Apr 17, 2008
Is the action on toxic plastics hype? No
I am often asked if the "toxicity of plastics" is a valid concern... Plastics are critical to our health, safety and protection of our resources. When used in medical, transport, manufacturing, etc... plastics are a vital to the continued success and development of our future.
But, certain plastics in food, buildings and disposable consumer products are not just toxic and dangerous (to people and the planet) but also deplete the finite limit to the same "vital" plastics that are essential to our future.
IF plastics were regulated on a "risk scale of sustainable use"... "problem plastics", currently contributing to our toxic disposable cocktail of consumer use products, would be diverted to building a safer, healthier and more sustainable future. As qualitive "risk based" law would regulate how and why plastics are safely used.
Between the EPA,CPSC, international non-profit, environmental and plastics groups... this information language is ALREADY well defined and documented. So putting it into law should be easy enough?
... here are the toxic "plastic problems" summary by reader request.
NY-Times: the Canadian government is said to be ready to declare as toxic a chemical widely used in plastics for baby bottles, beverage and food containers as well as linings in food cans. A person with knowledge of the government's chemical review program spoke on the condition he not be named because of a confidentiality agreement. He said the staff work to list the compound, called bisphenol-a, or B.P.A., as a toxic chemical was complete and was recently endorsed by a panel of outside scientists. . . "If the government issues a finding of toxic, no parent in their right mind will be using products made with this chemical," said Rick Smith, . "We will be arguing strongly for a ban on the use of this chemical in food and beverage containers."
Regardless the 'Toxic' plastic could remain in use. As speculation mounts that the federal government will declare that common plastic food and drink containers are officially toxic, an odd twist is also emerging: Being declared toxic would not force the products off supermarket shelves
¶ 4/17/2008 03:55:00 AM 0 Comments
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But, certain plastics in food, buildings and disposable consumer products are not just toxic and dangerous (to people and the planet) but also deplete the finite limit to the same "vital" plastics that are essential to our future.
IF plastics were regulated on a "risk scale of sustainable use"... "problem plastics", currently contributing to our toxic disposable cocktail of consumer use products, would be diverted to building a safer, healthier and more sustainable future. As qualitive "risk based" law would regulate how and why plastics are safely used.
Between the EPA,CPSC, international non-profit, environmental and plastics groups... this information language is ALREADY well defined and documented. So putting it into law should be easy enough?
But hey, "What do I know" ;-)
... here are the toxic "plastic problems" summary by reader request.
NY-Times: the Canadian government is said to be ready to declare as toxic a chemical widely used in plastics for baby bottles, beverage and food containers as well as linings in food cans. A person with knowledge of the government's chemical review program spoke on the condition he not be named because of a confidentiality agreement. He said the staff work to list the compound, called bisphenol-a, or B.P.A., as a toxic chemical was complete and was recently endorsed by a panel of outside scientists. . . "If the government issues a finding of toxic, no parent in their right mind will be using products made with this chemical," said Rick Smith, . "We will be arguing strongly for a ban on the use of this chemical in food and beverage containers."Regardless the 'Toxic' plastic could remain in use. As speculation mounts that the federal government will declare that common plastic food and drink containers are officially toxic, an odd twist is also emerging: Being declared toxic would not force the products off supermarket shelves
- Chemical in plastic packaging may harm baby growth.
"Chemical in Plastic May Harm Human Growth" - Canada Says Good Bye - Hazardous Chemicals
- BPA scandal - Public health agency linked to chemical industry
- Professor-obesity could be caused by female sex hormones used to make plastic bottles
Online resources on possible risks and alternatives to plastics for children:
- Environment California report: sfgate.com/ZCM
- EWG report on bisphenol A: ewg.org
Apr 16, 2008
Is industrial pollution making America fat?
Studies link pervasive 'obesogens' to weight gain in frogs, mice
In the United States, the percentage of adults who are obese — defined by the National Institutes of Health as a body-mass index exceeding 30 — has doubled since 1990, climbing from 12 percent to a whopping 24 percent in 2005, closely tracking Oregon figures, according to the Oregon Health Division.
For the most part, the blame for the obesity epidemic has fallen on diet and exercise, with particular emphasis on familiar evils such as the proliferation of junk food, the advent of the remote control, trans fat, ever-longer commutes and even the disappearance of physical education in schools.
