Greenlist(tm) Bulletin 08/08/2008
This is the weekly bulletin of the TURI Library at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Greenlist Bulletin provides previews of recent publications and websites relevant to reducing the use of toxic chemicals by industries, businesses, communities, individuals and government. 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:
- EU promotes sustainable products and technologies: a package of actions for sustainable consumption, production and industry
- New flame retardants detected in indoor and outdoor environments
- Cummin filtration introduces environmentally friendly glycerin coolant
- Study Reveals Use of Cleaning Products During Pregnancy Increases Risk of Asthma in Young Children
- Cintas Transitions to NPE-Free Detergents
- Nano-foods: the next consumer scare?
- Soy foam provides comfort to the furniture industry
- Agency: chemicals a danger to salmon
1. EU promotes sustainable products and technologies: a package of actions for sustainable consumption, production and industry
Source: European Commission, July 16, 2008
Improving the environmental performance and in particular the energy efficiency of products and stimulating their market uptake are the core objectives of a package put forward by the European Commission today. It sets out a series of voluntary and obligatory actions to support a coherent and dynamic policy in the EU and internationally, helping to define eco-friendly products, informing the consumer through improved labelling and supporting their purchase through public procurement and fiscal incentives. The Action Plan on Sustainable Consumption and Production and Sustainable Industrial Policy details the planned actions: eco-design standards for a wider range of products, improved energy and environmental labelling, incentives rewarding eco-friendly products, green public procurement, work with retailers and consumers, support to eco-innovation and environmental industries; action to promote sustainable industry and production internationally.
2. New flame retardants detected in indoor and outdoor environments
Source: American Chemical Society, August 6, 2008
Author: Kellyn Betts
New research published in Environmental Science & Technology presents the first evidence that a widely used flame retardant introduced as a replacement for the persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic Penta-BDE retardant formulation is present in dust found in North American homes. Coupled with indications that the retardant is also entering the outdoor environment, the research raises questions about its safety.
Heather Stapleton of Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences and her colleagues set out to determine whether household dust contains flame retardants that can be used in place of Penta-BDE, which was banned in the EU and discontinued in the U.S. in 2004. By using gas chromatography and electron capture negative ion mass spectrometry, the researchers detected four brominated compounds in dust collected from 19 Boston-area homes. Three of the compounds—bis(2,4,6,-tribromophenoxy)ethane (known as BTBPE), decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD)—were familiar flame retardants, but the fourth was a mystery.
Over the course of the next 8 months, Stapleton and her colleagues identified the unknown compound as (2-ethylhexyl) tetrabromophthalate (TBPH) and verified the presence of 2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate (TBB) in the dust samples. These two compounds are the active ingredients in the Firemaster 550 flame retardant made by Chemtura Corp. However, TBPH is also used as a flame retardant in other products.
A written statement from Chemtura says independent testing of Firemaster 550 showed that it had “a better environmental profile [than Penta-BDE and met] the U.S. EPA’s toxicological requirements.” The company “believes that new and alternative flame retardants should be shown to be safer for the environment and human health than those they are intended to replace,” and it continues “to conduct additional toxicology and exposure testing that will be shared with the EPA.”
3. Cummin filtration introduces environmentally friendly glycerin coolant
Source: Automotive Business Review, July 7, 2008
Cummins Filtration, a provider of filtration, exhaust, coolant and fuel additive technology for all engine-powered systems, has released Fleetguard ES Compleat Glycerin, a heavy duty engine antifreeze/coolant using non-toxic glycerin in lieu of traditional ethylene glycol or propylene glycol.
Cummins Filtration claims that it has conducted testing and field trials to approve glycerin as the base for this new coolant. All tests confirmed that ES Compleat Glycerin prediluted coolant provides the anti-freeze, anti-boil, heat transfer and corrosion protection required of today's fully formulated, heavy duty antifreeze/coolant. The new formula also meets the performance specifications of all heavy duty engine OEMs, including Cummins CES 14603.
4. Study Reveals Use of Cleaning Products During Pregnancy Increases Risk of Asthma in Young Children
Source: Brunel University, August 6, 2008
Women who use a lot of household cleaning products when they are pregnant, or shortly after giving birth, are increasing their child’s risk of developing asthma. That’s according to the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents of Children (ALSPAC, also known as Children of the Nineties), that recruited over 13,000 children from before birth and has followed them to post 16.
The findings indicated that early life exposure to the chemicals contained in household cleaning products was linked to a 41% increase in a child’s chances of developing asthma by the age of 7 years. During the study, a large number of other factors known to affect the onset of asthma, such as family history, were accounted for. The results thus present a possible mechanism for the ‘hygiene hypothesis’, which suggests that children brought up with low exposure to bacteria and dust in the home in their early years are less likely to build an immunity to asthma later in life.
Dr. Alexandra Farrow, Reader at Brunel University’s School of Health Sciences and Social Care and a member of the ALSPAC research team, explains: “Previous research has shown that a child’s risk of developing asthma is lower if he or she is exposed to bacteria or bacterial products (endotoxins) in early life (‘hygiene hypothesis’), probably because it assists in the development of a child’s immune system. However, our research suggests that one possible mechanism for this hypothesis may involve the chemicals found in domestic cleaning products. These chemicals have been linked to increased risk of asthma with additional evidence from studies of workers who have exposure to cleaning chemicals”.
