July 2009
27 posts
Scientists create ultraviolet-transparent aluminum →
Scientists recently created a new state of matter by blasting aluminum with a high-powered laser until it became transparent to ultraviolet light. Scientists say the new matter will teach them a great deal about the secrets of generating power using nuclear fusion.
Electronic cigarettes contain toxic chemicals →
Federal health officials said Wednesday they have found cancer-causing ingredients in electronic cigarettes, despite manufacturers’ claims the products are safer than tobacco cigarettes.
The Food and Drug Administration said testing of products from two leading electronic cigarette makers turned up several toxic chemicals, including a key ingredient in antifreeze
New pact to let European public track pollutants →
European citizens will be able to find out what dangerous substances are emitted in their neighbourhoods under an environmental treaty to go into effect in 17 countries in October, the United Nations said on Friday.
Maine releases a list of about 1,700 “chemicals of... →
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday released a list of about 1,700 “chemicals of high concern”— substances that pose a significant risk to human health that also are used in manufacturing common consumer goods.
Walmart Announces Sustainable Product Index →
Index will drive higher quality, lower costs and measure sustainability of products for first time.
Chemical Industry Touts Carbon Emissions Saved By... →
The International Council of Chemical Associations has released a report looking at the lifecycle impacts of products made from chemicals, showing how certain products can prevent and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
ACC Introduces Product Stewardship Portal →
ACC’s Product Stewardship Summary Search Portal is a tool that the public can use to learn more about chemicals in commerce using publicly available ACC member company product-stewardship summaries
ACC Introduces Product Stewardship Portal →
ACC’s Product Stewardship Summary Search Portal is a tool that the public can use to learn more about chemicals in commerce using publicly available ACC member company product-stewardship summaries
State Leadership in Formulating and Reforming... →
In the United States, states have historically taken a leadership role in innovations in environmental and health policies. Chemicals policy is no exception. In the absence of federal leadership in reforming the 30 year old Toxic Substances Act, several states have initiated broad reforms of chemicals regulation.
These reforms are occurring in response to a number of important drivers including...
11 Surprising Facts and Myths About Microwave... →
Microwaves are energy efficient and convenient. But what does the radiation do to our food, and can it affect our health?
Ten Essential Elements in TSCA Reform (Denison) →
Scientists and the public often don't see eye to... →
“A very small percentage of Americans know a scientist personally,” he explains. “Scientists are just not on their radar.” To change that, “scientists need to reach out to America.”
We Choose the Moon: Celebrating the 40th... →
There’s a special website just put up by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first Moon landing by broadcasting the Apollo 11 mission in real time … 40 years later. Activity will go live on the site this Thursday at 8:02 AM Eastern time, 90 minutes before the 40-years-ago launch of Apollo 11, and the “live”...
FDA Safety and Consumer Protections Are Often Less... →
Among other things, GAO (1) evaluated the extent to which FDA regulates and ensures the quality and safety of bottled water; (2) evaluated the extent to which federal and state authorities regulate the accuracy of labels and claims regarding the purity and source of bottled water; and (3) identified the environmental and other impacts of bottled water. GAO reviewed FDA data, reports, and...
2009 Sunscreen Guide (EWG) →
EWG’s annual guide reviews sunscreens, discusses their ingredients, and analyzes their ability to block cancer-causing rays.
Bill Introduced that Would Require Household... →
To require that household cleaning products and similar products bear a label that contains a complete and accurate list of all the product’s ingredients.
WatchWhen sustainability means more than ‘green’ (McKinsey Quarterly interview). Author Adam Werbach talks about Strategy for Sustainability.
Invitation to submit comments on the POPs pocket... →
The Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) seeks comments on a draft Pocket Guide for Effective Participation in the Work of the POPs Review Committee (POPRC). Comments are due by Jul 29, 2009.
Canada Seeks Information on 12 Substances... →
The Challenge to Industry initiative, launched in February 2007 as part of the federal government’s overall Chemicals Management Plan, involves 200 substances that have been identified as high priorities among 4,300 chemical substances that have been listed for review of their toxicity to human health and the environment.
The notice on Batch 10 substances is available at...
