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Greenlist(tm) Bulletin 10/13/2006

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.

Titles here, abstracts below them:

Lean production and EMSs: Aligning environmental management with business priorities
Flame Retardants Feel the Heat
Organic Lawn Care 101- Take Simple Steps This Fall to Convert Your Lawn to Organic
GE Develops 'Eco-Friendly' Plastics
One Proxy at a Time: Pursuing Social Change through Shareholder Proposals
Pesticide Measurements from the First National Environmental Health Survey of Child Care Centers Using a Multi-Residue GC/MS Analysis Method
Poisoning Wildlife: The Reality of Mercury Pollution
Wal-Mart to Review All Products That Contain a Chemical
Ethical and Scientific Issues of Nanotechnology in the Workplace
Breast cancer risk and drinking water contaminated by wastewater: a case control study

1. Lean production and EMSs: Aligning environmental management with business priorities

AUTHOR Tice, Jennifer; Ahouse, Lori; Larson, Tim

SOURCE Environmental Quality Management, v15 n2, Winter 2005, pp1-12

ABSTRACT Lean production and environmental management systems (EMSs) are fundamentally different business initiatives. Yet recent research suggests that the two approaches can be both compatible and synergistic. Organizations have much to gain from properly aligning and integrating their lean and environmental management practices. Many organizations throughout the United States, as well as in other countries, are using the principles and methods of the Toyota Production System (often called “lean” production) to reduce costs, improve product quality, and increase customer responsiveness. Lean production strives to identify and eliminate all non-value-added activity, or “waste,” involved in delivering a product or service to a customer. Because of its strong competitiveness drivers, lean production has been rapidly adopted in the United States since the early 1990s by organizations across a variety of manufacturing and service sectors. Lean production has a variety of implications for environmental performance and regulatory compliance because of its differences from traditional manufacturing paradigms. Companies do not, however, necessarily integrate environmental management into their implementation of lean methods. Instead, environmental managers may operate separately from the workforce-driven, continual improvement efforts of lean production on the shop floor. Another type of business initiative—the use of an environmental management system—also aims to involve workers at all levels in an organization in continual improvement processes. Organizations often adopt a formal EMS, such as one based on the ISO 14001 standard, to manage their environmental regulatory responsibilities and improve their environmental performance over time. An EMS provides a structured, systematic approach that can help organizations identify and achieve their environmental goals—which often include reducing unregulated environmental impacts such as energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and solid waste generation. Research on organizational experience with lean production and environmental management systems suggests that while lean production and EMSs have different drivers and approaches, they can be compatible and even synergistic systems. Lean production can add value to EMS efforts by reducing many types of environmental impacts, connecting EMSs to stronger financial drivers, and improving the effectiveness of EMS procedures. EMSs can add value to lean efforts by addressing lean production’s environmental shortcomings and by minimizing the impacts of regulatory compliance activities on production flow and the ability to make process changes.

2. Flame Retardants Feel the Heat

AUTHOR Blanchfield, Lindsay

SOURCE Chemical Market Reporter, v270 n4, July 31-August 13, 2006, pp24-25

ABSTRACT The flame retardant market is facing cost pressures and a shift towards the use of environmentally friendly alternatives. In response, producers are raising prices and adapting to new regulatory requirements. Although halogenated products have traditionally dominated the flame retardant market, across Europe the industry is witnessing a shift toward halogen-free products. Growth rates of halogen-free retardants are not that significant compared to overall growth for all flame retardants. Brominated flame retardants are still the staple of the market, but increasing pressure from environmental groups is forcing legislators and end-users to reevaluate choices. While the regulatory environment shifts to halogen-free flame retardants, rising raw material costs are causing producers to raise prices in all type of products.

3. Organic Lawn Care 101- Take Simple Steps This Fall to Convert Your Lawn to Organic

DATE 2006

SOURCE Beyond Pesticides

ABSTRACT Fall is the best time to start transitioning your lawn to organic. The key to a healthy lawn is healthy soil and good mowing, watering and fertilizing practices. Healthy soil contains high organic content and is teeming with biological life. Healthy soil supports the development of healthy grass that is naturally resistant to weeds and pests. In a healthy, fertile and well maintained lawn, diseases and pest problems are rare. But doesn’t it cost more you ask? If your lawn is currently chemically-dependent, initially it may be more expensive to restore the biological life. But, in the long term, it will actually cost you less money. Once established, an organic lawn uses fewer materials, such as water and fertilizers, and requires less labor for mowing and maintenance. More importantly, your lawn will be safe for children, pets and your local drinking water supply.

