Greenlist(tm) Bulletin 05/02/2008
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:
- Making a good impression: nanoimprint lithography tests at NIST
- Chemical assessments: low productivity and new interagency review process limit the usefulness and credibility of EPA's Integrated Risk Information System
- Polluted pets: high levels of toxic industrial chemicals contaminate cats and dogs
- Rhodia launches production of eco-friendly solvent at new unit in Brazil
- Incense smoke: clinical, structural and molecular effects on airway disease
- Electronics Environmental Benefits Calculator
- Corporate social responsibility through an economic lens
- Fear, but few facts, on hybrid risk
- Sustainable Cotton Project
- MassHEIS: Massachusetts Health and Environment Information System
1. Making a good impression: nanoimprint lithography tests at NIST
Source: NIST Tech Beat, April 29, 2008
Abstract: In what should be good news for integrated circuit manufacturers, recent studies by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have helped resolve two important questions about an emerging microcircuit manufacturing technology called nanoimprint lithography—yes, it can accurately stamp delicate insulating structures on advanced microchips, and, no, it doesn’t damage them, in fact it makes them better.
An emerging manufacturing technique, nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is basically an embossing process. A stamp with a nanoscale pattern in its surface is pressed into a soft film on the surface of a semiconductor wafer. The film is hardened, usually by heating or exposure to ultraviolet light, and the film retains the impressed pattern from the stamp. The process is astonishingly accurate. NIL has been used to create features as small as ten nanometers across with relatively complex shapes.
WWW: http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/techbeat/tb2008_0429.htm#nil
2. Chemical assessments: low productivity and new interagency review process limit the usefulness and credibility of EPA's Integrated Risk Information System
Source: United States. Government Accountability Office (GAO), 2008
Abstract: EPA’s actions since 2000 to ensure that IRIS contains current, credible risk information, to address its backlog of 70 ongoing assessments, and to respond to new OMB requirements—including increasing funding and revising the assessment process—have not enabled EPA to routinely complete credible IRIS assessments or decrease its backlog. Although in fiscal years 2006 and 2007 EPA sent 32 assessments to OMB for the first of three required external reviews, EPA finalized only 4 assessments during this period. This low level of productivity jeopardizes the viability of the IRIS database. Further, an EPA analysis indicated that many existing assessments may need to be updated, and EPA program offices and other IRIS users have requested assessments of hundreds of chemicals not yet in IRIS. Factors contributing to EPA’s inability to complete IRIS assessments in a timely manner include new OMB-required reviews of IRIS assessments by OMB and other federal agencies; certain EPA management decisions, such as delaying some assessments to await new research; and the compounding effect of delays—even one delay can have a domino effect, requiring the process to essentially be repeated to incorporate changing science. As of December 2007, most of the 70 ongoing assessments had been in progress for over 5 years.
WWW: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08440.pdf
3. Polluted pets: high levels of toxic industrial chemicals contaminate cats and dogs
Source: Environmental Working Group (EWG), 2008
Abstract: In the first study of its kind, Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that companion cats and dogs are polluted with even higher levels of many of the same synthetic industrial chemicals that researchers have recently found in people, including newborns.
In addition to being guardians, playmates and even beloved family members, dogs and cats may also be serving as sentinels for human health problems that can arise from exposures to industrial chemicals.
In recognition of the unique roles that pets play in our lives, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) undertook a study to investigate the extent of exposures dogs and cats face to contaminants in our homes and outdoor environments. What we found was startling.
Dogs and cats were contaminated with 48 of 70 industrial chemicals tested, including 43 chemicals at levels higher than those typically found in people, according to our study of blood and urine from 20 dogs and 40 cats. Average levels of many chemicals were substantially higher in pets than is typical for people, with 2.4 times higher levels of stain-and grease-proof coatings (perfluorochemicals) in dogs, 23 times more fire retardants (PBDEs) in cats, and more than 5 times the amounts of mercury, compared to average levels in people found in national studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and EWG.
WWW: http://www.ewg.org/reports/pets
4. Rhodia launches production of eco-friendly solvent at new unit in Brazil
Source: Rhodia, April 25, 2008
Abstract: Rhodia has launched production of Rhodiasolv® IRIS, an innovative solvent with eco-friendly properties, at a new unit located on the Group’s Santo Andre site in Brazil. Rhodiasolv® IRIS, designed for applications such as industrial cleaning, foundry resins, paints and coatings formulations, is non-toxic (non-classified dangerous for the environment regarding the European regulations), readily biodegradable, nonflammable and low VOC.
