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Greenlist(tm) Bulletin 01/28/05

Greenlist(tm) Bulletin 01/28/05

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. (usually)

Titles here, abstracts below them:

1. The Ugly Side of Beauty Products, January 2005
2. EU Bans Phthalates in Toys, January 2005
3. Environmental Roots of Asthma, January 2005
4. A Whiff of Danger: Synthetic Musks May Encourage Toxic Bioaccumulation, January 2005
5. FDA Proposes Dropping Use of CFCs in Albuterol Inhalers, June 2004
6. Nanocatalysts: Something Old or New?, September 2004
7. BASF Touts Innovative Energy Conservation Methods, November 2004
8. Cheap Solar Energy, February 2004
9. EWG Asks EPA to Look Into DuPont PFOA Study, November 2004
10. EMS Improvement Through Effective Delegation of Environmental Responsibilities, Winter 2004

1. TITLE The Ugly Side of Beauty Products
AUTHOR Barrett, Julia R.
SOURCE Environmental Health Perspectives, January 2005, vol. 113, no. 1, p. A24
ABSTRACT In recent decades reproductive and developmental problems have become more prevalent - for example, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that male reproductive problems, including undescended testicles and hypospadias, doubled between 1970 and 1993. Environmental chemicals are strongly suspected to be contributing factors. Several recent reports highlight the presence of low-level concentrations of potential reproductive or developmental toxicants, particularly phthalates, in cosmetics and personal care products. A key question is whether these exposures are significant enough to cause harm.

2. TITLE EU Bans Phthalates in Toys
AUTHOR Dooley, Erin E.
SOURCE Environmental Health Perspectives, January 2005, vol. 113, no. 1, p. A25
ABSTRACT In September 2004 the European Competitiveness Council voted to ban three phthalates from all products intended for children and to prohibit the use of three others specifically in toys and other items intended to be chewed or sucked by very young children. These chemicals, which are used to soften vinyl plastic, have been linked with reproductive and liver effects, and are known to leach from products that contain them. More than 900 tons of phthalates are produced each year. Once the measure has been adopted formally by the council it will be sent to the European Parliament for a second reading. The European Commission will be charged with overseeing the implementation of the ban.

3. TITLE Environmental Roots of Asthma
AUTHOR Mead, M. Nathaniel
SOURCE Environmental Health Perspectives, January 2005, vol. 113, no. 1, pp. A32-A33
ABSTRACT From 1980 to 1999, the number of US doctor's office visits for asthma jumped from about 6 million to nearly 12 million, according to data from the CDC, and the WHO estimates cases worldwide at 100-150 million. Epidemiologic studies have linked the disease to a plethora of modern lifestyle factors, but the traditional focus has been on heredity and a few identifiable triggers such as animal dander, fungi, ozone, and pollens. At an October 2004 symposium titled Environmental Influences on the Induction and Incidence of Asthma, cosponsored by the NIEHS and the US EPA, presenters reviewed the scientific evidence for a wider expanse of predisposing factors, including environmental tobacco smoke exposure, obesity, dietary fat intake, oxidative stress, and in utero xenobiotic exposures. The emerging array of dynamic interactions between genes, allergens, and pollutants all point to a complex profile of susceptibility and to new possibilities for public health intervention.

4. TITLE A Whiff of Danger: Synthetic Musks May Encourage Toxic Bioaccumulation
AUTHOR Washam, Cynthia
SOURCE Environmental Health Perspectives, January 2005, vol. 113, no. 1, p. A50
ABSTRACT A class of widely used fragrances that are considered nontoxic may pose a hidden threat to human health by enhancing the effects of compounds are ARE toxic - a paradox discovered by Stanford University researchers Till Luckenbach and David Epel in a recent study of synthetic musk compounds.

5. TITLE FDA Proposes Dropping Use of CFCs in Albuterol Inhalers
SOURCE Chemical & Engineering News, June 21, 2004, vol. 82, no. 25, p. 20
ABSTRACT FDA has proposed removing chlorofluorocarbons used as propellants in albuterol metered-dose inhalers from the essential-use exemptions listed under the global treaty to protect the ozone layer. Now an alternative propellant, the hydrofluoroalkane HFA-134a, which does not deplete ozone, is available.

6. TITLE Nanocatalysts: Something Old or New?
AUTHOR Jacoby, Mitch
SOURCE Chemical & Engineering News, September 27, 2004, vol. 82, no. 39, pp. 25-26
ABSTRACT Quiz a dozen catalysis researchers about the role of nanotechnology in catalysis and at least a few of them are sure to roll their eyes. One reason for the disdain expressed by some scientists for terms such as nanotechnology and other oft-used nano words is that while the nanometer scale may represent new and exciting territory for many areas of science, in heterogeneous catalysis it's old hat. Industry has been carrying out some chemical transformations on nanosized particles for decades.

7. TITLE BASF Touts Innovative Energy Conservation Methods
AUTHOR Milmo, Sean
SOURCE Chemical Market Reporter, November 1, 2004, Vol. 266, No. 16, pp. 4, 29
ABSTRACT Rising Energy prices and the likelihood that they will remain high for the near future are forcing the chemical industry to step up efforts to reduce energy costs. At the same time, high prices are creating opportunities for chemical companies to help customers and consumers be more energy efficient. Examples of innovations include fuel cell components, supercapacitors to supplement batteries, the direct conversion of thermal energy into electricity, and above all, the development of energy-saving catalysts.

8. TITLE Cheap Solar Energy
AUTHOR Betts, Kellyn
SOURCE Environmental Science & Technology, February 15, 2004, vol. 38, no. 4, p. 70A
ABSTRACT The world’s largest solar dish has the potential to generate energy for about 5 cents (U.S.) per kilowatt hour (kWh), according to David Faiman, director of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s National Solar Energy Center in Israel, where the dish has been built. In comparison, solar electricity generally costs around 30 cents per kWh, according to Solarbuzz, Inc., an international solar energy research and consulting company.

9. TITLE EWG Asks EPA to Look Into DuPont PFOA Study
SOURCE Chemical Week, November 24, 2004, vol. 166, no. 39, p. 4
ABSTRACT The Environmental Working Group asked EPA last week to investigate an alleged reporting violation by DuPont involving levels of perfluorooctanoate acid (PFOA) in blood samples taken from people living near DuPont's Parkersburg, WV plant. EWG says that the company should have notified EPA of a DuPont-commissioned study showing that levels of PFOA in the blood are 12 times higher in people living near the plant than in the average US population. The Toxic Substances Control Act Requires companies notify EPA when it has information that could significantly impact human health. EWG's November 17 letter to EPA administrator Mike Leavitt says that DuPont is continuing to hide critical health information about PFOA even while it is under investigation to related reporting violations. DuPont says it is supplying EPA with all the appropriate information regarding PFOA.

10. TITLE EMS Improvement Through Effective Delegation of Environmental Responsibilities
AUTHOR Giles, Franklin
SOURCE Environmental Quality Management, Winter 2004, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 29-37
ABSTRACT This article discusses an approach to reliably delegating environmental responsibilities throughout an organization. It focuses on how to promote effective delegation of environmental tasks by assigning them to parts of the organization that already do similar work.

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