WEB LINK http://www.beyondpesticides.org/news/pressreleases/Organic%20Lawn101.pdf

4. GE Develops 'Eco-Friendly' Plastics

AUTHOR Bryner, Michelle

SOURCE Chemical Week, v168 n25, July 26-August 2, 2006, p9

ABSTRACT GE Plastics has developed a polybutylene terephthalate (PBT)-based resin and a polycarbonate/PBT blend, which it says will help to conserve energy, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce post-consumer waste. The resins, which target the automotive industry, are made from 85% polyethylene terephthalate (PET) scrap bottles. Tim Dummer, GE Plastics global market director/automotive new markets, says what they are doing is taking the PET bottle scrap, chemically regenerating it, and then reacting that with the butanediol; so it eliminates the need for the other two chemical feed streams.

5. One Proxy at a Time: Pursuing Social Change through Shareholder Proposals

AUTHOR Tkac, Paula

SOURCE Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Economic Review, v91 n3, Third Quarter 2006

ABSTRACT Traditional economic wisdom holds that a corporation’s sole goal should be to maximize shareholder wealth. But some investors believe that firms should also act as agents for social change. Activist investors use their shareholder rights to place socially responsible resolutions on corporate proxy statements to be voted on by all shareholders. This article examines the controversy behind corporate social responsibility (CSR) and identifies and categorizes activist investors, their objectives, and the firms they target. Using data from the Investor Responsibility Research Center (IRRC) on 2,829 CSR shareholder proposals from 1992 to 2002, the author finds that religious organizations and individuals made the largest number of proposals, but in 2000 proposals by socially responsible mutual funds began to outnumber those by individuals. The three most common proposal topics were international conduct, environmental issues, and antidiscrimination. Of the 566 different corporations targeted, seventy-three were targeted ten times or more. Larger, economically powerful firms—especially those that value consumer goodwill and have the “name” to aid in social change—were most often targeted. Because a withdrawn resolution usually signals an action by the corporation—dialogue, agreement to resolution, or some other compromise—the author argues that withdrawn proposals can be used as measure of activism’s success. The IRRC data and her own extensive research on the outcome of withdrawn proposals support this argument.

WEB LINK http://www.frbatlanta.org/
invoke.cfm?objectid=D6B76A8D-5056-9F12-12D7D418FAADDABF&method=display_body

6. Pesticide Measurements from the First National Environmental Health Survey of Child Care Centers Using a Multi-Residue GC/MS Analysis Method

AUTHOR Tulve, Nicolle S.; Jones, Paul A.; Nishioka, Marcia G.; Fortmann, Roy C.; Croghan, Carry W.; et al.

SOURCE Environmental Science & Technology, v40 n20, October 15, 2006, pp6269-6274

ABSTRACT The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, in collaboration with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, characterized the environments of young children (<6 years) by measuring lead, allergens, and pesticides in a randomly selected nationally representative sample of licensed institutional child care centers. Multi-stage sampling with clustering was used to select 168 child care centers in 30 primary sampling units in the United States. Centers were recruited into the study by telephone interviewers. Samples for pesticides, lead, and allergens were collected at multiple locations in each center by field technicians. Field sampling was conducted from July through October 2001. Wipe samples from indoor surfaces (floors, tabletops,> desks) and soil samples were collected at the centers and analyzed using a multi-residue GC/MS analysis method. Based on the questionnaire responses, pyrethroids were the most commonly used pesticides among centers applying pesticides. Among the 63% of centers reporting pesticide applications, the number of pesticides used in each center ranged from 1 to 10 and the frequency of use ranged from 1 to 107 times annually. Numerous organophosphate and pyrethroid pesticides were detected in the indoor floor wipe samples. Chlorpyrifos (0.004-28 ng/cm2), diazinon (0.002-18 ng/cm2), cis-permethrin (0.004-3 ng/cm2), and trans-permethrin (0.004-7 ng/cm2) were detected in >67% of the centers. Associations exist between residues measured on the floor and other surfaces for several pesticides (p-values range from <0.0001 to 0.002), but to a lesser degree between floor and soil and other surfaces and soil. Regional analyses indicate no differences in mean level of pesticide loading between the four Census regions (0.08 < p < 0.88). Results show that there is the potential for exposure to pesticides in child care centers.