But now some researchers have identified a new suspect: pollution.
Attributing obesity to diet and exercise is "practically scientific dogma at this point," says Bruce Blumberg, associate professor of developmental and cell biology at UC Irvine. But, he continues, "diet and exercise are simply not adequate to explain the explosion of obesity in Western countries."
Instead, Blumberg believes the obesity epidemic actually is due, in part, to industrial pollution — specifically to low levels of toxic compounds he calls "obesogens."
Just as exposure to carcinogens can trigger cancer, Blumberg and other researchers say exposure to obesogens can trigger a dramatic increase in the amount of fat produced in a person's body, leading to excess weight and obesity.
Blumberg and his co-workers exposed female frogs to extremely low levels of TBT; as expected, TBT did indeed cause sexual mutation among frogs. But what was really striking, he says, was that the hapless amphibians got fat — really fat. "To be honest, I will have to say we stumbled on this," he says.
Tiny doses had a big effect - Although most of the research on endocrine disrupters has focused on their potential effects on sexual development, fat production also is regulated by the hormone system and is, theoretically at least, just as susceptible to disruption.
Blumberg injected mice with TBT and observed similar results: fat rodents. Even more significant, the compound triggered obesity in ridiculously min-uscule quantities. In fact, Blumberg and his colleagues demonstrated effects from TBT at 27 parts per billion — the rough equivalent of 4 tablespoons in an Olympic-sized swimming pool.
Toxicology experts concur that some compounds are so potent that they can indeed trigger changes at minute concentrations, at least in the test tube.
"It sounds absurd, but it's not inconsistent with what we see in the lab," says Fred Berman, director of the Toxicology Information Center at the Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology at Oregon Health & Science University.
Organotins are everywhere
The disruptive effects of organotins stem from their propensity to stimulate a particular hormone receptor that plays a key role in maintaining the body's metabolism, in effect telling the body which kind of cells are in short supply and need to be grown.
Organotins somehow encourage that receptor to manufacture fat cells — which in turn promotes that ominous abdominal bulge feared by statisticians and movie stars alike.
Organotins first came into widespread use in the 1960s in the shipbuilding industry, where they were mixed with paint to deter barnacles and mollusks from accumulating on the hulls of ships.
They also have been used as soil fungicides for crops such as nuts, potatoes, rice and celery; as "slimicide" to clean up the goop that accumulates in underground water wells; and in the manufacture of polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, a hard plastic found in drainpipes, vinyl flooring, window frames and hundreds of other places.
These widespread uses suggest several possible routes of human exposure, Blumberg says. Organotins may contaminate crops, seep into wells or leach into drinking water from PVC pipes.
In addition, he points out that people who are exposed to obesogens are not doomed to a lifetime of corpulence — they simply have to work harder than others to shed weight.
Labels: Toxic2U
¶ 4/16/2008 12:41:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Mar 23, 2008
FDA relied on only 2 studies to judge safety
Ignoring hundreds of government and academic studies showing a chemical commonly found in plastic can be harmful to lab animals at low doses, the Food and Drug Administration determined the chemical was safe based on just two industry-funded studies that didn't find harm. Read more from Milwaukee JS
Labels: Toxic2U
¶ 3/23/2008 05:06:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Jan 31, 2008
Hot Water + Polycarbonate Bottles = More Gender-Benders
We have been saying for a while that polycarbonates bottles can leach Bisphenol A, a gender bender chemical, and that it was time to ditch them; now a new University of Cincinnati study shows that the temperature of the liquid inside has the most impact on how much BPA is released. According to Martin Mittelstaedt of the Globe and Mail, "Adding boiling water to polycarbonate plastic bottles causes a dramatic spike (55 times as much!) VIA-hugg.com (Link)
Labels: Toxic2U
¶ 1/31/2008 06:21:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Jan 12, 2008
Bisphenol A most harmful to infants, study says.
A new U.S. study on the plastic compound bisphenol A indicates that the chemical may be far more dangerous for young children than for adults (Linked here).
Labels: Toxic2U
¶ 1/12/2008 05:41:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Dec 12, 2007
Humans are exposed to bisphenol A in plastics in their everyday lives, and children might be most at risk.
Nearly all participants had indications bisphenol A in their urine...
