Greenlist(tm) Bulletin 05/05/2006
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.
- How Well Do Gloves and Respirators Block Nanoparticles?
- Putting the Earth in Play: Environmental Awareness and Sport
- Biotech Cotton Provides Same Yield with Fewer Pesticides
- The Quality of Our Nation’s Waters: Volatile Organic Compounds in the Nation’s Ground Water and Drinking-Water Supply Wells
- Asbestos Concerns Resurface: Brake Imports Using Fibers Surge, Imperiling Mechanics
- Business Brief: Intangibles and CSR
- Partitioning, Persistence, and Accumulation in Digested
Sludge of the Topical Antiseptic Triclocarban during Wastewater Treatment
1. How Well Do Gloves and Respirators Block Nanoparticles?
AUTHOR Halford, Bethany
DATE 2006
SOURCE Chemical & Engineering News, v84 n18, May 1, 2006, p14
ABSTRACT The scientists who work on the front lines of
research and manufacturing have long relied on standard protective equipment,
such as respirators and gloves, as safeguards against potentially harmful
substances. But no one is certain how effective these measures are against
nanoparticles. The tiny particles could be small enough to slip past the fibers
in a respirator's filter, or they could be so reactive that they penetrate the
thin regions of a latex glove. "There are still a lot of unknowns as to
whether or not traditional protective measures work against
nanoparticles," says Michael J. Ellenbecker, a professor of industrial
hygiene at the
WEB LINK
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/84/8418nanotechnology2.html
2. Putting the Earth in Play: Environmental Awareness and Sport
AUTHOR Schmidt, Charles W.
DATE 2006
SOURCE Environmental Health Perspectives, v114 n5, May 2006, ppA286-295
ABSTRACT Since time immemorial, people have entertained themselves with sports. Sports are emblematic of health, with the best matches played by athletes in peak physical form. But ironically, even as sports promote health, they can also degrade the environment upon which good health depends. Whether played or watched, athletic endeavors have the potential to produce huge environmental “footprints” in terms of their use and abuse of natural resources. Ski slopes, for instance, disrupt fragile alpine ecosystems, while snowmobiles spew exhaust fumes into the air. Golf courses sprawl across the land, and consume large amounts of pesticides and water, while parking lots for stadiums and arenas produce vast paved surfaces. And major sports events use energy, emit greenhouse gases, and produce voluminous trash. The 2006 Super Bowl in Detroit produced 500 tons of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (from transportation and utility usage), while the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens produced half a million tons in two weeks—roughly comparable to what a city of 1 million people would emit over a similar period. Each match during the 2006 World Cup this summer will use up to 3 million kilowatt-hours of energy (similar to the annual consumption of 700 European households), and produce an estimated 5–10 tons of trash. These impacts have spawned an environmental movement with two broad goals: to reduce the ecological footprint of sports activities, and to exploit the popularity of sports to raise environmental awareness in general. “Like any other sector, sport has environmental consequences,” says David Chernushenko, president of Green and Gold, a sports sustainability consulting firm in Ottawa, Canada, and author of the first book on the subject— Greening Our Games, published in 1994. “But sports are also heavily impacted by degraded environments, and that’s important to an athlete who can’t run on smog days, or to those in the golf industry who get told they can’t build a new course because bad practices have tarred their image. So, sports create opportunities to produce leaders for better environmental practice.”
WEB LINK
http://www.ehponline.org/members/2006/114-5/ehp0114-a00286.pdf
3. Biotech Cotton Provides Same Yield with Fewer Pesticides
AUTHOR Jensen, Mari N.
DATE 2006
ABSTRACT
WEB LINK
http://uanews.org/cgi-bin/WebObjects/UANews.woa/3/wa/SRStoryDetails?ArticleID=12616
4. The Quality of Our Nation’s Waters: Volatile Organic Compounds in the Nation’s Ground Water and Drinking-Water Supply Wells
AUTHOR Zogorski, John S.; Carter, Janet M.; Ivahnenko, Tamara; Lapham, Wayne W.; Moran, Michael J.; Rowe, Barbara L.; Squillace, Paul J.; Toccalino, Patricia L.
