Greenlist(tm) Bulletin 05/25/2007
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:
- Follow the "green" brick road?
- Vapor degreasing with binary azeotropes
- Medical surveillance for health care workers exposed to hazardous drugs
- Green building and how it impacts cabling
- Ranking cancer risks of organic hazardous air pollutants in the United States
- Local governments reduce costs through pollution prevention
- Little Green Data Book 2007
- Looking for environmentally friendly paper? Here are some of your options
- Environmental fate: industrial nanomaterials appear vulnerable to dispersal in natural environment
- 'Inadequate' planning contributed to Formosa accident in Illinois
1. Follow the "green" brick road?
Source: National Science Foundation, May 22, 2007
Abstract: Researchers have found that bricks made from fly ash--fine ash particles captured as waste by coal-fired power plants--may be even safer than predicted. Instead of leaching minute amounts of mercury as some researchers had predicted, the bricks apparently do the reverse, pulling minute amounts of the toxic metal out of ambient air.Each year, roughly 25 million tons of fly ash from coal-fired power plants are recycled, generally as additives in building materials such as concrete, but 45 million tons go to waste. Fly ash bricks both find a use for some of that waste and counter the environmental impact from the manufacture of standard bricks."Manufacturing clay brick requires kilns fired to high temperatures," said Henry Liu, a longtime National Science Foundation (NSF) awardee and the president of Freight Pipeline Company (FPC), which developed the bricks. "That wastes energy, pollutes air and generates greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. In contrast, fly ash bricks are manufactured at room temperature. They conserve energy, cost less to manufacture, and don't contribute to air pollution or global warming."Once colored and shaped, the FPC bricks are similar to their clay counterparts, both in appearance and in meeting or exceeding construction-material standards.
Link: http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=109594
2. Vapor degreasing with binary azeotropes
Authors: Durkee, John B.; Marshall, Jason
Source: Process Cleaning, March/April 2007, pp35-39
Abstract: Cleaning test data demonstrates that some soils that can be cleaned by n-propyl bromide (about which there are safety, health and environmental [SHE] concerns) can also be cleaned by some binary azeotropes in which both components are VOC exempt in the U.S.For users who perform surface vapor degreasing, solvent cleaning has undergone a profound change since about the early 1990s. The motive forces have been those categorized by the administrative name SHE (safety, health and environmental). The change produced by those forces has been to limit applications for solvent cleaning. This is because of the absence of solvents which meet practical, economic and SHE requirements.Azeotropes are blends of solvents. However, not all solvents form azeotropes. The number of components can be two, three, four or more. But for vapor degreasing work, more than two are probably impractical. Azeotropes add opportunity and complexity to vapor degreasing operations.An azeotrope is characterized by having the same composition in the liquid as in the vapor when the liquid is boiling. In this way, an azeotrope (with any number of components) acts as if it were a single component. For a single component, the composition in the boiling liquid and in the produced vapor is 100 percent of the solvent material. Binary azeotropes may be thought of as new solvents because they don’t require development of new molecules, synthesis routes, manufacturing capability or, generally, regulatory acceptance. Also, they’re seldom used for vapor degreasing.One solvent was chosen as a "target” to see if selected binary azeotropes could produce the same laboratory cleaning performance as demonstrated by the “target” solvent in similar laboratory cleaning experiments. Because of the high level of interest it generates, the chosen “target” solvent was n-propyl bromide. The four supplied solvents were mixed with DI water in 600 ml beakers to obtain binary azeotropes. Each was heated to its boiling point on a hot plate. Twelve preweighed aluminum coupons were coated with each of the four soils with a hand-held swab. Coupons were weighed again to determine the amount of oil applied. Three coupons were cleaned in each azeotrope for five minutes at the boiling point, rinsed for 15 seconds in 49 EC tap water and dried for 30 seconds using compressed air at room temperature. Coupons were weighed a third time to determine the amount of oil remaining and efficiencies were calculated and recorded. The two binary water-based azeotropes (t-butyl acetate and methyl acetate) in which both components are VOC-exempt in the U.S. offer good potential to replace n-propyl bromide in cleaning via vapor degreasing technology. Though the two binary water-based azeotropes (t-butyl acetate and heptane) were expected to clean the soils best, the n-propyl bromide also cleaned the soils well. The heptane-water binary azeotrope is a low-cost way of getting both polar and hydrogen-bonding intermolecular forces into a non-polar paraffin solvent. The azeotrope which was expected to be less effective (PGME) was somewhat less effective. But, it can be useful when matched to other soil materials.
