Greenlist(tm) Bulletin 12/09/2005
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.
- Chemical Used in Food Containers Disrupts Brain
Development. December 2005
- Soft Launch for China RoHS in July. December 2005
- The Paradox of Green Retail. August 2005
- New Resins for High-Solids Formulations. October 2005
- It's in the Microwave Popcorn, Not the Teflon Pan. November 2005
- UN Climate Conference Finalizes 'Rule Book' on Reducing Greenhouse Gases. November 2005
- Design for Cleanability. September 2005
- Costs and Benefits of Clear Skies: EPA's Analysis of Multi-Pollutant Clean Air Bills. November 2005
- Perinatal Immunotoxicity: Why Adult Exposure- Assessment
Fails To Predict Risk? November 2005
1. Chemical Used in Food Containers Disrupts Brain Development
SOURCE University of Cincinnati, as reported in Science Daily, www.sciencedaily.com, December 3, 2005
ABSTRACT The chemical bisphenol A (BPA), widely used in
products such as food cans, milk container linings, water pipes and even dental
sealants, has now been found to disrupt important effects of estrogen in the
developing brain. A University of
Cincinnati (UC) research team, headed by Scott Belcher, PhD, reports in two
articles in the December 2005 edition of the journal Endocrinology that BPA
shows negative effects in brain tissue "at surprisingly low
doses." Long known to act as an
artificial estrogen, the primary hormone involved in female sexual development,
BPA has already been shown to increase breast cancer cell growth, and in the
January 2005 edition of the journal Cancer Research, another UC research team
reported that it increased the growth of some prostate cancer cells as well.
Warnings about other possible long-term health risks associated with fetal
exposures to BPA have also been discussed in recent scientific literature.
"BPA molecules are linked into polymers used to create polycarbonate
plastics and epoxy resins that are widely used in many products," said Dr.
Belcher. "While plastics are typically thought of as being stable,
scientists have known for many years that the chemical linkage between BPA
molecules was unstable, and that BPA leaches into food or beverages in contact
with the plastics." In the absence
of estrogen, Dr. Belcher said, BPA alone was found to mimic the actions of
estrogen in developing neurons, and very low doses of BPA completely inhibited
the activity of estrogen. Because estrogen normally increases the growth and
regulates viability of developing neurons, he said, these results support the
idea that BPA may harm developing brain cells.
2. Soft Launch for China RoHS in July
AUTHOR Rayner, Bruce; Wang, Amy
SOURCE Electronics Supply & Manufacturing, www.my-esm.com, December 1, 2005
ABSTRACT China is making progress toward introduction of
its version of the European Union’s RoHS directive but the timeline for
eliminating the use of hazardous materials will lag Europe’s. The final draft
of China RoHS, officially known as The Administration on the Control of Pollution
Caused by Electronic Information Products, will be released in early January
and is expected to be passed into law in July, 2006, according to Huang
Jianzhong, the director of China RoHS at the Economic Operations Bureau of
China’s Ministry of Information Industry, Beijing. However, the all-important
companion catalog that will define the electronics products covered by the law
and the reporting requirements will not be available at the time the law takes
effect. In fact, there is no timeframe set for when the catalog will be made
available, Huang said. When China RoHS is passed into law the only formal
requirement will be for companies to include a label of the hazardous
substances contained in their products. Companies will not be required to remove
hazardous materials from their products at that time.
3. The Paradox of Green Retail
AUTHOR Brill, Eric; Saulson, Gary
SOURCE Environmental Design + Construction, www.edcmag.com, August 8, 2005
ABSTRACT Since LEED certification can only be earned on a
single building basis today, a significant sector of building in the U.S. has
been all but absent in the green movement: retail roll-out. Each year
approximately 21,300 new stores, or 23 percent of all new structures excluding
homes, are built in the U.S. Yet retail stores represent less than 10 percent
of buildings that apply for certification by the USGBC. Why the poor retail
turn-out? It’s not that green construction is more expensive—sustainable
building often competes favorably with or even provides savings over
traditional strategies. Rather it’s that retailers are faced with the
substantial time and cost of filing for LEED credentials for each store in a
roll-out portfolio. There’s already much controversy over the amount of
documentation required for individual buildings filing for LEED certification.
For retailers, this process can be multiplied many times over—some companies
roll-out up to 100 new stores a year—making LEED certification simply
unfeasible. Moreover, roll-outs are forever variable: municipal design
requirements can vary from location to location; and retailers frequently
remodel, reposition, and rebuild their stores to attract shoppers’ attention.
The small margins and abbreviated schedules that tend to drive retail projects
compound the challenge. At the same time, sustainability can be an important
strategy for retailers. “Retailers want to have their stores registered with
the USGBC,” says Brendan Owens, RDC staff liaison and LEED program manager for
technical support for the USGBC. “They know that building environmentally saves
them money and helps promote their image as good corporate citizens.” On the
other hand, green design needs the retail industry’s involvement. With their
geographical reach, bulk-purchasing power, and exposure to the public, as well
as to multiple players in the building industry, retail roll-outs, (or
‘volume-build’ projects) have an incredible potential to help push sustainable
design into the mainstream.
