Greenlist(tm) Bulletin 05/16/2008
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:
- Enviro-Health Links: Mercury and Human Health
- Advanced energy design guides free download
- FDA defends safety of baby bottle chemical
- Innovation in emerging markets: 2008 annual study
- Nanowires may boost solar cell efficiency
- Largest global study of consumer response to climate change puts the onus on brands
- Investigation report: confined vapor cloud explosion (10 injured, and 24 houses and six businesses destroyed). CAI, Inc. and Arnel Company, Inc. Danvers, Massachusetts. November 22, 2006
- Chemical in gum toxic? Maybe, Ottawa says
- Does being ethical pay?
- Chemical cuisine: a guide to food additives
1. Enviro-Health Links: Mercury and Human Health
Source: National Library of Medicine. Specialized Information Services., 2008
Abstract: The objective of Enviro-Health Links is to give users a comprehensive review of topics in environmental health and toxicology. Much of its information comes from National Library of Medicine (NLM) resources. This bibliorgaphy is a compilation of selected links to Internet resources on mercury and human health.
WWW: http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/mercury.html
2. Advanced energy design guides free download
Source: ASHRAE, 2008
Abstract: The Advanced Energy Design Guide series provides a sensible approach to easily achieve advanced levels of energy savings without having to resort to detailed calculations or analysis. The four-color guides offer contractors and designers the tools, including recommendations for practical products and off-the-shelf technology, needed for achieving a 30% energy savings compared to buildings that meet the minimum requirements of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-1999. The energy savings target of 30% is the first step in the process toward achieving a net-zero energy building, which is defined as a building that, on an annual basis, draws from outside resources equal or less energy than it provides using on-site renewable energy sources.
These guides have been developed through the collaboration of ASHRAE, the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA), and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), with support from the Department of Energy (DOE), to help meet all of an owner’s energy performance requirements. In an effort to promote building energy efficiency, ASHRAE and its partners have made these guides available for download (PDF) at no charge.
WWW: http://www.ashrae.org/publications/page/1604
3. FDA defends safety of baby bottle chemical
Author: Dunham, Will
Source: Reuters, May 15, 2008
Abstract: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday said it sees no reason to tell consumers to stop using products such as baby bottles made with a controversial chemical found in many plastic items.
Norris Alderson, the FDA's associate commissioner for science, said although the regulatory agency is reviewing safety concerns about the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, "a large body of available evidence" shows that products such as liquid or food containers made with it are safe.
In testimony before a Senate subcommittee, Alderson also defended the FDA's reliance on two industry-funded studies in determining that products containing BPA are safe.
WWW: http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/
idUSN1342348720080515?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
4. Innovation in emerging markets: 2008 annual study
Source: Deloitte, 2008
Abstract: A spate of high-profile product recalls involving emerging market suppliers has made product safety and product quality top issues for manufacturing companies. Also, in response to a rising “green” consciousness among consumers, global manufacturers are paying more attention to the potential environmental impact of their production processes.
The “Innovation in emerging markets: 2008 annual study” by Deloitte’s Global Manufacturing Industry Group explores how manufacturers from developed and developing countries view product safety, product quality and environmental standards in emerging markets and how they are managing their exposure to risk stemming from sourcing from these markets.
WWW: http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/cda/doc/content/
dtt_innovationinemergingmarkets_2008annualstudy.pdf
5. Nanowires may boost solar cell efficiency
Source: University of California San Diego, May 13, 2008
Abstract: University of California, San Diego electrical engineers have created experimental solar cells spiked with nanowires that could lead to highly efficient thin-film solar cells of the future.
Indium phosphide (InP) nanowires can serve as electron superhighways that carry electrons kicked loose by photons of light directly to the device’s electron-attracting electrode – and this scenario could boost thin-film solar cell efficiency, according to research recently published in NanoLetters.
The new design increases the number of electrons that make it from the light-absorbing polymer to an electrode. By reducing electron-hole recombination, the UC San Diego engineers have demonstrated a way to increases the efficiency with which sunlight can be converted to electricity in thin-film photovoltaics.
WWW: http://www.jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/news/news_releases/release.sfe?id=735
6. Largest global study of consumer response to climate change puts the onus on brands
Source: HAVAS Media, May 12, 2008
Abstract: Consumers are calling on brands to take responsibility for reducing the impact of climate change as governments fail to make progress on the critical issue, according to a major global study launched today by Havas Media.
In two-thirds of the markets researched (UK, US, Mexico, Brazil, Germany and France) people felt more strongly that companies and their brands should be finding solutions compared to the government.
The research paints a picture of a world that has given up on its elected leaders’ abilities to combat the problem, with only 11% of all respondents agreeing strongly that their governments are doing enough to arrest climate change.
This leadership vacuum presents a clear opportunity for companies and their brands to step in and take a wider role in addressing climate change. All markets express a clear desire to see more ecologically responsible brands and believe multinationals can, and should, make a positive impact on the issue. Consumers, however, are still very confused about the issue of climate change and look to brands for clearer communication on the issue.
Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of who is credibly making changes and who is not, despite green stereotypes associated with different sectors. The result: green marketing strategies and good environmental practices are no longer a “nice to have” for brands, but increasingly a “must have” in terms of not only maintaining brand image but also in maintaining market share.
