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Greenlist(tm) Bulletin 12/16/2005

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.

Titles here, abstracts below them:

Chemical Reactivity as a Tool for Estimating Persistence. December 2005
Are EDCs Blurring Issues of Gender? October 2005
Reinventing Chrome Coatings. December 2005
The Trade and Environmental Effects of Ecolabels: Assessment and Response. 2005
Shimmering Colours Which Change with Temperature. December 2005
Mercury in Atmosphere Could Be Washed Out More Easily Than Earlier Believed. December 2005
New Manufacturing Process Helps Metals Lose Weight. December 2005
Proposed Amendments to Air Toxics Standards for Perchloroethylene Dry Cleaners. December 2005

1. Chemical Reactivity as a Tool for Estimating Persistence

AUTHOR Green, Nicholas; Bergman, Ake

SOURCE Environmental Science & Technology, v39 n3, December 1, 2005, pp480A-486A

ABSTRACT The persistence of a chemical in the environment is a key parameter for registering new chemicals, performing risk assessment on existing chemicals, and identifying chemicals of particular concern within international accords such as the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and the UN Economic Commission for Europe Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution . But various environmental organizations, authorities, and individuals worldwide have defined persistence in different ways, to the point of confusion. For example, the Stockholm Convention states that POPs are “chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically, accumulate in fatty tissue of living organisms and are toxic to humans and wildlife”. In other words, a POP is persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) and is subject to long-range transport (LRT). The wording of that definition inadvertently inflates the expectation of what persistence should reveal about a chemical. If a chemical is in reality PBT and subject to LRT but is designated only as persistent, this conveys the idea that for a chemical to be labeled as persistent it must also be demonstrably toxic and bioaccumulative and undergo LRT. Although this is clearly not the intended meaning of the term persistence, it remains a popular misconception. In this article, we provide a sounding board to aid the environmental community in finding a new approach to credibly measure persistence. We take the established concept of multimedia modeling as the most appropriate vehicle for predicting persistence and propose a novel system that provides compartmental transformation rates of chemicals for use in such models. The central hypothesis is that the inherent properties of chemical reactivity underpin the rate of transformation of a substance, whether in a test tube or in the environment and whether these transformations are catalyzed abiotically or enzymatically. An experimental system for providing indicative measures of reactivity is outlined in this article and illustrated with specific reactions.

2. Are EDCs Blurring Issues of Gender?

AUTHOR Hood, Ernie

SOURCE Environmental Health Perspectives, v113 n10, October 2005, ppA671-677

ABSTRACT Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) lie at the heart of one of toxicology’s most widely argued controversies. Most of the controversy swirls around the potential effects of low-dose environmentally relevant exposures, especially fetal and early childhood exposures, which some scientists believe could have profound, permanent impacts on subsequent development and adult outcomes. Critics of this idea maintain that thus far there is no credible evidence to suggest that low-dose exposures cause any adverse human health effects. Yet a growing body of evidence offers some indication that prenatal and childhood exposure to EDCs may contribute to a variety of abnormalities in human sexuality, gender development and behaviors, reproductive capabilities, and sex ratios.

3. Reinventing Chrome Coatings

AUTHOR Brondum, Klaus; Larson, Gary

SOURCE Products Finishing, December 2005, pp49-52

ABSTRACT Low-temperature arc vapor deposition can provide an alternative to hexavalent chromium plating. Hexavalent chromium plating has long been a favorite surface finish due to its hardness, corrosion resistance and shiny appearance. However, hexavalent chromium is a known carcinogen and industrial exposure levels are mandated by U.S. law to be reduced by as much as 50 times by January 2006. It's obvious that an environmentally friendly alternative for this popular finish is needed. One possibility is low-temperature arc vapor deposition (LTAVD). LTAVD occurs in a controlled vacuum environment and is a type of physical vapor deposition (PVD). Able to operate over a range of temperatures, LTAVD deposits adherent and dense metallic and ceramic coatings on traditional metal substrates as well as heat-sensitive materials such as plastics and zinc die-casting alloys. It results in a very durable coating that can also be used to make low-cost materials look like more expensive metals such as stainless steel, nickel, bronze or other materials.