DATE 2006
SOURCE United States Geological Survey (USGS)
ABSTRACT This report is one of a series of publications, The Quality of Our Nation’s Waters, that describe major findings of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program on water-quality issues of national and regional concern. This report is on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in ground water and drinking-water supply wells. It is a synthesis of NAWQA and other investigations. Fifty-five VOCs are emphasized in NAWQA’s field studies, and these compounds are the focus of this report. During NAWQA’s first decade of Study-Unit investigations, samples from more than 2,500 wells were analyzed for VOCs. In addition, carefully selected VOC data from more than 1,700 well samples were compiled from other agencies or collected in other USGS studies. Collectively, these VOC analyses are the basis for this report’s assessment, which is (1) the first national assessment of a large number of VOCs in the Nation’s aquifers and (2) the most recent national characterization of VOCs in samples from domestic and public wells used for drinking water. Subsequent reports in this series will cover other water-quality constituents of concern, such as pesticides, nutrients, trace elements, as well as physical and chemical effects on aquatic ecosystems. Each report will build toward a more comprehensive understanding of national and regional water resources as additional investigations are completed and as scientific models and tools that link water-quality conditions, dominant sources, and environmental characteristics are developed. The information in this report is intended primarily for scientists and engineers interested or involved in resource management, conservation, regulation, and policy making at national, regional, and State levels. In addition, the information in this report is intended for public health agencies and water utilities who wish to know more about specific contaminant groups such as VOCs.
WEB LINK http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/circ1292/
5. Asbestos Concerns Resurface: Brake Imports Using Fibers Surge, Imperiling Mechanics
AUTHOR Schneider, Andrew
DATE 2006
SOURCE
ABSTRACT A significant increase in imports of automobile
brakes containing asbestos over the past decade is raising renewed concerns for
the health of the nation's auto mechanics. Most
WEB LINK
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.brakes03may03,0,4718853.story
6. Business Brief: Intangibles and CSR
AUTHOR White, Allen L.
DATE 2006
SOURCE Business for Social Responsibility (BSR)
ABSTRACT This brief follows discussions at the BSR July 2005 retreat of member companies that focused on the future of business-society relations. At that event, the question of intangible assets (hereafter “intangibles”) emerged as a topic of keen interest to many of the participating companies. Like most in the business community, many sensed that intangibles are powerful drivers of value creation but, at the same time, they are poorly articulated, normally unmeasured and rarely reported. Further, the question of how intangibles relate to the CSR agenda was correctly identified as largely unexplored territory. Each day in the capital markets and each year in the annual financial statements of publicly traded companies are reminders of how true these impressions are. The well-documented divergence between market capitalization and book value, the large price earnings ratios of technology stars such as Google and eBay, and the bids to acquire firms that substantially exceed value of physical and financial assets—all these trends attest to the role of intangibles in company valuation. Yet, notwithstanding the overwhelming evidence, little progress has been achieved in articulating and quantifying the intangible assets. This despite evidence that as much as one-third of portfolio managers’ investment decisions are based on intangibles. Even less attention has been devoted to linking such intangibles to the CSR agenda. Intangibles such as reputation, trust and capacity to innovate—all widely recognized as fundamental to strong financial performance—are at the same time integral to the CSR agenda. Astute management of global supply chains, visionary environmental products and services, and proactive risk management through anti-corruption and HIV/AIDS initiatives are the kinds of practices associated with both CSR and quality of management. For the investment community, any determinant of quality of management is viewed as key to the overall assessment of company competitive prospects. This brief is an opening exploration of the intangibles-CSR relationship and provides a framework for understanding this relationship. The brief begins with a mini-case, turns to definitions, and moves to illustrative intangibles initiatives and points of intersection between intangibles and CSR.
WEB LINK
http://www.bsr.org/meta/200602_intangibles_csr.pdf
7. Partitioning, Persistence, and Accumulation in Digested Sludge of the Topical Antiseptic Triclocarban during Wastewater Treatment
AUTHOR Heidler, Jochen; Sapkota, Amir; Halden, Rolf U.
DATE 2006
SOURCE Environmental Science & Technology Research ASAP, April 26, 2006
ABSTRACT The topical antiseptic agent triclocarban (TCC)
is a common additive in many antimicrobial household consumables, including
soaps and other personal care products. Long-term usage of the mass-produced
compound and a lack of understanding of its fate during sewage treatment
motivated the present mass balance analysis conducted at a typical
WEB LINK http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/esthag/asap/pdf/es052245n.pdf
Compiled by the TURI Library, University of Massachusetts Lowell
This page updated Thursday June 08 2006