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey of more than 2500 U.S. 
residents shows that nearly everyone in the country carries bisphenol A (BPA) in their bodies and that children carry the highest burden. The observations from NHANES are also "disturbing in that it confirms without a doubt that the youngest are most at risk," he says. Babies probably have the highest BPA levels, but NHANES only includes children 6 years and older.
The new data suggest that people's everyday exposures to BPA are higher than the no-harm level ...studies indicate that an exposure dose would be about 10 times the amount found in blood and urine measurements.
The chemical, used in plastics and food containers, acts as an endocrine disrupter. It has been shown to lead to obesity, depressed growth rates, and prostate cancer in laboratory animals, according to recent reviews by a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) panel.
Led by Antonia Calafat of CDC's National Center for Environmental Health, researchers analyzed samples collected during the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) of 20032004. The team reported online October 24 in Environmental Health Perspectives that concentrations of a BPA metabolite in urine ranged from 0.4 to 149 micrograms per liter (µg/L), with an average of 2.6 µg/L. The researchers also established that children carry "significantly higher" BPA concentrations than adolescents, who in turn have higher levels than adults.
Read more from article by
Labels: Toxic2U
¶ 12/12/2007 06:42:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Dec 11, 2007
JSOnline -Investors take aim at removing dangerous plastics
Already under attack from a host of critics, companies that make and sell plastic products are being hammered by a new, unexpected adversary - their shareholders. 
"It has the potential to dramatically change the industry . . by placing corporations essentially in the same position that energy companies found themselves in with the climate risk issue," said Bart Mongoven, vice president for the public policy intelligence group at Stratfor, a national consulting firm. "The use of shareholder resolutions is, I think, the most effective way of making this an issue for the executives of the corporation."
In the past two years, more than two dozen shareholder resolutions have taken publicly held corporations to task for their use of potentially toxic chemicals, according to the Investor Environmental Health Network, a nonprofit for money managers and shareholder groups that use investments to pressure corporations on chemical issues. The money managers in the umbrella group oversee $34 billion in assets.
"It has the potential to dramatically change the industry . . by placing corporations essentially in the same position that energy companies found themselves in with the climate risk issue," said Bart Mongoven, vice president for the public policy intelligence group at Stratfor, a national consulting firm. "The use of shareholder resolutions is, I think, the most effective way of making this an issue for the executives of the corporation."There's been a rash of media attention on the chemical issue, much of which has focused on compounds, such as bisphenol A and phthalates, that mimic hormones. In October, California, following the lead of the European Union, passed legislation banning products designed for young children that contain certain phthalates.
A recent Journal Sentinel investigation chronicled the slow movement by the U.S. government to test suspected endocrine disruptors - despite a law Congress passed in 1996 ordering the Environmental Protection Agency to begin testing.
The newspaper also found that government assurances about the safety of bisphenol A are based on outdated and incomplete science often funded by the chemical industry.
"It's an area where the laws are not being developed or they are not being enforced," Liroff said. "So, in essence, what you have here is market forces coming in to fill the void."
Though the chemical resolutions have received little media attention, activist shareholders are convinced that will soon change.
"Have you seen the number of recalls lately?" said Lauren Compere, director of shareholder advocacy at Boston Common Asset Management. "We're saying, 'Deal with this proactively, it's a form of risk management . . . We're talking about risk to your reputation.' "
"It's not a matter of being altruistic," Letsky said. "It's a matter of being smart in the long term."
Key Findings
- U.S. regulators promised a decade ago to screen more than 15,000 chemicals for their effects on the endocrine system. As yet, not a single screen has been done.
- As the U.S. testing process remains grounded, hundreds of products have been banned in countries around the world.
- It's impossible for consumers to know which products are made with these dangerous compounds.
- The federal government's assurances that bisphenol A is a safe chemical are based on outdated and incomplete government studies and science mostly funded by the chemical industry.
Read full from Journal Sentinel staff in this report here
Labels: Toxic2U
¶ 12/11/2007 08:42:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Dec 6, 2007
Lipstick BBP - which accumulates in fat cells - could increase the risks of breast cancer.
Could lipstick give you breast cancer?
A study has shown that butyl benzyl phthalate, or BBP, can interfere with the healthy development of breast tissue.
Environmental campaigners yesterday called for it to be banned in the cosmetic industry, where it is used to make products glossy.
The man-made substance is part of the phthalate family of chemicals, which mimic the female sex hormone oestrogen.