4. The Trade and Environmental Effects of Ecolabels: Assessment and Response

AUTHOR Rotherham, Tom

SOURCE United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

DATE 2005

ABSTRACT Ecolabelling entered mainstream environmental policy-making in 1977, when the German government established the Blue Angel programme. Since that time, ecolabels have become one of the more high-profile market-based tools for achieving environmental objectives. Ecolabelling has also run into criticism from those who claim that it may, in some cases, operate as an unjustified non-tariff barrier to trade. This report reviews what is known about ecolabelling as an environmental policy tool and as a potential trade barrier. It focuses on five well-known ecolabelling programmes that incorporate environmental requirements: the Blue Angel programme in Germany, and the programmes associated with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) and the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM). The report’s ultimate aim is to identify specific issues and policy integration challenges that need to be addressed if ecolabels are to be designed and applied in ways that support sustainable development – balancing environmental, social and economic outcomes. In the report it is demonstrated that considerable additional data collection and research needs to be undertaken if the effects of ecolabelling are to be understood and policy recommendations developed.

5. Shimmering Colours Which Change with Temperature

SOURCE Max Planck Society, http://www.mpg.de, December 2, 2005

ABSTRACT Nail polish and expensive cars can nowadays shimmer in many colours, thanks to progress in the field of colloid chemistry, the chemistry of small particles. The bright colours in modern finishes are created because the light is reflected at layers of regularly arranged colloid particles. Individual colours are either removed or strengthened; the thickness of the layers -- what is known as the "lattice constant" -- determines the colour. Because we can nowadays tailor the spherical shape and the surface of the particles, we can produce optimised crystals with the desired lattice constant in the range of visible light. Colloids can indeed do much more: they are also interesting model systems for solid-state physics, because the bonding behaviour of the relatively large particle can be compared with that of much smaller atoms. Since they react more slowly than atoms, we can use them to observe and study processes in solid-state physics. But there is a problem: most atoms, unlike most other particles, are not by rule spherically symmetric, but rather have deformed "orbitals" which project into space like dumbbells or ovals. The team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces has now produced particles that do not interact with their neighbours in spherically symmetric ways. So they placed a colloidal crystal on a surface and bombarded it with reactive ions, reducing the particles in the upper layer to the desired size and expanding the free surfaces between the colloids. They also metallised the crystal with gold. Part of the gold passed through the gaps in the upper layer as if through a stencil, all the way to the lower layers. In this way, patterns of metallisation of various symmetries and at nanoscale sizes are produced. Gold surprisingly also lodged itself in the deep layers on the underside of the particles. For years, chemistry has had a number of methods to intentionally use gold in reactions, for example, in joining particular molecules. Thus the particles partially overlaid with gold expand the tool kit of "colloid atoms". The chemists hope that in the future they will be able to build "colloid molecules" or new kinds of colloid crystals. For the chemistry of colours, too, there are more possibilities: new, shimmering colours, that, for example, change with the surrounding temperature or humidity. In the long-term, however, the most attractive applications appear to be in optical data processing.