Link: http://www.processcleaning.com/documents/
articlearchive/marapr07/vapordegrease.pdf
3. Medical surveillance for health care workers exposed to hazardous drugs
Source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), April 2007
Abstract: A new report from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommends that employers institute medical surveillance programs for health-care workers who are occupationally exposed to hazardous drugs, and suggests practical strategies and components for such programs.The document, Workplace Solutions: Medical Surveillance for Health Care Workers Exposed to Hazardous Drugs, supplements previous NIOSH resources that highlighted potential health risks for health-care employees who are exposed to hazardous drugs.The U.S. health care industry is one of the fastest growing sectors, with over 16.6 million workers in 2005. It is estimated that 5.5 million of these health care workers are potentially exposed to hazardous drugs or drug waste, including pharmacists, nurses, physicians, maintenance workers, operating room personnel, and others who may come into contact with these drugs while performing their job.Hazardous drugs are those that have been determined through research studies to have a potential for causing harm to healthy individuals, including potential risks of cancer, skin rashes, birth defects, and reproductive toxicity. These same drugs also play a critical role in treatment of patients with serious illnesses like cancer and HIV infection. Although the potential therapeutic benefits of hazardous drugs outweigh the risks of side effects for ill patients, exposed health care workers risk these same side effects with no therapeutic benefit.Health care workers can be exposed through inhalation, skin contact, skin absorption, ingestion or injection. Because of the multiple routes of potential exposure, NIOSH recommends a comprehensive approach to minimizing worker exposure. This comprehensive safety and health program should include engineering controls, good work practices, and proper personal protective equipment. In addition to these aspects of the program, NIOSH is also recommending that a medical surveillance program be used to support these efforts, collecting and interpreting data to better find out if there are changes in the health of workers.“Medical surveillance programs are important in the workplace for establishing a baseline for individuals' health and monitoring their health over time,” said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. “The recommendations in this document, which were developed in partnership with health care professionals, offer practical and effective measures for instituting and maintaining safe, efficient procedures for handling hazardous drugs.”
Link: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/wp-solutions/2007-117/
4. Green building and how it impacts cabling
Author: Stanitis, Gary
Source: 2007 Conference Proceedings of The Wire Association International, Inc.: Wire & Cable Technical Symposium, 77th Annual Convention, Cleveland, Ohio, USA, May 2007
Abstract: This paper examines three trends that play a role in the design, evolution, and use of data-communication cabling today. The first is “green building,” the incorporation of rational environmental design into buildings in the USA. In parallel with this trend, there are emerging global standards and regulations addressing the environmental suitability of materials used in wire and cabling. Additionally, materials such as cable must continue to meet the demand of existing fire and electrical safety as determined by the national and local building codes.
5. Ranking cancer risks of organic hazardous air pollutants in the United States
Authors: Loh, Miranda M.; Levy, Jonathan I.; Spengler, John D.; Houseman, E. Andres; Bennett, Deborah H.