7. Poisoning Wildlife: The Reality of Mercury Pollution

DATE 2006

SOURCE National Wildlife Federation

ABSTRACT Over the last decade, Americans have grown more aware of the toxic threat that mercury poses to people. The government now warns pregnant women and children to limit their intake of mercury-contaminated fish, and the news is peppered with stories about schools and other buildings that must be evacuated for days when an accidental mercury spill occurs. The human story of mercury pollution is truly devastating because of the many health impacts that result from harmful levels of mercury exposure—ranging from developmental and other neurological problems in children to cardiovascular impacts on adults. In contrast, the impacts of mercury on wildlife have received relatively little attention in the media, yet the story is no less compelling. Animals do not have the luxury of choosing a food source that has lower mercury levels and are not aware of the danger lurking in their mercury-contaminated habitats. As a result, wildlife species are accumulating mercury at levels high enough to threaten their health. This is another devastating consequence of years of irresponsible mercury use and pollution. While mercury is a naturally occurring element, human activities are responsible for the high levels of contamination that endanger wildlife in this country. Each year, we release over 100 tons of mercury pollution into the air that ends up in the lakes, rivers, and forests that wildlife depend on. Mercury is released from coal-fired power plants, waste incinerators, cement plants, wastewater treatment plants, and other sources. Historically, scientists have believed that mercury only threatens species that live and feed in aquatic habitats. However, recent research is showing that mercury is accumulating at dangerous levels in terrestrial species as well. No longer is the threat of mercury exposure limited to fisheating wildlife such as loons. Scientists are now finding that mercury is building up in insect-eating species such as forest songbirds. This new research has turned the conventional thinking about mercury contamination on its head—and the implications are a great cause of concern for wildlife biologists. As we begin to recognize that there is truly no link in the food chain untouched by mercury, we realize that mercury pollution is a far greater threat to our treasured biodiversity than previously thought. This report provides a snapshot of the wide range of wildlife species and habitats known to accumulate mercury, and an overview of the health impacts scientists have associated with those high mercury levels. Species highlighted include fish, aquatic birds, forest birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, and marine life. There are varying health impacts associated with high mercury levels in these different species, but the primary consequence is increased vulnerability due to reproductive and neurological problems (which can lead to behavioral abnormalities). In addition, some evidence indicates that elevated mercury levels can adversely affect immune systems. For example, fish have difficulty schooling and decreased spawning success; birds lay fewer eggs and have trouble caring for their chicks; and mammals have impaired motor skills that affect their ability to hunt and find food. All these effects combine to create a severe threat to wildlife survival. This report seeks to illuminate the scale of the mercury contamination problem for wildlife, presenting a compelling case for action to reduce mercury pollution. Wildlife need to be as resilient as they can be in order to handle the challenges of surviving in a world that is dramatically changing because of global warming. Reducing mercury pollution is critical for bolstering wildlife’s chances of survival in the face of climate change, and it is time for our leaders to take meaningful action to eliminate this toxic threat.

WEB LINK http://www.nwf.org/nwfwebadmin/binaryVault/
Poisoning%20Wildlife%20-%20FINAL1.pdf

8. Wal-Mart to Review All Products That Contain a Chemical

DATE 2006

SOURCE PCI, Paint & Coatings Industry, September 1, 2006

ABSTRACT Wal-Mart recently announced that all products that contain a chemical or a pesticide and all aerosol products must be processed through the Chemical Assessment Review Process (CARP), a program that will be implemented by a consultant organization called the WERCS. The purpose of this program is to assist Wal-Mart with its regulatory compliance efforts and to further its environmental sustainability efforts. Suppliers of products must provide the following information: product component information, physical data, EPA/state registration numbers and product characteristics. Recognizing that the demands of this program will be difficult for its members, the National Paint and Coatings Association is working with Wal-Mart and a coalition of trade associations to streamline the program and ensure that it is “user-friendly.”