6. Mercury in Atmosphere Could Be Washed Out More Easily Than Earlier Believed

SOURCE University of Washington, www.uwnews.org, December 7, 2005

ABSTRACT Scientists for years have been at a loss to explain unexpectedly high levels of mercury in fish swimming the rivers and streams of areas like eastern Oregon, far away from industrial sources of mercury pollution such as coal-fired power plants. New University of Washington research suggests mercury can be carried long distances in the atmosphere, combining with other airborne chemicals as it travels. These compounds are much more water-soluble and therefore are more easily removed from the air in rainfall. Mercury generally is present in the atmosphere in only very small amounts compared with other pollutants, said Philip Swartzendruber, a University of Washington doctoral student in atmospheric sciences. But mercury does not break down and after it washes out of the atmosphere it can be converted to a more toxic form, methyl mercury. Even in places thought to be pristine, the more toxic form can become very concentrated as it is passed up the food chain. He is part of a team that began taking measurements of atmospheric mercury levels early this year atop Mount Bachelor, near Bend, Ore. At about 9,000 feet, the station is high enough to take readings from the bottom of the free troposphere, where substances such as mercury, carbon dioxide and ozone can travel great distances and remain for a long time. The free troposphere extends from about 5,000 feet in altitude to about 40,000 feet. The researchers recorded mercury levels that included significant concentrations of a type called reactive gaseous mercury. "After nearly half a year of results, it is pretty clear things are going on up there," Swartzendruber said. The research indicates there is a lot more mercury than previously believed that is available to be washed out of the atmosphere, even far away from industrial sources. The type called reactive gaseous mercury -- basic, or elemental, mercury that has combined with another substance -- is important because rain washes it out of the air very easily. It is likely that ozone, a common pollutant usually associated with smog, or other oxidants most often combine with elemental mercury to form reactive gaseous mercury, Swartzendruber said. Contrary to what researchers previously thought, he added, high concentrations of reactive mercury can be present in the atmosphere far from industrial sources. That means either that elemental mercury can transform to the reactive variety in just a week or two, a much shorter time than scientists have believed, or that there is a large pool of reactive mercury at the top of the troposphere.

7. New Manufacturing Process Helps Metals Lose Weight

SOURCE Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (UK), www.epsrc.ac.uk, December 12, 2005

ABSTRACT A pioneering manufacturing process that can turn titanium, stainless steel and many other metals into a new breed of engineering components could have a big impact across industry. Unlike conventional solid-metal components, the new parts have a tiny lattice-like structure, similar to scaffolding but with poles twice the diameter of a human hair, making them ultra-light. Because loads are channelled along the poles, the parts can comprise up to 70% air while remaining strong enough to perform correctly. The components could replace solid metal in integrated circuits, automotive applications and many other fields of engineering. Aircraft parts, for example, could be produced that are over 50% lighter than conventional alternatives. The reduction in aircraft weight would cut fuel requirements, bringing down the cost of air travel and reducing the emissions produced by the combustion of aviation fuels that are a major contributor to climate change. The world’s first commercial-scale system for the rapid manufacture of these new-generation metal components is now being developed by engineers at the University of Liverpool, in collaboration with MCP (Mining and Chemical Products) Ltd and funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Harnessing a technique known as selective laser melting (SLM), this fully automated system builds up components, layer by layer, from fine metal powders using an infra-red laser beam to melt the powders into the required structure. Layers can be as thin as 25 microns, making it possible to produce complex parts in which thermal, impact-absorption and many other properties can be distributed in specific places to meet the requirements of particular applications. This is not possible with conventionally manufactured 'solid' metals.

8. Proposed Amendments to Air Toxics Standards for Perchloroethylene Dry Cleaners

SOURCE U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov/air/drycleaningrule/, December 9, 2005

ABSTRACT On December 9, 2005, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed regulations to reduce the health risks posed by perchloroethylene dry cleaners. As part of this proposal, the EPA also is seeking additional information on how the Agency might be able to reduce risks even further. EPA is basing the proposal on a recent review of dry-cleaning technology as well as recent analyses of the health risks that remain since implementation of the Agency’s 1993 air toxics regulation for perchloroethylene dry cleaners. Air toxics, also known as hazardous air pollutants, are known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health or environmental effects. Perchloroethylene, also known as perc, PCE, tetrachloroethyene and tetracholorethylene, is a solvent used in dry cleaning. Approximately 28,000 U.S. dry cleaners use perchloroethylene, which is the only air toxic emitted from the dry cleaning process. EPA is seeking comment on a number of aspects of this proposal, especially on risks and emission-reduction technology related to small dry cleaners located in apartment buildings. EPA will accept public comments on the proposal for 45 days following publication in the Federal Register. EPA is under a court order to issue a final rule by April 28, 2006. The proposed rules would affect three types of dry cleaners that use perchloroethylene: large, industrial and commercial dry cleaners; freestanding smaller dry cleaners; and smaller dry cleaners located in apartment buildings.

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://greenlist.turi.org/ for greater topic coverage.

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Greenlist(tm) Bulletin 12/16/2005