Greenlist(tm) Bulletin 03/23/2007
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:
- Phthalates Now Linked to Fat, Related Health Risks
- Nanotechnology and Life Cycle Assessment: A Systems Approach to Nanotechnology and the Environment
- Herbal Herbicides
- Dangerous Levels of Toxics Found in New Cars
- AASHE Digest 2006: A Review of Campus Sustainability News
- Mortality Risk Associated with Short-Term Exposure to Traffic Particles and Sulfates
- Advanced Energy Technologies: Key Challenges to Their Development and Deployment
1. Phthalates Now Linked to Fat, Related Health Risks
SOURCE University of Rochester Medical Center News Archives, March 14, 2007
ABSTRACT Exposure to phthalates, a common chemical found in everything from plastics to soaps, already has been connected to reproductive problems and now, for the first time, is linked to abdominal obesity and insulin resistance in adult males, according to a study by the University of Rochester Medical Center. The research adds to the growing suspicion that low-dose exposures to phthalates and other common chemicals may be reducing testosterone levels or function in men, and thereby contributing to rising obesity rates and an epidemic of related disorders, such as Type 2 diabetes, said lead author Richard Stahlhut, M.D., M.P.H., a Preventive Medicine resident at the University of Rochester. The study was published in the online edition of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. “Substantial declines in testosterone levels and sperm quality have been observed in the United States and other countries over the last several decades which and it urgently requires explanation,” Stahlhut said. “While we can’t say yet that phthalates are a definite cause, I am certain they are on the list of chemicals that demands careful study.” Stahlhut’s group hypothesized that phthalates might have a direct link to obesity, since low testosterone appears to cause increased belly fat and pre-diabetes in men. They analyzed urine, blood samples and other data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The NHANES is a large, multi-ethnic, cross-section sampling of the U.S. population acquired routinely by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Researchers reviewed data from 1999 to 2002, the most recent years that phthalates levels were available. Of the adult men available in NHANES, 1,451 had data on phthalate exposures, obesity and waist circumference. Of these men, 651 also had fasting glucose and insulin levels required to calculate insulin resistance. The analysis found that, as expected, several phthalate metabolites showed a positive correlation with abdominal obesity. Indeed, men with the highest levels of phthalates in their urine had more belly fat and insulin resistance. Researchers adjusted for other factors that could influence the results, such as the mens’ age, race, food intake, physical activity levels and smoking.
WEB LINK http://www.stronghealth.rochester.edu/news
article.cfm?art_ID=1405&serviceline=12
2. Nanotechnology and Life Cycle Assessment: A Systems Approach to Nanotechnology and the Environment
SOURCE Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies
DATE 2007
ABSTRACT Life cycle assessment (LCA) —a cradle-to-grave look at the health and environmental impact of a material, chemical, or product—is an essential tool for ensuring the safe, responsible, and sustainable commercialization of nanotechnology, U.S. and European experts conclude in a new report issued today. With the number of nanotechnology-enabled products entering the market expected to grow dramatically—from $30 billion in 2005 to $2.6 trillion in global manufactured goods using nanotechnology by 2014—“numerous uncertainties exist regarding possible impacts on the environment and human health,” the international authors observe in Nanotechnology and Life Cycle Assessment: A Systems Approach to Nanotechnology and the Environment. According to the report, wisely implemented assessment tools such as LCA can help corporations and researchers determine likely environmental impacts at various stages in a new nanotechnology product’s life cycle. It also enables governments, industry and consumers to compare the environmental performance of a novel nanotech product with that of conventional products already on the market. Based on discussions among 27 international nanotechnology and LCA experts at a two-day workshop held in October 2006, the report is being simultaneously released by the European Commission (EC) and the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, an initiative of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and The Pew Charitable Trusts. The report concludes that the existing International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and other widely used frameworks for LCA are fully applicable to nanomaterials and nanoproducts. However, according to the report, the specificity of LCA results for nanotechnology products will be limited by the “lack of data and understanding” in areas central to the accurate assessment of the environmental, human health, and safety effects of a particular nanomaterial or process.