4. New Resins for High-Solids Formulations
AUTHOR Braden, Jennifer; Fream, Alan; John, Terri; Makati, Ashok
SOURCE PCI, Paint & Coatings Industry, v21 n10, October 2005, pp30-36
ABSTRACT VOC regulations remain a top priority for the
coating formulators who must be proactive in their efforts to be ready for the
future. The effort to comply with ever-changing VOC regulations with no
compromise of performance has created challenges for all chemists in the
coatings industry. In this effort, resin suppliers are spending more time
developing and evaluating new materials before they go to market. While all
paint formulators are heading toward reduced VOCs, there are different
approaches they can take. These technologies include high-solids coatings,
waterborne coatings, powder coatings and other new technologies. Of the various
technologies available for compliance, solvent based offers the ‘least risk’
approach. This article will focus on the high-solids approach to help the
formulator to meet upcoming VOC requirements.
5. It's in the Microwave Popcorn, Not the Teflon Pan
SOURCE Environmental Science & Technology Online News, November 16, 2005
ABSTRACT Results of a study by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) published in October reveal that compounds known to break
down into the suspected carcinogen PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) may be served
up to millions of unwitting consumers in bags of microwave popcorn. The family
treat could account for more than 20% of the average PFOA levels now measured
in the blood of U.S. residents. Most Americans carry 4–5 parts per billion
(ppb) of PFOA in their blood, according to the U.S. EPA’s draft PFOA risk
assessment, but its source has been unknown. Products used in the home are
thought to play a role, including nonstick cookware such as Teflon pans, which
are produced by a process that uses PFOA. But a growing number of studies,
including this one, suggest that nonstick cookware is not a major source. The
FDA team investigated consumer products that contact food—nonstick pans, food
wraps, and papers—as potential sources, says FDA chemist Timothy Begley, the
study’s lead author. Some of the papers used for packaging food are treated
with grease-repelling fluorotelomer coatings. Microwave popcorn bags have the
most of any food wrappers—about 4000 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) in the
coating or 25 mg per square decimeter of paper, the authors note. Many of these
coatings contain mixtures of long-chain chemicals that can be metabolized to
PFOA, Begley and colleagues write in their Food Additives & Contaminants
article. The scientists found that a significant percentage of the
fluorotelomers migrated from the bags to the popcorn oil, resulting in levels
of 3–4 mg/kg. These concentrations are hundreds of times higher than the amount
of PFOA that could migrate from nonstick cookware the first time it is heated
above 175 °C. Because the surface area of a microwave popcorn bag is about 1000
square centimeters, a person consuming a bag’s worth could take up to 110
micrograms of fluorotelomers, according to three toxicologists who performed
these calculations on the condition of anonymity.
6. UN climate conference finalizes 'rule book' on reducing greenhouse gases
SOURCE United Nations News Centre, November 30, 2005
ABSTRACT [full text] The United Nations Climate Change
Conference today [November 30,
2005] voted to finalize the 'rule book' of the Kyoto Protocol, putting into
concrete form the 1997 landmark treaty designed to curb the greenhouse gas
emissions that have been determined to cause global warming. "The Kyoto
Protocol is now fully operational. This is an historic step," said
Canadian Environment Minister Stéphane Dion, President of the 11-day Conference
of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Montreal, which
includes the first ever meeting of the 157 Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. The
UNFCCC is the189-party convention that includes the signatories of the Kyoto
agreement, the binding pact that that came into force in February 2005 and
requires 35 industrialized nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions below
1990 levels between 2008 and 2012. Under the 'rule book' decisions adopted,
parties to the Kyoto Protocol established a Joint Implementation Supervisory
Board, to oversee the Kyoto mechanism that allows developed countries to invest
in central and eastern European transition economies and others and thereby
earn carbon allowances which they can use to meet their emission reduction
commitments. In addition, the clean development mechanism, which allows
industrialized countries to invest in sustainable development projects in
developing countries and thereby earn carbon allowances, is fully established.
Concerning these decisions, Richard Kinley, acting Head of the UN Climate
Change Secretariat said: "Carbon now has a market value. Under the clean
development mechanism, investing in projects that provide sustainable
development and reduce emissions makes sound business sense." Other
decisions define a wide range of operational considerations for running the
Protocol including: how the emissions of countries are accounted for, precise
guidelines on the data systems that have to be set up, and the rules governing
the measurement of absorption of carbon dioxide by agricultural soils.
7. Design for Cleanability
AUTHOR Wilson, Alex
SOURCE Environmental Building News, v14, n9, September 2005, p1,11-15
ABSTRACT Given the cost of cleaning and its impacts on
health and the environment, it is remarkable that so little attention has been
focused on this issue. For the average commercial building in the U.S., more
than half as much money is spent each year on cleaning as energy. In
energy-efficient green buildings, more money may be spent on cleaning than on
energy. Cleaning compounds and compounds used for stripping and refinishing
floors can be a building's largest sources of volatile organic compound (VOC)
emissions. Except for a few lonely voices out there touting the importance of
design for cleanability, the green building movement has been nearly silent on
this issue. This article takes a look at design for cleanability in commercial
and institutional buildings. It addresses strategies for designing buildings to
minimize the need for cleaning and reduce the costs and impacts of the cleaning
that is required. Actual cleaning methods and materials are not covered to a
significant extent. While the article is most relevant to commercial and
institutional buildings, much of the information it presents can also be
applied to residential buildings.