It is manufactured at Santo Andre, Brazil in a new plant developed to meet rapidly growing demands for eco-friendly solvents. This investment will allow Rhodia to increase its worldwide production capacity of dibasic ester solvents by 15 percent, strengthening its global manufacturing footprint in Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific.
WWW: http://www.rhodia.com/us/businessquicklinks/home_integration.asp#
5. Incense smoke: clinical, structural and molecular effects on airway disease
Author: Lin, Ta-Chang; Krishnaswamy, Guha; Chi, David S.
Source: Clinical and Molecular Allergy, April 25, 2008
Abstract: In Asian countries where the Buddhism and Taoism are mainstream religions, incense burning is a daily practice. A typical composition of stick incense consists of 21% (by weight) of herbal and wood powder, 35% of fragrance material, 11% of adhesive powder, and 33% of bamboo stick. Incense smoke (fumes) contains particulate matter (PM), gas products and other organic compounds. On average, incense burning produces particulates greater than 45 mg/g burned (as compared to 10 mg/g burned for cigarettes). The gas products from burning incense include CO, CO2, NO2, SO2, and others. Incense burning also produces volatile organic compounds, such as benzene, toluene, and xylenes, as well as aldehydes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The air pollution in and around various temples has been documented to be harmful effects on health. When incense smoke pollutants are inhaled, they cause respiratory system dysfunction. Incense smoke is a risk factor for elevated cord blood IgE levels and has been indicated to cause allergic contact dermatitis. Incense smoke also has been associated with neoplasm and extracts of particulate matter from incense smoke are found to be mutagenic in the Ames Salmonella test with TA98 and activation. In order to prevent airway disease and other health problem, it is advisable that people should reduce the exposure time when they worship at the temple with heavy incense smokes, and ventilate their house when they burn incense at home.
WWW: http://www.clinicalmolecularallergy.com/content/6/1/3
6. Electronics Environmental Benefits Calculator
Source: Federal Electronics Challenge, 2008
Abstract: The Electronics Environmental Benefits Calculator (EEBC) was developed to assist organizations in estimating the environmental benefits of greening their purchase, use and disposal of electronics.
The EEBC is available to any organization interested in determining the benefits of their own electronics stewardship activities. It is a valuable tool for FEC Partners to calculate the environmental benefits of their FEC activities.
The EEBC estimates the environmental and economic benefits of purchasing Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT)-registered products and improving equipment operation and end-of-life management practices.
The current version of the EEBC evaluates electronics stewardship activities associated with desktop processors (CPUs), cathode ray tube (CRT) and liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors, and notebook computers. Additionally, the current version of the EEBC evaluates the benefits of reusing and recycling mobile telephones.
The EEBC may be downloaded as an Microsoft Excel spreadsheet at the Center for Clean Products and Clean Technologies Web site. Additional information and instructions for using the EEBC are also available on the Center's Web site.
WWW: http://www.federalelectronicschallenge.net/resources/bencalc.htm
7. Corporate social responsibility through an economic lens
Authors: Reinhardt, Forest L.; Stavins, Robert N.; Vietor, Richard H.K.
Source: Harvard University. John F. Kennedy School of Government, 2008
Abstract: Business leaders, government officials, and academics are focusing considerable attention on the concept of “corporate social responsibility” (CSR), particularly in the realm of environmental protection. Beyond complete compliance with environmental regulations, do firms have additional moral or social responsibilities to commit resources to environmental protection? How should we think about the notion of firms sacrificing profits in the social interest? May they do so within the scope of their fiduciary responsibilities to their shareholders? Can they do so on a sustainable basis, or will the forces of a competitive marketplace render such efforts and their impacts transient at best? Do firms, in fact, frequently or at least sometimes behave this way, reducing their earnings by voluntarily engaging in environmental stewardship? And finally, should firms carry out such profitsacrificing activities (i.e., is this an efficient use of social resources)? We address these questions through the lens of economics, including insights from legal analysis and business scholarship.