Source: Environmental Health Perspectives, EHP-in-Press, 15 May 2007
Abstract: Background: This study compares cancer risks from organic hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) based on total personal exposure summed across different microenvironments andexposure pathways. Methods: We developed distributions of personal exposure concentrations using field monitoring and modeling data for inhalation and, where relevant, ingestion pathways. We calculated risks for a non-occupationally exposed and non-smoking population using U.S. (U.S. EPA) and California Office of Environmental Health and Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) unit risks. The contribution to risk from indoor versus outdoor sources was determined using indoor/outdoor ratios for gaseous compounds and the infiltration factor for particle-bound compounds. Results: Using OEHHA’s unit risks, the highest ranking compounds based on the population median are 1,3-butadiene, formaldehyde, benzene, and dioxin, with risks on the order of 10-4 – 10-5. The highest risk compounds using the U.S. EPA unit risks were dioxin, benzene, formaldehyde, and chloroform, with risks on a similar order of magnitude. While indoor exposures are responsible for nearly 70% of risk using OEHHA’s unit risks, when infiltration is accounted for, inhalation of outdoor sources contributed 50% to total risk, on average. Additionally, 15% of risk resulted from exposures through food, mainly due to dioxin. Conclusions: Most of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, benzene, acetaldehyde, and 1,3-butadiene risk came from outdoor sources, while indoor sources were primarily responsible for chloroform, formaldehyde, and naphthalene risks. The infiltration of outdoor pollution into buildings, emissions from indoor sources, and uptake through food are all important to consider in reducing overall personal risk to HAPs.
Link: http://www.ehponline.org/members/2007/9884/9884.pdf
6. Local governments reduce costs through pollution prevention
Author: Moss, Ligia Roviralta
Source: Journal of Cleaner Production, Article-in-Press, 14 May 2007
Abstract: The Pollution Prevention 1997: A National Progress Report identifies pollution prevention initiatives as potentially the most effective for reducing risks to human health and the environment, as well as the most cost-effective method of environmental protection. So it is no surprise that much of the implementation of pollution prevention by local governments has been driven due to the cost savings it provides. Pollution prevention initiatives have been proven to reduce costs, improve efficiency, reduce risk, reduce liability, and provide a safer work environment. However, as many local governments have experienced budget and resource reductions, their pollution prevention programs have been impacted. Local governments, working to continue pollution prevention initiatives in spite of declining budgets, have had to change their approaches, be creative, and innovate. Montgomery County, Maryland has implemented a number of pollution prevention strategies for its own County operations. The linkages established between cost savings they achieve and environmental benefits provided have been used to continue to expand the County's pollution prevention efforts. This paper provides an overview of the pollution prevention measures and approaches that have been implemented in Montgomery County for its internal operations.
7. Little Green Data Book 2007
Source: The World Bank, May 2007
Abstract: Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions – the principal man-madecause of global warming – continue to rise, with the world producing today 16 percent more CO2 than in 1990, according to the Little Green Data Book 2007, launched today on the occasion of the 15th Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-15), which is focusing its deliberations on issues of energy and climate change. According to this year’s edition of this annual World Bank publication, emissions from fossil fuels and cement manufacturing today (the most recent comprehensive data are for 2003) are originated in equal shares from the industrialized and the developing worlds. In 1960, low and middle income countries only accounted for one third of world emissions. Emissions have been growing faster in the poorer countries, the report says, especially in East and South Asia. But the upward trend is also a feature of high income countries. The United States and Japan show very high increases in CO2 emissions: 20 and 15 percent respectively between 1990 and 2003. The European Monetary Union countries grew 3 percent. As a group, rich countries are largely off-track with respect to the Kyoto commitments, which established an average reduction of 5.2 percent from 1990 levels by 2012. The only exception is constituted by the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where emissions have gone down owing to the recession of the 1990s. According to the report, among the group of developing countries, China and India stand out as major emitters. Carbon dioxide emissions in China have increased by 1,700 million tons between 1990 and 2003 (73 percent more), and in India by 700 million tons (88 percent more). While contributing heavily to the world’s total, emissions from China and India are very low in per-capita terms. The average Chinese still emits 16 percent of the average citizen from the United States, and the average Indian emits 6 percent of the United States average. Carbon dioxide emissions stem mainly from the combustion of fossil fuels and the manufacture of cement. The Little Green Data Book 2007 shows that this is true especially for industrialized countries and a group of fast growing developing economies, such as China and India. The report says that fossil fuels (i.e. oil, natural gas, or coal) are used to generate 66 percent of electricity worldwide. In the Middle East, the share of fossil fuels in electricity generation is 93 percent, and in East Asia and the Pacific and in South Asia it is 82 percent. At the other end of the spectrum is Latin America and the Caribbean, with 38 percent of its electricity produced from fossil fuels.