Phthalates are widely used to soften plastics and are found in food packaging, toys, carpets and solvents.
Past studies have linked them to birth defects, kidney problems and infertility.
They have been banned in teething rings and babies' dummies across Europe.
Now, scientists at the Fox Chase Cancer Centre in Philadelphia say that BBP - which accumulates in our fat cells - could increase the risks of breast cancer.
The baby rats were exposed to levels of the chemical estimated to be nearly equivalent to the American Environmental Protection Agency's safe dose for humans, the researchers reported in the online journal BMC Genomics.
The chemical altered the genetic make-up of cells in the young female rat's mammary glands.
Although the effects wore off once BBP was removed from the diet, the subtle changes could have an effect later in life, the scientists say.
"We are the first to report that neonatal/prepubertal exposure to BBP induced modifications in the gene expression of the mammary tissue," said team leader Dr Jose Russo.
"BBP is in the environment, so a constant exposure via inhalation and digestive tract can reach many different organs including the breast.
Chemicals found in lipstick and nail varnish could trigger breast cancer, scientists warned yesterday.
A study has shown that butyl benzyl phthalate, or BBP, can interfere with the healthy development of breast tissue. Environmental campaigners yesterday called for it to be banned in the cosmetic industry, where it is used to make products glossy.
The man-made substance is part of the phthalate family of chemicals, which mimic the female sex hormone oestrogen.
Phthalates are widely used to soften plastics and are found in food packaging, toys, carpets and solvents.
Past studies have linked them to birth defects, kidney problems and infertility.
They have been banned in teething rings and babies' dummies across Europe.
Now, scientists at the Fox Chase Cancer Centre in Philadelphia say that BBP - which accumulates in our fat cells - could increase the risks of breast cancer.
The team fed lactating rats with BBP, which was then absorbed by their offspring via breast milk.
The baby rats were exposed to levels of the chemical estimated to be nearly equivalent to the American Environmental Protection Agency's safe dose for humans, the researchers reported in the online journal BMC Genomics.
The chemical altered the genetic make-up of cells in the young female rat's mammary glands.
Although the effects wore off once BBP was removed from the diet, the subtle changes could have an effect later in life, the scientists say.
"We are the first to report that neonatal/prepubertal exposure to BBP induced modifications in the gene expression of the mammary tissue," said team leader Dr Jose Russo.
"BBP is in the environment, so a constant exposure via inhalation and digestive tract can reach many different organs including the breast.
Read more Is your lipstick giving you cancer? (By DAVID DERBYSHIRE)
Labels: Toxic2U
¶ 12/06/2007 09:37:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Nov 26, 2007
Sex hormone in a can?
FOX investigates " Bisphenol A" after reading my blog?
You may not know it, but every time you open a can of soup, vegetables, even beer and soda you may actually be swallowing a sex hormone. It's been going on for decades and it's even approved by the federal government. Watch Fox Story Here
Haase Comment- "If the general public had any idea of the consequences of using hazardous chemical to make consumables, they would all make smarter purchases that save our future"
Also see more reports on plastic risks here:
- Canada Says Good Bye - Hazardous Chemicals
- BPA scandal - Public health agency linked to chemical industry
- Professor-obesity could be caused by female sex hormones used to make plastic bottles
Online resources on possible risks and alternatives to plastics for children:
Environment California report: www.links.sfgate.com/ZCM
Environment California report: www.links.sfgate.com/ZCM
EWG report on bisphenol A: www.ewg.org/reports/bisphenola/consumertips.php
Labels: Toxic2U
¶ 11/26/2007 07:39:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Nov 19, 2007
17 million barrels of oil were used to manufacture, fill, and transport bottled water.
Seventy-four percent of Americans drink bottled water, and one in five drinks only bottled water. Worldwide, consumers spent $100 billion on bottled water in 2005. Each year more than 4 billion pounds of PET plastic bottles end up in landfills or as roadside litter Last year in the US, 17 million barrels of oil were used to manufacture, fill, and transport bottled water. That's enough to fuel 1 million cars for 1 year (in the US). This is a significant source of global warming pollution furthermore, it's becoming a have and have not issue.
As water resources shift with global climate change, water is going to become an even more precious resource than it is currently. Right now, we have more than 1.1 billion people who lack access to enough clean, safe water to meet their daily needs.
