Greenlist(tm) Bulletin 05/20/05
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:
- REACH Threatens Few Key Chemicals, According to Industry-Funded Study. May 2005
- Cleaner Production and Sustainability. March 2005
- Recovery (Not Recycling) System Can Reduce Amount of Dry Lubricant Waste. May 2005
- Ambient Air Pollution and Atherosclerosis in Los Angeles. February 2005
- A Single Tool to Manage Process-Safety, Health and Environmental Programs. January 2005
- Automakers' Sustainable Plastics Use Not a Pretty Picture. May 2005
- Insulation: Thermal Performance is Just the Beginning. January 2005
- Climate Commitments Create New Challenges. May 2005
- Antimicrobial Functions for Synthetic Fibers: Recent Developments. April 2005
- Ashland Unveils New Ultrasonic Water Treatment. February 2005
1. TITLE Reach Threatens Few Key Chemicals, According to Industry-Funded Study
AUTHOR Scott, Alex
SOURCE Chemical Week, v167 n15, May 4, 2005, p15
ABSTRACT Few chemicals that are "critically" important to downstream industries will be vulnerable to removal from the market as a result of the European Union's (EU) proposed Registration, Evaluation, and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) legislation, according to a recent study by consulting firm KPMG. The findings of the study suggest that REACH may not be as burdensome as the chemical industry had at first feared, observers say. The study was funded by European employers' association Unice and Cefic, and was monitored by the European Commission. According to the study, about 17 percent of all substances evaluated were found to be vulnerable, and almost all of the vulnerable substances are produced in relatively low volumes of 1 m.t.- 100 m.t. per year.
2. TITLE Cleaner Production and Sustainability
AUTHOR Kjaerheim, Gudolf
SOURCE Journal of Cleaner Production, March 2005, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 329-339ABSTRACT This paper describes the Norwegian method for Cleaner Production (CP) as well as results and experiences from its use over more than 12 years. Quantifiable results in terms of reduced wastes and emissions and improved material and energy efficiencies have been documented by many authors. Many countries as a strategy for improving environmental performance have also adopted the CP concept. This paper focuses on the intangible benefits and human factors derived from CP projects, how the present CP model may be improved and present ideas on how the CP concept can be expanded to more directly address the needs of developing countries. Improvements to the present CP model should include means for ensuring sustainability of the local CP center and its activities and financial mechanisms to facilitate affordable environmental investments. The expansion of the basic CP concept should include modules that more directly address the challenges of creating job opportunities, eradicating poverty, protecting public health and improving safety. CP should no longer be viewed as a stand-alone option but be integrated in all business development activities to improve quality of life. The authors also encourage the development of a holistic view to include "greening of the supply chain", recycling of materials and applying an LCA philosophy in product development.
3. TITLE Recovery (Not Recycling) System Can Reduce Amount of Dry Lubricant Waste
SOURCE Wire Journal, v.38 n.5, May 2005, p.39
ABSTRACT Spent die box lubricant has long been considered a "waste", but a New Zealand company, Envirotec Consultancy, reports that much of it is still good and can be recovered by a new separation process for re-use. According to Powder-Tech International, the company that markets the system, customers have found purchased lubricant costs and disposal costs drop by more than 50 percent with longer die life as well.
4. TITLE Ambient Air Pollution and Atherosclerosis in Los Angeles
AUTHOR Kunzli, Nino; Jerrett, Michael; Mack, Wendy J.; Beckerman, Bernardo; LaBree, Laurie; Gilliland, Frank; Thomas, Duncan; Peter, John; Hodis, Howard N.
SOURCE Environmental Health Perspectives, February 2005, vol. 113, no. 2, pp. 201-206
ABSTRACT Associations have been found between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The contribution of air pollution to atherosclerosis that underlies many cardiovascular diseases has not been investigated. Animal data suggest that ambient particulate matter (PM) may contribute to atherogenesis. We used data on 798 participants from two clinical trials to investigate the association between atherosclerosis and long-term exposure to ambient PM up to 2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5). Baseline data included assessment of the carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), a measure of subclinical atherosclerosis. We geocoded subjects' residential areas to assign annual mean concentrations of ambient PM2.5. Exposure values were assigned from a PM2.5 surface derived from a geostatistical model. Individually assigned annual mean PM2.5 concentrations ranged from 5.2 to 26.9 µg/m3 (mean, 20.3). For a cross-sectional exposure contrast of 10 µg/m3 PM2.5, CIMT increased by 5.9% (95% confidence interval, 1-11%). Adjustment for age reduced the coefficients, but further adjustment for covariates indicated robust estimates in the range of 3.9-4.3% (p-values, 0.05-0.1). Among older subjects (greater than or equal to 60 years of age), women, never smokers, and those reporting lipid-lowering treatment at baseline, the associations of PM2.5 and CIMT were larger with the strongest associations in women greater than or equal to 60 years of age (15.7%, 5.7-26.6%). These results represent the first epidemiologic evidence of an association between atherosclerosis and ambient air pollution. Given the leading role of cardiovascular disease as a cause of death and the large populations exposed to ambient PM2.5, these findings may be important and need further confirmation.