WWW: http://ksgnotes1.harvard.edu/Research/wpaper.nsf/
rwp/RWP08-023/$File/rwp_08_023_stavins.pdf
8. Fear, but few facts, on hybrid risk
Author: Motavalli, Jim
Source: The New York Times, April 27, 2008
Abstract: Almost without exception, scientists and policy makers agree that hybrid vehicles are good for the planet. To a small but insistent group of skeptics, however, there is another, more immediate question: Are hybrids healthy for drivers?
There is a legitimate scientific reason for raising the issue. The flow of electrical current to the motor that moves a hybrid vehicle at low speeds (and assists the gasoline engine on the highway) produces magnetic fields, which some studies have associated with serious health matters, including a possible risk of leukemia among children.
With the batteries and power cables in hybrids often placed close to the driver and passengers, some exposure to electromagnetic fields is unavoidable. Moreover, the exposure will be prolonged — unlike, say, using a hair dryer or electric shaver — for drivers who spend hours each day at the wheel.
Some hybrid owners have actually tested their cars for electromagnetic fields using hand-held meters, and a few say they are alarmed by the results.
WWW: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/automobiles/27EMF.html
9. Sustainable Cotton Project
Abstract: Located in the world's most productive agricultural region–California's Central Valley–the Sustainable Cotton Project (SCP) focuses on the production and use of cotton, one of the most widely grown and chemical-intensive crops in the world.
Since 1994, SCP has been building bridges between farmers, manufacturers and consumers to pioneer markets for certified organically grown and sustainable cotton, including working on the ground with local farmers. SCP's guiding philosophy of "cooperation for a change" has fostered a new level of shared information among farmers, manufacturers and others in support of creating a cleaner cotton industry.
In 2003, SCP joined with the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) to strengthen its operation and reach into farm and consumer audiences. CAFF and SCP are collaborating to provide growers with information about biological farming techniques and to educate the public about the importance of reducing chemical use in food and fiber production.
Because of cotton's versatility, it is used for a vast variety of food and fiber products, making it one of the most widely traded commodities on earth. Cotton represents an essential component of foreign exchange earnings for more than fifty countries. Yet the simple act of growing and harvesting the one pound of cotton fiber needed to make a T-shirt takes an enormous toll on the earth’s air, water, and soil, and has significant impacts on the health of people in cotton growing areas.
According to 1995 data, for example, United States farmers applied nearly one-third of a pound of chemical fertilizers and pesticides for every pound of cotton harvested. When all nineteen cotton-growing states are tallied, the crop accounts for twenty-five percent of all the pesticides used in the U.S. Some of these chemicals are among the most toxic classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In developing countries, where regulations are less stringent, the negative impacts are even more severe.
WWW: http://www.sustainablecotton.org/
10. MassHEIS: Massachusetts Health and Environment Information System
Imprint: Silent Spring Institute, 2008
Subjects: Massachusetts; Information Systems; Cancer
Abstract: Public health students still learn the landmark story of how John Snow mapped the London homes hit by the 1854 cholera epidemic against the locations of drinking water wells and saw that affected families clustered near a particular water supply. Based on this observation, the city shut off the well and ended the epidemic.
The Silent Spring Institute Health and Environmental Information System (HEIS) translates Snow’s insight into twenty-first century computer mapping technology to look for relationships between environmental pollutants and disease with the goal of finding clues to prevention. Mapping also helps identify areas where health or environmental problems are most significant and assesses environmental injustice -- the uneven distribution of environmental burdens.
The Health and Environment Information System will enable policymakers, researchers, and the public to map health and environmental information about communities in Massachusetts. Users will be able to select from pre-made maps or create their own, print and save maps for future use, query the data, or follow personalized links to the Institute’s original research or external health and environment websites. Carefully researched links to scientific and news sources like PubMed and MedlinePlus provide up-to-the-minute information to contextualize the maps -- for example, information on health effects of certain chemicals, pollution sources in the user’s area, or listings of the latest scientific studies in a specified topic area. For technical users, HEIS will provide access to download or interactively access the geographic information systems (GIS) data and its related metadata via ArcIMS web services. One of the first publicly available sites of its kind, the tool represents an important step in increasing access to essential health and environmental information, as well as sharing the Institute’s own groundbreaking research.
WWW:
http://www.silentspring.org/newweb/research/MassHEIS_Brochure_website.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 May 02 2008