WEB LINK http://www.pcimag.com/CDA/Articles/Breaking_News/
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9. Ethical and Scientific Issues of Nanotechnology in the Workplace

AUTHOR Schulte, Paul A.; Salamanca-Buentello, Fabio

SOURCE Environmental Health Perspectives, EHP-In-Press, Online 25 September 2006

ABSTRACT In the absence of scientific clarity about the potential health effects of occupational exposure to nanoparticles, a need exists for guidance in decision-making about hazards, risks, and controls. An identification of the ethical issues involved may be useful to decision-makers, particularly employers, workers, investors, and health authorities. Since the goal of occupational safety and health is the prevention of disease in workers, the situations that have ethical implications that most affect workers have been identified. These situations include the (1) identification and communication of hazards and risks by scientists, authorities, and employers, (2) workers’ acceptance of risk, (3) selection and implementation of controls, (4) establishment of medical screening programs, and (5) investment in toxicologic and control research. The ethical issues involve the unbiased determination of hazards and risks, nonmaleficence (doing no harm), autonomy, justice privacy, and promoting respect for persons. As the ethical issues are identified and explored, options for decision-makers can be developed. Additionally, societal deliberations about workplace risks of nanotechnologies may be enhanced by special emphasis on small businesses and adoption of a global perspective.

WEB LINK http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2006/9456/abstract.html

10. Breast cancer risk and drinking water contaminated by wastewater: a case control study

AUTHOR Brody, Julia Green; Aschengrau, Ann; McKelvey, Wendy; Swartz, Christopher H.; Kennedy, Theresa; Rudel, Ruthann A.

SOURCE Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source, 6 October 2006

ABSTRACT Drinking water contaminated by wastewater is a potential source of exposure to mammary carcinogens and endocrine disrupting compounds from commercial products and excreted natural and pharmaceutical hormones. These contaminants are hypothesized to increase breast cancer risk. Cape Cod, Massachusetts, has a history of wastewater contamination in many, but not all, of its public water supplies; and the region has a history of higher breast cancer incidence that is unexplained by the populations age, in-migration, mammography use, or established breast cancer risk factors. We conducted a case-control study to investigate whether exposure to drinking water contaminated by wastewater increases the risk of breast cancer. Participants were 824 Cape Cod women diagnosed with breast cancer in 1988-1995 and 745 controls who lived in homes served by public drinking water supplies and never lived in a home served by a Cape Cod private well. We assessed each woman’s exposure yearly since 1972 at each of her Cape Cod addresses, using nitrate nitrogen (nitrate-N) levels measured in public wells and pumping volumes for the wells. Nitrate-N is an established wastewater indicator in the region. As an alternative drinking water quality indicator, we calculated the fraction of recharge zones in residential, commercial, and pesticide land use areas. After controlling for established breast cancer risk factors, mammography, and length of residence on Cape Cod, results showed no consistent association between breast cancer and average annual nitrate-N (OR = 1.8; 95% CI 0.6 - 5.0 for greater than or equal to 1.2 vs. < .3 mg/L), the sum of annual nitrate-N concentrations (OR = 0.9; 95% CI 0.6 - 1.5 for greater than or equal to 10 vs. 1 to < 10 mg/L), or the number of years exposed to nitrate-N over 1 mg/L (OR = 0.9; 95% CI 0.5 - 1.5 for greater than or equal to 8 vs. 0 years). Variation in exposure levels was limited, with 99% of women receiving some of their water from supplies with nitrate-N levels in excess of background. The total fraction of residential, commercial, and pesticide use land in recharge zones of public supply wells was associated with a small statistically unstable higher breast cancer incidence (OR = 1.4; 95% CI 0.8-2.4 for highest compared with lowest land use), but risk did not increase for increasing land use fractions. Results did not provide evidence of an association between breast cancer and drinking water contaminated by wastewater. The computer mapping methods used in this study to link routine measurements required by the Safe Drinking Water Act with interview data can enhance individual-level epidemiologic studies of multiple health outcomes, including diseases with substantial latency.

WEB LINK http://www.ehjournal.net/content/5/1/28

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.

Compiled by the TURI Library, University of Massachusetts Lowell

This page updated Friday October 20 2006

TURI - Toxics Use Reduction Institute

Greenlist(tm) Bulletin 10/13/2006