Link: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTDATASTA/
64199955-1178226923002/21322619/LGDB2007.pdf
8. Looking for environmentally friendly paper? Here are some of your options
Author: Skodzinski, Noelle
Source: Book Business, June 2006, pp26-27
Abstract: If you haven’t reviewed your options in environmentally friendly paper in a while, it might be time to do so. There are currently more than 50 papers on the market made from recycled paper, 20 of which contain 100-percent recycled content. Others contain anywhere from 10-percent to 90-percent recycled content and brightness levels up to 97. Many are also produced using more environmentally friendly bleaching processes, such as processed-chlorine free or elemental-chlorine free processes.
Link: http://www.bookbusinessmag.com/story/story.bsp?sid=31905&var=story
9. Environmental fate: industrial nanomaterials appear vulnerable to dispersal in natural environment
Source: Georgia Tech Research News, December 2006
Abstract: Laboratory experiments with a type of nanomaterial that has great promise for industrial use show significant potential for dispersal in aquatic environments – especially when natural organic materials are present. When mixed with natural organic matter in water from the Suwannee River -- a relatively unpolluted waterway that originates in southern Georgia -- multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) remain suspended for more than a month, making them more likely to be transported in the environment, according to research led by the Georgia Institute of Technology. Carbon nanotubes, which can be single- or multiwalled, are cylindrical carbon structures with novel properties that make them potentially useful in a wide variety of applications including electronics, composites, optics and pharmaceuticals. “We found that natural organic matter, or NOM as we call it, was efficient at suspending the nanotubes in water,” said Jaehong Kim, an assistant professor in the Georgia Tech School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “We don’t know for certain why NOM is so efficient at suspending these nanotubes in the laboratory,” Kim said. “We think NOM has some chemical characteristics that promote adhesion to the nanotubes more than to some surfactants. We are now studying this further.” In the lab, Kim and his colleagues compared the interactions of various concentrations of MWNTs with different aqueous environments – organic-free water, water containing a 1 percent solution of the surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), water containing a commercially available sample of Suwannee River NOM and an actual sample of Suwannee River water from the same location as the commercially available preparation. They agitated each sample for one hour and then let it sit for up to one month. The researchers then used transmission electron microscopy (TEM), measurements of opacity and turbidity, and other analyses to determine the behavior of MWNTs in these environments. The results were: * MWNTs added to organic-free water settled quickly, and the water became completely transparent in less than an hour. * When added to the SDS solution, the nanotubes immediately made the water dark and cloudy. After one day of settling, some nanotubes remained suspended, and the water was a light gray color. * Water containing the commercially available sample of Suwannee River NOM originally appeared dark and cloudy, then gradually lightened after four days of settling. Some MWNTs remained suspended for more than a month. * The results with an actual Suwannee River sample were similar to those with the commercially available preparation.
Link: http://gtresearchnews.gatech.edu/newsrelease/nanomaterials-environment.htm
10. 'Inadequate' planning contributed to Formosa accident in Illinois
Author: Seewald, Nancy
Source: Chemical Week, March 14, 2007, p11
Abstract: Human error caused the April 2004 fatal explosion at Formosa Plastics’ Illiopolis, IL plant, but “inadequate planning” contributed to the severity of the accident, according to a final accident investigation report by the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. The explosion killed five workers, injured three, and caused the evacuation of about 150 area residents. “People do make mistakes, and that is why it is all the more important for chemical plants to design systems that take into account the possibility of such errors,” says CSB chairman Carolyn W. Merritt. The accident destroyed Formosa’s 200-million lbs/year, specialty-grade polyvinyl chloride (PVC) unit. It occurred when an operator overrode a critical valve safety interlock on a vessel making PVC, causing vinyl chloride liquid and vapor to be discharged, the report says. CSB says the plant was lacking safeguards that would have secured the interlock system and prevented valves from opening when the reactor was pressurized.
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://slk060.liberty3.net/turi/ for greater topic coverage.
This page updated Thursday May 24 2007