WWW: http://www.havasmedia.com/downfiles/climate_change.pdf
7. Investigation report: confined vapor cloud explosion (10 injured, and 24 houses and six businesses destroyed). CAI, Inc. and Arnel Company, Inc. Danvers, Massachusetts. November 22, 2006
Source: U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), 2008
Abstract: A massive explosion and fire at the CAI/Arnel ink and paint products manufacturing facility in November 2006 occurred because CAI lacked safeguards such as alarms and automatic shutoffs that would have prevented a 10,000-pound mixture of flammable solvents from overheating in the unattended building, investigators from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) said in a final draft report made public today.
Steam heat to the mixing tank was most likely inadvertently left on by an operator before he left for the day. As the temperature increased, vapor escaped from the mixing tank, built up in the unventilated building, ignited, and exploded.
CSB investigators said that ink manufacturer CAI did not follow regulations or appropriate good practices for the handling of flammable solvents, and the CSB report proposes changes to national fire codes and to state licensing and inspection procedures to improve the safety and oversight of facilities handling hazardous materials.
Investigators said that on the night of the accident, ink base materials - including a volatile mixture of heptane and propyl alcohol - continued to heat and then boil after all the employees left work late in the afternoon. The heating was controlled by a single, manual valve that needed to be closed by an operator to prevent the 3,000-gallon tank from overheating.
The building ventilation system was turned off at the end of the workday - a routine procedure - and vapor coming out of the unsealed tank spread throughout the production area and then ignited from an undetermined source, possibly a spark from an electrical device. The explosion occurred at approximately 2:46 a.m. on November 22, 2006.
The blast ripped through the adjacent Danversport neighborhood, waking sleeping residents as windows were blown into bedrooms and shattered, ceilings fell, and belongings and appliances flew about. The blast wave damaged scores of homes. At least 16 homes and three businesses were damaged beyond repair, and approximately ten residents required hospital treatment for cuts and bruises. The fire department ordered the evacuation of more than 300 residents within a half-mile radius of the facility.
"The community damage was the worst we have seen in the ten-year history of the Chemical Safety Board," said CSB Board Member William Wright, who accompanied the investigative team to the accident site. "As others have noted, this explosion had a serious potential for life-threatening injuries and fatalities."
The facility, shared by ink manufacturer CAI and paint manufacturer Arnel, was completely destroyed by the explosion and ensuing fire and has not been rebuilt. Arnel ceased operations, while CAI continues to produce water-based inks at a facility in Georgetown, Massachusetts.
WWW: http://www.csb.gov/completed_investigations/docs/CSBFinalReportCAIExplosion.pdf
8. Chemical in gum toxic? Maybe, Ottawa says
Author: Rennie, Steve
Source: TheStar.com, May 12, 2008
Abstract: The Canadian government is considering declaring a substance used to make chewing gum as toxic after tests on the colourless liquid with a sweet, fruity smell linked it to cancer in lab rats.
Vinyl acetate is one of 17 substances Health Canada could recommend be deemed toxic in a draft report to be published May 17. The substance itself is not a direct ingredient in chewing gum. But vinyl acetate is used to make the polymer that's used as a base in gum. It's also found in a host of other products, such as perfumes, paints and plastics.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organization's cancer research arm, has found some evidence vinyl acetate may have caused nasal tumours in lab rats. There has been no link demonstrated between vinyl acetate and cancer in humans. Vincent Cogliano, head of the IARC program that identifies environmental factors that can raise the risk of human cancer, says trace amounts of vinyl acetate could make it into polyvinyl acetate, the chewing-gum ingredient. But even if there were any amount of vinyl acetate in gum, it would be far less than the levels linked to cancer in the lab rats.
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/424607
9. Does being ethical pay?
Author: Trudel, Remi; Cotte, June
Source: The Wall Street Journal, May 12, 2008
Abstract: For corporations, social responsibility has become a big business. Companies spend billions of dollars doing good works -- everything from boosting diversity in their ranks to developing eco-friendly technology -- and then trumpeting those efforts to the public.
But does it pay off?
Many companies hope consumers will pay a premium for products made with higher ethical standards. But most companies plunge in without testing that assumption or some other crucial questions. Will buyers actually reward good corporate behavior by paying more for products -- and will they punish irresponsible behavior by paying less? If so, how much? And just how far does a company really need to go to win people over?
To find out, we conducted a series of experiments. We showed consumers the same products -- coffee and T-shirts -- but told one group the items had been made using high ethical standards and another group that low standards had been used. A control group got no information.
In all of our tests, consumers were willing to pay a slight premium for the ethically made goods. But they went much further in the other direction: They would buy unethically made products only at a steep discount.
What's more, consumer attitudes played a big part in shaping those results. People with high standards for corporate behavior rewarded the ethical companies with bigger premiums and punished the unethical ones with bigger discounts.
Finally, we discovered that companies don't necessarily need to go all-out with social responsibility to win over consumers. If a company invests in even a small degree of ethical production, buyers will reward it just as much as a company that goes much further in its efforts.
WWW: http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB121018735490274425.html
10. Chemical cuisine: a guide to food additives
Source: Center for Science in the Public Interest Nutrition Action Health Letter, May 2008
Abstract: Is calcium stearoyl lactylate safe? Which food coloring is made from the bodies of dried, pulverized insects? Is aspartame the safest artificial sweetener? Or is it sucralose?
Food additives thicken our salad dressings, prevent our sliced ham from turning gray, make our microwave popcorn smack of butter, and sweeten our diet sodas. They also make dried apple bits taste like peaches adn sugar water look like fruit juice.
While most food additives are safe, some haven't been adequately tested. And a few could be dangerous.
Our Chemical Cuisine guide tells you which are which.
WWW: http://www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/additives.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 16 2008