Plastics - the environment and human health (Royal... →
From cell phones and computers to bicycle helmets and IV bags, plastic has molded society in many ways that make life both easier and safer. But it also has left harmful imprints on the environment and perhaps human health, according to a new compilation of articles by scientists from around the world.
Building a Better Firework (Newsweek) →
There is little argument that the chemicals used in fireworks can be hazardous to humans and the environment in large amounts. Experts say that a single Fourth of July fireworks event probably does not have a significant polluting effect on individuals but could harm those exposed to fireworks often
Green Way to Dump Low-Tech Electronics (NYT) →
Since 2004, 18 states and New York City have approved laws that make manufacturers responsible for recycling electronics, and similar statutes were introduced in 13 other states this year. The laws are intended to prevent a torrent of toxic and outdated electronic equipment — television sets, computers, monitors, printers, fax machines — from ending up in landfills where they can leach...
Video Contest Winners Inspire Stewardship for the... →
EPA Water Quality Video Contest - Winners and Honorable Mentions.
EPA grants a waiver of Clean Air Act preemption to... →
California may implement its own greenhouse gas emissions limits for cars and light trucks, the Environmental Protection Agency announced June 30. The decision reverses the denial of a Clean Air Act waiver by the agency under the Bush administration for California to implement the standards.
U.S. joins 21 other nations to become the latest... →
“IRENA will engage governments around the world in promoting a rapid transition toward the widespread and sustainable use of renewable energy on a global scale,” Clinton said. “Our government’s participation is an important element of the Administration’s effort to support clean energy technologies and the development of low carbon economies to address global climate change and to...
June 2009
30 posts
Meeting of the Scientific Advisory Committee on... →
A federal advisory group June 25 discussed agency efforts to devise toxicological and other tests that reduce, refine, or replace the use of animals in some of the most frequently required regulatory tests for chemical safety.
Chemical producers and chemical customers seek... →
Producers are increasingly prioritizing a switch to sustainable chemistry, but many perceive significant hurdles.
Of the 800-plus respondents to the ICIS, over half (57%) said their company was already engaged in sustainable chemistry practices and that this engagement would continue during the current downturn. A similar percentage agreed that their customers had expressed an interest in...
New Concise Guidance on REACH (ECHA) →
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has launched a new series of shortened versions of the REACH Guidance Documents and Fact Sheet on the inclusion of substances in the List of Substances Subject to Authorisation.
Guidance in a Nutshell on requirements for substances in articles: http://guidance.echa.europa.eu/docs/guidance_document/nutshell_guidance_articles2.pdf
Guidance in a nutshell on...
Third National Assessment of Toxic Air Pollutants... →
EPA has released the latest version of tool that estimates health risks from breathing air toxics in the United States. The National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA), based on 2002 air emissions data, helps federal, state, local and tribal governments identify areas and specific pollutants for further evaluation to better understand risks they may pose. The 2002 NATA estimates that most people in the...
Next-Generation Risk Assessment (C&EN) →
With more than 80,000 chemicals currently on the market, and about 700 new ones added each year, a lot is at stake, observers say. The challenge is getting policymakers, Congress, and the courts to accept a new approach—one that would involve shifting from expensive and time-consuming whole-animal studies to in vitro tests with human cell lines.
Can Governments Till the Fields of Innovation... →
Innovation has typically been seen as a pursuit for entrepreneurs. But governments are seeing a need for innovation policies to tackle daunting challenges in fields like energy, the environment and health care.
EPA Suspends ChAMP, a chemical regulatory program... →
The Obama Administration is reviewing the ChAMP program as part of a larger evaluation of EPA’s chemicals management efforts. The agency’s top officials haven’t yet determined how they might update EPA’s chemicals program, which includes ChAMP, according to a June 18 statement from the agency. But EPA says it has suspended the development of what are called risk-based...
Connecticut Governor Signs Bill Banning Food... →
Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell (R) signed legislation June 3 that will ban the sale, manufacture, or distribution in the state of reusable food containers made with bisphenol A, or the storage of infant formula and baby food in containers made with the substance, beginning in October 2011.
Another One-Atom-Thick Material (C&EN) →
Boron nitride joins graphene on list of thinnest free-standing crystals.