The Think Outside the Bottle campaign is asking people to pledge to opt for tap water over bottled, and to support the efforts of local officials who are working for stronger public water systems. We are asking people to sign because:water is a human right and not a commodity to be bought and sold for profit; bottled water corporations are changing the very way we think about water and undermining people's confidence in public water systems; up to 40% of bottled water in the US and Canada is sourced from municipal tap water; some bottlers have run over communities' concerns and the environment when they extract water and build bottling plants to get local spring and ground water; bottled water travels many miles from the source, results in the burning of massive amounts of fossil fuels, and contributes to the billions of plastic bottles ending up in our landfills; worldwide there is a need for investments in public water systems to ensure equal access to water, a key ingredient for prosperity and health for all people; and
solutions to ensuring water as a fundamental human right require people acting together and standing up for public water systems.
To sign the pledge to stick with tap water and show corporations and public officials that you value it, click here.
Did you know about bottled water?
As water resources shift with global climate change, water is going to become an even more precious resource than it is currently. Right now, we have more than 1.1 billion people who lack access to enough clean, safe water to meet their daily needs.
The Think Outside the Bottle campaign is asking people to pledge to opt for tap water over bottled, and to support the efforts of local officials who are working for stronger public water systems. We are asking people to sign because:
solutions to ensuring water as a fundamental human right require people acting together and standing up for public water systems.
To sign the pledge to stick with tap water and show corporations and public officials that you value it, click here.
Labels: Toxic2U
¶ 11/19/2007 11:18:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Nov 16, 2007
Deck the halls with ... poison?
Holiday items' lead warnings are getting more notice.
The culprits are plastic coatings used in everything from wire insulation to Christmas wreaths (lead has been used for decades as a PVC stabilizer to extend life)
label advises to wash hands every time handled... because the product contains lead that causes birth defects and cancer.
"It didn't say 'may' or 'could.' It said 'does' and 'will,' " recalled the 39-year-old mother of two who immediately imagined her 3-year-son sticking his hand in his mouth after touching the cord. "Why are they still selling this if it contains lead?" As far as Elm's wreath, meets government standards."We believe there is no health hazard, but we label in conformance with California law because of the efficiencies of uniformity in printing packaging nationwide,"
California voters approved Proposition 65 in 1986. It requires a warning on any product with enough lead or toxic ingredients to cause cancer or birth defects. The law, however, is mostly enforced by private attorneys who test the products, then sue for the lack of a label. Critics complain the tactics spawned an industry of bounty-hunting lawyers. Public-interest groups laud the law as a form of advocacy that replaces lax government agencies without costing the taxpayers. Companies complain about being held to stricter standards than federal law.
Most big retailers have been on the hit list with Prop 65 allegations on everything from toys to hair drier cords.
The California threshold for a warning label is 10 micrograms per deciliter of blood. A swipe of the cord left 0.5 micrograms.
"An adult will wash their hands, but a child sees decorations as so mystical they can't keep their hands off," he said. "Then they put their fingers in their mouth."
Labels: Toxic2U
¶ 11/16/2007 08:24:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Oct 31, 2007
"'Everywhere Chemicals' in Plastics Alarm Parents"
"Consider the BornFree baby bottle. It's made from a plastic five times as expensive as the one routinely used for baby bottles. It has to be shipped all the way from Israel. And its retail price -- $9.50 -- is about triple that of a conventional bottle. It's also a big seller in stores catering to parents who want the safest possible environment for their babies, stores where items labeled 'bisphenol A-free' and 'phthalate-free' line up next to the cloth diapers and breast pumps. BornFree is 'so popular, their products have been on back order because we can't keep them in stock,' says Cara Vidano of Natural Resources, a store here for new and expectant parents. To anyone not contemplating parenthood, phthalates and bisphenol A sound like something children bring home on chemistry quizzes, not cuddle in their cribs. But these chemicals are at the heart of worldwide scientific investigation and a debate over whether they are harmful to the very young. Parents, activists and many scientists are concerned that if a baby drinks from a bottle made with bisphenol A or gums a toy made with phthalates, he or she could suffer serious, even permanent, harm." Elizabeth Weise and Liz Szabo report for USA TODAY Oct. 31, 2007. (source: sej.org)
Read it here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-10-30-plastics-cover_N.htm
¶ 10/31/2007 08:39:00 AM 0 Comments
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Read it here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-10-30-plastics-cover_N.htm
Oct 22, 2007
"It's not a tax on water, it's a tax on plastic,"
Chicago To Tax Bottled Water (TH)
Other cities striving to be green and under financial stress should take a look at this: why not tax pollutants and waste for the cost of their recovery? Why not put deposits on everything?