WEB LINK http://www.nanotechproject.org/111/
32007-life-cycle-assessment-essential-to-nanotech-commercial-development
3. Herbal Herbicides
AUTHOR Raloff, Janet
SOURCE Science News Online, March 17, 2007
ABSTRACT Certain plants are picky about the company they keep. Once established, walnuts and some sandy shrubs, for instance, create a virtually barren border of ground around them. Many other plants aren't quite so antisocial. They permit numerous species into their neighborhoods, while barring a few plant types. Chemical defenses play a major role in determining which plants flourish in woodlands, meadows, farms—or even in suburban lawns. Although this herbal warfare has been recognized since Biblical times, its study is "still regarded as a relatively young and immature field of science," notes Yoshiharu Fujii of Japan's National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences in Tsukuba. Only in the past few decades have scientists focused on the chemical warfare underlying botanical standoffishness. They've demonstrated that many plants manufacture compounds that sicken or kill intruders. The potential payoff from influencing this defense is huge, notes Alan R. Putnam, a retired Michigan State University horticulturist who spent 18 years studying allelopathy, or plants' chemical defenses against other plants. By inhibiting crop growth, "allelochemicals undoubtedly cost world agriculture billions of dollars annually," he says. By understanding chemical-defense mechanisms, he argues, "we could put them to work to benefit agriculture." Fujii and other agricultural scientists have been working aggressively to identify the defensive chemicals. Some of the researchers look to cultivate plant varieties that naturally keep weeds at bay, while others are scouting for bodyguards that will protect a high-valued crop from nutrient- and light-robbing bullies. A few scientists intend to model new commercial pesticides on the agents that plants naturally produce. "Public awareness of environmental hazards from synthetic herbicides has opened new doors for scientists working on allelopathy to develop safe, environmentally friendly, and more productive farming methods," says Fujii, president of the International Allelopathy Society.
WEB LINK http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20070317/bob8.asp
4. Dangerous Levels of Toxics Found in New Cars
SOURCE Digital Chosunilbo (English Edition), March 17, 2007
ABSTRACT The so-called "new car syndrome" may be seriously bad for your health. A study found that new cars contain dangerous levels of 24 different carcinogenic and toxic substances. The Korea Transportation Safety Authority submitted to Democratic Party Rep. Lee Nak-yon a report on the air quality inside 38 brand-new cars produced here. It showed that the air inside the cars had an average of 111.3 micrograms per cubic meter (㎍/㎥) of benzene, a carcinogen. That's more than 22 times the limit of 5㎍/㎥ recommended by German testing and standards organization Technischer Ueberwachungs-Verein. It's also more than three times the 30㎍/㎥ limit recommended by the Environment Ministry in its guidelines for new homes to prevent "sick building syndrome." Some cars had as much as 384㎍/㎥ of benzene. Another toxic substance, xylene, was also detected in quantities exceeding government regulations. An average of 827.9㎍/㎥ of xylene was found in the cars, more than the 700㎍/㎥ limit. Dangerous levels of the carcinogens formaldehyde (97.7㎍/㎥) and toluene (517.6㎍/㎥) were also found. While these amounts are lower than the permissible levels for Korean homes, they exceed the limits set in Germany and Japan.
WEB LINK http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200703/
200703160007.html
5. AASHE Digest 2006: A Review of Campus Sustainability News
SOURCE Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
DATE 2007
ABSTRACT A new report produced by AASHE - the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education - shows an explosion of activity around sustainability on campuses across the US and Canada. AASHE Digest 2006 offers a comprehensive review of campus sustainability efforts from the past year. The report includes over 600 stories about higher education institutions leading the way to a sustainable future. It is organized into 8 chapters covering: 1) institutional change, 2) education and outreach, 3) social responsibility, 4) green building, 5) energy management and renewable energy, 6) food and agriculture, 7) transportation, and 8) waste, water, landscaping, and procurement. The Digest offers ample evidence of a broadening and deepening of campus sustainability efforts, with more institutions of all types getting involved and campuses undertaking more significant measures than ever before to improve their sustainability performance. Of particular note is the fact that the combined green power purchases of the Top 10 higher education purchasers tripled in 2006.