5. Cintas Transitions to NPE-Free Detergents
Source: MarketWatch, July 28, 2008
Cintas Corporation, in conjunction with Washing Systems, LLC (WSI) announced today it has become the first major industrial launderer to transition company-wide from a Nonylphenol Ethoxylate (NPE) - based detergent to a new, more environmentally friendly detergent for use in its industrial laundry facilities. With more than 175 facilities in North America, Cintas has begun the transition in several of its locations and plans to be completely NPE-free by the end of 2008.
Benefits of the NPE-free detergent include:
- Energy Conservation: NPE-free detergents use plant oil derivatives, a renewable resource that decreases the global dependence on fossil fuels.
- Environmental Protection: NPE-free detergents use biodegradable surfactants, less toxic byproducts and solvents that do not pollute the air. The ability to biodegrade faster relieves stress on the environment.
- Worker/Consumer Safety: The NPE-free detergent has a mild pH, low volatility and low combustibility, which further ensure a safe workplace.
Eclipse, the WSI product being introduced at Cintas facilities, uses surfactants endorsed by CleanGredients, an EPA program that endorses products with positive environmental characteristics.
6. Nano-foods: the next consumer scare?
Source: Reuters, July 30, 2008
Author: Barbara Liston
Those consumers already worried about genetically engineered or cloned food reaching their tables may soon find something else in their grocery carts to furrow their brows over -- nano-foods.
Consumer advocates taking part in a food safety conference in Orlando, Florida, this week said food produced by using nanotechnology is quietly coming onto the market, and they want U.S. authorities to force manufacturers to identify them.
Nanotechnology involves the design and manipulation of materials on molecular scales, smaller than the width of a human hair and invisible to the naked eye. Companies using nanotechnology say it can enhance the flavor or nutritional effectiveness of food.
U.S. health officials generally prefer not to place warning labels on products unless there are clear reasons for caution or concern. But consumer advocates say uncertainty over health consequences alone is sufficient cause to justify identifying nano-foods.
New consumer products created through nanotechnology are coming on the market at the rate of 3 to 4 per week, according to an advocacy group, The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN), based on an inventory it has drawn up of 609 known or claimed nano-products.
On PEN's list are three foods -- a brand of canola cooking oil called Canola Active Oil, a tea called Nanotea and a chocolate diet shake called Nanoceuticals Slim Shake Chocolate.
According to company information posted on PEN's Web site, the canola oil, by Shemen Industries of Israel, contains an additive called "nanodrops" designed to carry vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals through the digestive system.
The shake, according to U.S. manufacturer RBC Life Sciences Inc., uses cocoa infused "NanoClusters" to enhance the taste and health benefits of cocoa without the need for extra sugar.
7. Soy foam provides comfort to the furniture industry
Source: Biobased Solutions, July 2008
For consumers seeking new and innovative ways to go green, the soy-based furniture industry offers a variety of eco-friendly products including items like sofas, mattresses and recliners. The United Soybean Board (USB) and soybean checkoff supported the initial research on soy polyols resulting in the development of applications by industry such as furniture.
Producing soy-based furniture starts by creating polyols, which serve as one of the primary ingredients in the flexible foam that is found in the cushioning. Manufacturers used to rely on petroleum-based polyols when creating this flexible foam. In recent years, however, companies like Cargill are replacing these petrochemicals with soybean-based polyols.
Cargill’s BiOH® polyols, the first of their kind to become available, are now equitable in quality to the petroleum-based polyols. These BiOH polyols yield consistent, high-quality foam and require less non-renewable energy, resulting in less global-warming emissions than petroleum-based polyols.
This foam was first tested by Hickory Springs, a supplier of furniture components, and one of Cargill’s initial partners when Cargill first entered the global market for bio-based polyols.
8. Agency: chemicals a danger to salmon
Source: The Register-Guard, August 6, 2008
Author: Susan Palmer
Three insecticides in common use around Oregon homes and farms pose a serious threat to endangered salmon and have been found extensively in Oregon watersheds.
The insecticides chlorpyrifos, malathion and diazinon — as they have been commonly used — are likely to lead to the extinction of more than two dozen salmon or steelhead runs in California, Oregon and Washington, according to a draft biological opinion by the National Marine Fisheries Service, the federal agency that functions as a watchdog for ocean-going species.
The agency issued that opinion in response to a request by the Environmental Protection Agency, which periodically reviews pesticide use and revises when, where and how the products may be applied.
The insecticides kill a range of bugs from fruit flies and aphids that plague orchards and nurseries to mosquitoes that harass people.
Known as organophosphates, the three chemicals have been found most recently in the Clackamas River or some tributaries in amounts that exceed either federal or state benchmarks for aquatic life health, according to research by U.S. Geological Survey scientists. The amount of the pesticides detected can vary wildly, with more probably after storms.
Diazinon also has been found in California rainwater sampled in agricultural areas. Malathion is the only one of the three currently available for use by homeowners for garden pests.
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 August 08 2008