5. TITLE A Single Tool to Manage Process-Safety, Health and Environmental Programs
SOURCE Chemical Engineering, v.112 n.1, January 2005, p.15
ABSTRACT A Houston, Texas firm has developed a software tool to cross-correlate a company's health, safety and environmental policies and procedures with the requirements of the various regulations and standards, including those of OSHA, EPA, and ISO. The tool is a modular database that correlates each of the separate regulations or standards with company procedures, at the paragraph level.
6. TITLE Automakers' Sustainable Plastics Use Not a Pretty Picture
AUTHOR Moore, Stephen
SOURCE Modern Plastics Worldwide, v.82 no.5, May 2005, p.66
ABSTRACT Although a recent report shows that no one carmaker turned in particularly strong grades for sustainable plastics use, U.S. automakers received nearly failing grades in the use of recyclable, "safe" plastics in vehicles. This is according to a 56-page report released by the Ann Arbor, Michigan based Ecology Center, in collaboration with NGO Clean Production Action. The top six-selling automakers in the U.S. were graded on their commitment to the use of environmentally friendly plastics. The report finds that all of the automakers still rely heavily on “petrochemical-based plastics,” citing PVC as a prime example of an unsustainable plastic.
7. TITLE Insulation: Thermal Performance is Just the Beginning
AUTHOR Wilson, Alex
SOURCE Environmental Building News, January 2005, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 1, 11-18
ABSTRACT Includes a section on Life-Cycle Consideration with Insulation Materials. It examines the four primary life-cycle stages of any building material: raw materials acquisition; manufacturing; the use phase, including indoor air quality concerns; and end-of-life disposal and recyclability. In each of these life-cycle stages it highlights key differences among insulation materials and discusses recent developments. Summaries of the key life-cycle considerations are presented by insulation material.
8. TITLE Climate Commitments Create New Challenges
AUTHOR Miner, Reid
SOURCE Solutions!, v.88 n.05, May 2005, pp. 27-30
ABSTRACT On February 16, 2005 the Kyoto Protocol came into force. As a result, all of the nations of the developed world -- except the United States, Australia, Liechtenstein, and Monaco -- now have binding targets on greenhouse gas emissions. The implications for the forest products industry are still unfolding , but it is already clear that the impacts will vary from one country to another. The differences reflect the varying stringency of national targets, the assortment of approaches being used to meet national targets, and the allocation of emissions (mostly carbon dioxide) under each national program. The pre-2004 members of the European Union (the EU-15) have developed a "burden sharing agreement" that allocates the reductions needed to lower emissions to the EU-15 Kyoto Protocol target -- 8 percent below 1990 emission levels. Countries plan to meet their burden sharing reduction targets with a combination of public policies, emission limits, emission trading within the expanded EU (the EU-25) and credits purchased from other parts of the world.
9. TITLE Antimicrobial Functions for Synthetic Fibers: Recent Developments
AUTHOR Williams, Jeffrey; Vanson Halosource Inc.; Cho, Unchin
SOURCE AATCC Review, v.5 n.4, April 2005, pp.17-21
ABSTRACT New reasons are developing for integrating antimicrobial properties into synthetic fibers in addition to conventional reasons such as odor control. Some derive from concerns about disease breakouts and others from convincing evidence of the long-term persistence of microbes on environmental surfaces, including textiles. However, despite the popularity of one of the antimicrobials --triclosan-- considerable controversy surrounds the compound. There is apparently recent evidence of increased resistance to triclosan in some hospitals where products containing this compound are widely used. How or whether these findings will eventually impact triclosan use in fabrics is not obvious, but we can expect continued focus on the issue as the health care problem of antibiotic resistance escalates in the coming years.
10. TITLE Ashland Unveils New Ultrasonic Water Treatment
AUTHOR Lerner, Ivan
SOURCE Chemical Market Reporter, v.267 n.9, February 28, 2005, p.12
ABSTRACT Over the past decade, there has been a growing market need to lower the environmental impact of industrial water treatment systems by reducing the use of chemical microbiocides. Nonchemical alternatives such as filtration or UV irradiation exist, but their efficiency is limited by the need to pass water through a mechanical device. Now Ashland Specialty Chemicals has introduced a new technology, Sonoxide, that surmounts the problem. The key is ultrasonic energy, which can be used to induce a fatal metabolic stress in microorganisms.
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