WEB LINK http://www.aashe.org/highlights/digest06.php
6. Mortality Risk Associated with Short-Term Exposure to Traffic Particles and Sulfates
AUTHOR Maynard, Dan; Coull, Brent A.; Gryparis, Alexandros; Schwartz, Joel
SOURCE Environmental Health Perspectives, EHP-in-Press, Online January 29, 2007
ABSTRACT Background: Many studies have shown that airborne particles are associated with increased risk of death, but attention has more recently focused on the differential toxicity of particles from different sources. GIS approaches have recently been used to improve exposure assessment, particularly for traffic particles, but only for long-term exposure. Objectives: We analyzed approximately 100,000 deaths from all, cardiovascular, and respiratory causes for the years 1995-2002 using a case-crossover analysis. Methods: Estimates of exposure to traffic particles were geocoded to the address of each decedent on the day before death and control days, with these estimates derived from a GIS-based exposure model incorporating deterministic covariates, such as traffic density and meteorologic factors, and a smooth function of latitude and longitude. Results: We estimate that an IQR increase in traffic particle exposure on the day before death is associated with a 2.3% increase (95% CI: 1.2%, 3.4%) in all-cause mortality risk. Stroke deaths were particularly elevated (3.7%, 95% CI 0,1%, 7.4%), as were diabetes deaths (5.7% (95% CI -1.7%, 13.7%). Sulfate particles are spatially homogeneous, and using a central monitor, we found that an 5 IQR increase in sulfate levels on the day before death is associated with a 1.1% (95% CI: 0.1%, 2.0%) increase in all-cause mortality risk. Conclusions: Both traffic and powerplant particles are associated with increased deaths in Boston, with larger effects for traffic particles.
WEB LINK http://www.ehponline.org/members/2007/9537/9537.pdf
7. Advanced Energy Technologies: Key Challenges to Their Development and Deployment
SOURCE United States Government Accountability Office (GAO)
DATE 2007
ABSTRACT DOE’s budget authority for energy R&D, when adjusted for inflation, fell 85 percent from its peak in fiscal year 1978 to fiscal year 2005. Energy R&D funding in the late 1970s was robust in response to constricted oil supplies and an ensuing energy crisis, but R&D funding plunged when oil prices returned to their historic levels in the mid-1980s. DOE’s R&D efforts have resulted in steady incremental progress in reducing costs for renewable energy, reducing harmful emissions of coal-fired power plants, and improving safety and efficiency for nuclear energy. Nevertheless, the nation’s dependence on conventional fossil fuels remains virtually the same as 30 years ago. Further development and deployment of advanced renewable, fossil, and nuclear energy technologies face several key challenges:; High Capital Costs. The high capital costs of advanced energy technologies worry risk-averse investors. For example, solar cells made to convert solar energy into electricity for homeowners and businesses have been typically too expensive to compete with fossil fuels. DOE’s R&D efforts include developing new materials for solar cells that could decrease manufacturing costs.; Environmental Concerns. Advanced energy technologies need to address harmful environmental effects, including bird and bat fatalities cause by wind turbines, carbon dioxide and mercury emissions by coal-fired power plants, and spent nuclear fuel from nuclear power reactors.; Technology-Specific Challenges. Challenges that are unique to each technology also create barriers to development and deployment. Ethanol, for example, will need to be manufactured with more cost-competitive technologies using agricultural residues or other cellulosic materials in order to expand beyond corn. Other challenges include developing new wind technologies to expand into low-wind and offshore locations; developing advanced coal gasification technologies to further reduce harmful emissions and high capital costs; and working with the nuclear power industry to deploy a new generation of reactors and develop the next generation to enable reactors to reprocess highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel or produce hydrogen. Many states and foreign countries have forged ahead of the federal government by successfully stimulating the deployment of renewable energy technologies. For example, renewable energy accounts for 3 percent of Texas’ electricity consumption because Texas enacted legislation in 1999 and 2005 requiring its electric utilities to meet renewable energy capacity standards. Similarly, Denmark has used mandates and financial incentives to promote wind energy, which provided 19 percent of its electricity in 2005.
WEB LINK http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07550t.pdf
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.
This page updated Friday March 23 2007