8. Costs and Benefits of Clear Skies: EPA's Analysis of Multi-Pollutant Clean Air Bills
AUTHOR McCarthy, James E.; Parker, Larry B.
SOURCE Congressional Research Service, November 23, 2005
ABSTRACT The electric utility industry is a major source
of air pollution, particularly sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and
mercury (Hg), as well as suspected greenhouse gases, particularly carbon
dioxide (CO2). On October 27, 2005, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
released a long-awaited analysis comparing the costs and benefits of
alternative approaches to controlling this pollution. The alternative schemes
focus on using market-oriented mechanisms directed at multiple pollutants to
achieve health and environmental goals. The new analysis compares four versions
of the Administration-based “Clear Skies” proposal to bills introduced by
Senator Jeffords (S. 150) and Senator Carper (S. 843 of the 108th Congress),
which would impose more stringent requirements. This report, which will not be
updated, examines EPA's analysis and adjusts some of its assumptions to reflect
current regulations. The most important adjustment is the choice of baseline.
The agency’s analysis assumes as a baseline that, in the absence of new federal
legislation, EPA and the states will take no additional action to control SO2,
NOx, Hg, or CO2 emissions beyond those actions finalized by mid-2004. This
baseline is put forth despite three rules recently promulgated by EPA that
limit SO2, NOx, and Hg emissions on a timeframe similar to that proposed by the
Clear Skies legislation. CRS reexamines EPA's data, producing cost and benefit
estimates for each bill incremental to the costs and benefits of current law
and promulgated regulations. The reanalysis finds that Clear Skies would have
negligible incremental costs and added benefits of $6 billion in 2010 and $3
billion in 2020. For the same years, S. 843 would have annual net benefits 8
and 5 times as great as Clear Skies at annual costs of $4.2 billion and $3
billion, and S. 150 would have annual net benefits 10 and 16 times those of
Clear Skies at annual costs of $23.6 billion and $18.1 billion. EPA conducted
limited sensitivity analyses to examine the effect on cost of select
combinations of assumptions, including (1) the responsiveness of electricity
demand to changes in price; (2) the availability of skilled labor to install
control equipment; and (3) the growth of electricity demand and natural gas
prices. However, some potentially useful combinations of assumptions were not
examined. For example, if EPA had combined a relaxed skilled labor constraint
with some responsiveness of electricity demand to changes in price, the cost of
S. 150 and S. 843 would be substantially reduced. CRS also concluded that the
Hg control costs used in the analysis may be substantially overstated because
of dated assumptions. Numerous benefits were not estimated by EPA, partly
because of methodological difficulties. Benefits not estimated include the
environmental (as opposed to health) benefits of controlling the pollutants;
the health effects of mercury control; and any benefits from controlling CO2
emissions. Thus, even though benefits exceeded costs for each of the options in
both EPA's and our analysis, one should perhaps view the benefit estimates as a
floor rather than a best estimate, particularly for S. 150 and S. 843, which
include significant Hg and CO2 reductions.
9. Perinatal Immunotoxicity: Why Adult Exposure- Assessment Fails To Predict Risk?
AUTHOR Dietert, Rodney R.; Piepenbrink, Michael S.
SOURCE Environmental Health Perspectives, [pre-print], online November 16, 2005
ABSTRACT Recent research has pointed to the developing
immune system as a remarkably sensitive toxicological target for environmental
chemicals and drugs. In fact, the perinatal period prior to and just after
birth is replete with dynamic immune changes, many of which do not occur in
adults. These include not only the basic maturation and distribution of immune
cell types and selection against autoreactive lymphocytes but also changes
designed specifically to protect the pregnancy against immune-mediated
miscarriage. The newborn is then faced with critical immune maturational
adjustments to achieve an immune balance necessary to combat the myriad of
childhood and later life diseases. All of these processes set the fetus and
neonate completely apart from the adult when it comes to immunotoxicologic
risk. Yet for decades, safety evaluation has relied almost exclusively upon
exposure of the adult immune system to predict perinatal immune risk. Recent
workshops and forums have suggested a benefit in employing alternative
exposures that include exposure throughout early life stages. However, issues
remain as to when and where such applications might be required. The present
review details the reasons why immunotoxic assessment is important for current
childhood diseases and why adult exposure assessment cannot predict the impact
of xenobiotics on the developing immune system. It also provides examples of
developmental immunotoxicants where age-based risk appears to differ. Finally,
it stresses the need to replace adult exposure assessment for immune evaluation
with protocols that can protect the developing immune system.
COPYRIGHT © 2005 by the TURI Library University of Massachusetts Lowell
This page updated Friday November 09 2007