicted losses.
This business model hinges on the assumption that the probability of the risk occurring has been accurately calculated. This calculation can be performed in many ways and a typical method within the insurance industry is for actuaries to analyse historical data. An insurer can be more confident of the probability and impact of a risk that has been insured and studied for many years and where changes of the nature of the risk are slow or predictable. A good example of this is motor insurance. The number of cars and accidents on the road changes relatively slowly year on year and the motor insurance industry has existed for over 100 years. Nanotechnology on the other hand can give an insurer pause for thought, as historical data does not exist and the level of knowledge is changing rapidly. The use of scientific research coupled with insurance experience may help, but a common theme in nanotechnology risk assessment is that there is lack of data to understand the exposure or even the hazard itself.
WWW: http://www.safenano.org/NanoInsurancePerspective.aspx
8. GREENGUARD Expands into Certifying Computers & Electronics
Source: GREENGUARD Environmental Institute, March 20, 2008
Abstract: GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI), the nation’s largest certifier of chemical emissions from building products and furnishings, announces the expansion of its certification efforts to include computers and other electronic devices.
Electronics, including monitors, computers and printers, can emit chemicals and particles into the air, particularly when in use,” says Carl E. Smith, CEO of GEI. “These chemicals may trigger a range of health issues, including asthma, allergies and other irritating reactions.” With this new certification, consumers now have a way to identify computers and other electronic products that have been subjected to rigorous testing, and found to be free of toxic emissions.
GEI runs the only program in the US that certifies computers, printers and other electronic devices for chemical emissions. The GREENGUARD program measures chemical “outgassing” of the product during normal use and operation. Measured emissions are then compared to an extensive list of publicly available short term and long term health risk exposure levels available from the US Environmental Protection Agency, Occupational Safety Health Administration, the state of California, and CDC’s Registry of Toxic Substances.
WWW: http://www.greenguard.org/Default.aspx?tabid=43&ItemId=451
9. Pulp friction
Author: Bauer, Seth
Source: The Green Guide, March 25, 2008
Abstract: The miracle—and challenge—that is the American grocery business can be captured with a visit to the orange juice section. The choices are, depending on your point of view, either fabulous or ridiculous: juice from concentrate or not from concentrate. Sold in a variety of quantities in paper cartons or in plastic jugs. Fortified every which way and, of course, offered in a full range of pulp options.
And that's just the "fresh" juice section. Across the store, in the frozen foods aisle, is another whole stockpile, the frozen concentrated options. At the Sudbury Farms in Needham, I counted 5 varieties of orange juice on the shelves, and that was without distinguishing by brand. Catering to every niche, the manufacturers vie for shelf space, leading ultimately to ever-larger stores.
A little green consumer philosophy could change this dispersed demand. At the Green Guide, we recently looked at the range of orange juice options with an eye to determining the greenest choice.
WWW: http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/Mag1/oj
10. Recirculating air filtration significantly reduces exposure to airborne nanoparticles
Authors: Pui, David Y.H.; Qi, Chaolong; Stanley, Nick; Oberdorster, Gunter; Maynard, Andrew
Source: Environmental Health Perspectives, Article-in-Press, Online March 26, 2008
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Airborne nanoparticles from vehicle emissions have been associated with adverse effects in people with pulmonary and cardiovascular disease, and toxicological studies have shown that nanoparticles can be more hazardous than their larger scale counterparts. Recirculating air filtration in automobiles and houses may provide a low-cost solution to reducing exposures in many cases, thus reducing possible health risks.
OBJECTIVES: We investigated the effectiveness of recirculating air filtration on reducing exposure to incidental and intentionally produced airborne nanoparticles under two scenarios: while driving in traffic, and while generating nanomaterials using gasphase synthesis.
METHODS: We tested the recirculating air filtration in two commercial vehicles when driving in traffic, as well as in a non-ventilation room with a nanoparticle generator, simulating a nanomaterial production facility. We also measured the time-resolved aerosol size distribution during the in-car recirculation to investigate how recirculating air filtration impacts on particles of different sizes. A recirculation model was developed to describe the aerosol concentration change during recirculation.
RESULTS: The use of inexpensive low-efficiency filters in recirculation systems is shown to reduce nanoparticle concentrations to below levels found in a typical office within three minutes while driving through heavy traffic, and within twenty minutes in a simulated nanomaterial production facility.
CONCLUSIONS: Development and application of this technology could lead to significant reductions in airborne nanoparticle exposure, reducing possible risks to health and providing solutions to generating nanomaterials safely.
WWW: http://www.ehponline.org/members/2008/11169/11169.pdf
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://library.turi.org for greater topic coverage.
This page updated Friday March 28 2008