Zicam not alone in side effects reports (Idaho... →
The unsettling little secret of Zicam Cold Remedy finally spilled out this week. Though widely sold for years as a drug for colds, it was never tested by federal regulators for safety like other drugs. And that was perfectly legal - until scores of consumers lost their sense of smell. One little word on Zicam’s label explains all this: “homeopathic.”
30 'New' Toxic Chemicals to Avoid (NRDC) →
California has identified 30 chemicals that may cause cancer, reproductive problems and other serious health concerns, according to NRDC.
National Conversation on Public Health and... →
ATSDR is jumping into the chemicals management reform fray, kicking off what it intends to be an 18 month “national conversation” on how industrial chemicals are managed in the U.S. and how it could be improved. The kick-off meeting in on June 26, 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., in Ronald Reagan Building, where EPA Administrator, NIEHS Director and ATSDR director are expected to speak. Sessions at the...
Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States... →
In what is being called a “game changing” report, the U.S. Climate Change Science Program released a report yesterday that concluded that the nation is already experiencing the effects of climate change and must act quickly to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The report was overseen by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric...
Kid-Safe Chemicals: Smart Discussion About Toxics... →
EWG is launching an interactive on-line news commentary designed to encourage discussion of federal chemical policy reform, including The Kid-Safe Chemicals Act, and to provide timely updates on policy. The site will feature articles and discussion by scientists, industry representatives, policy-makers, public health advocates and others on the issues critical to reform — from the...
Partnership for Sustainable Communities (EPA, DOT... →
EPA and the Departments of Transportation (DOT) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced a new partnership to help American families gain better access to affordable housing, more transportation options, and lower transportation costs. Earlier this year, HUD and DOT announced an unprecedented agreement to implement joint housing and transportation initiatives. With EPA ...
Latest trinational report presents most complete... →
Ninety percent of the 5.5 billion kilograms of toxic pollutant releases and transfers reported in North America in 2005 can be traced to about 30 substances from 15 industrial sectors across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Taking Stock 2005, released today by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, represents the most complete picture of pollution reporting from North American...
Ontario Government Passes Toxics Reduction Act To... →
Bill 167, the Toxics Reduction Act, 2009 passed by the Ontario Legislature on June 3, 2009 is at the core of Ontario’s Toxics Reduction Strategy.
The goal of the Toxics Reduction Strategy is to help protect the health and environment of Ontarians by reducing the use of toxic substances in air, land, water and consumer products while supporting the transition of industry to a green economy.
EPA Chemical Assessments: Process Reforms Offer... →
This testimony discusses (1) the findings from GAO’s March 2008 report Chemical Assessments: Low Productivity and New Interagency Review Process Limit the Usefulness and Credibility of EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System and related testimonies and (2) GAO’s preliminary evaluation of the revised IRIS assessment process EPA issued on May 21, 2009. For this testimony, GAO supplemented its...
Sustainable Syntheses (C&EN) →
Developing greener processes brings many benefits for pharmaceutical and fine chemicals manufacturers.
EPA Needs to Coordinate Its Research Strategy and... →
GAO recommends that EPA develop a comprehensive research strategy to improve its ability to use biomonitoring in its risk assessments; establish an interagency task force to coordinate federal biomonitoring research; and determine the extent of its legal authority to obtain biomonitoring data under TSCA, asking Congress for more authority if necessary. EPA agreed with the first two...
Endocrine Society calls for reducing use of BPA... →
There is strong evidence that chemicals that interfere with the hormone system can cause serious health problems, according to a scientific report from the Endocrine Society, now meeting in Washington, D.C. Although scientists still have many questions about the chemicals, the report says that it’s important for people to take a “precautionary approach” by reducing their...
Meeting of the Proposition 65 Carcinogen... →
The CIC recommended that 9 of the 38 chemicals referred to them for advice and consultation be placed in the ‘high’ priority group, w13 chemicals be placed in the ‘medium’ priority group, and the remaining 16 be placed in the ‘low’ priority group.
American Chemistry Council sets priorities (ICIS... →
The chemical industry is facing economic and regulatory pressures, and in addressing the issues, the American Chemistry Council is focusing on two key areas — climate change and the modernization of the Toxic Substances Control Act, according to Cal Dooley, ACC president and CEO. Meanwhile, the organization is stepping up its social-media efforts with Facebook and Twitter pages where...