Note also "Every time you look, there's plastic all over."
USA today summarizes other measures that cities are taking to control the spread of bottled water:
The mayors of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Salt Lake City have asked city employees not to use bottled water or have banned city spending on it.
The Ann Arbor, Mich., City Council this summer urged residents to tote refillable bottles and stopped buying bottled water for city functions. "We're not trying to make bottled water the bad guys," city spokeswoman Nancy Stone says. "We want to make the statement that tap water is great."
New York Assemblyman Bob Sweeney has proposed a ban on individual bottles of water in state facilities. "This is something people can understand," he says.
The Farmers Diner in Quechee, Vt., stopped selling bottled water a few months ago. Customers "are quite happy to get water from a well," the restaurant's Denise Yandow says.
Santa Barbara, Calif., in April stopped buying bottled water and began serving tap water at city functions. "There's a significant amount of energy consumed to produce, store, bottle and ship the water," city spokeswoman Nina Johnson says. "This is one of the simplest ways to counter that."
Labels: Toxic2U
¶ 10/22/2007 07:05:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Oct 16, 2007
Health risks of polycarbonate, consumers are abandoning their sports bottles and switching to stainless steel.
Proponents like the American Chemistry Council urge consumers to ignore the scare stories based on animal studies... But the mouse has always been a pretty good model for humans, says geneticist Patricia Hunt, who observed chromosomal abnormalities in lab mice exposed to BPA in 1998. Since then, the science has been "nailed down," argues Frederick vom Saal, the University of Missouri-Columbia biology professor who's leading the scientific charge against BPA. "It's just a question of whether the regulatory community acknowledges the hazards of this chemical." Rick Smith, the executive director of the Toronto-based Environmental Defense, is predicting that this will be among the dominant debates in the area of the environment in the next few years.
Once ubiquitous on university campuses, where they emerged as the accessory of choice among young, outdoorsy types, Nalgene bottles are being displaced by metal bottles, While metal bottles are the 'safer,' greener -- and cooler -- way to hydrate... "Who knows?" "In a few years' time they may say there's something wrong with stainless steel.
¶ 10/16/2007 10:53:00 AM 0 Comments
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But "this isn't something I want to take a chance on when it comes to my child's well-being."
A growing number of consumers who are looking for alternatives after reports that a chemical in the polycarbonate plastic used in the trademark bottles may be unsafe. Polycarbonate was once considered a giant leap forward in plastics: it's sturdy, lightweight and clear -- and it doesn't transfer taste, as Nalgene fanatics are quick to point out. Yet it's come under scrutiny after reports that the plastic leaches bisphenol A (BPA), a hormone disruptor currently under review by the Canadian government. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the European Food Safety Authority had both concluded that the chemical is safe for food-grade use. But recent controversial studies link BPA -- also found in a huge range of products, including baby bottles, plastic-lined tin cans, and kids' toys -- to reproductive abnormalities, neurological disorders, prostate cancer and pre-cancerous breast tissue.
Cell studies of BPA show major changes in cell signaling down to 0.23 parts per trillion. This is the lowest dose that has ever been tested, and it caused biologically important effects. With six billion pounds of BPA produced each year, no wonder there is such resistance to these low level results.
If EPA were to use 2.5 ppb from the current experiment as a LOAEL and apply the same logic used to establish the current standard, the reference (safe) dose would be 2.5 parts per trillion. Linked from here
Proponents like the American Chemistry Council urge consumers to ignore the scare stories based on animal studies... But the mouse has always been a pretty good model for humans, says geneticist Patricia Hunt, who observed chromosomal abnormalities in lab mice exposed to BPA in 1998. Since then, the science has been "nailed down," argues Frederick vom Saal, the University of Missouri-Columbia biology professor who's leading the scientific charge against BPA. "It's just a question of whether the regulatory community acknowledges the hazards of this chemical." Rick Smith, the executive director of the Toronto-based Environmental Defense, is predicting that this will be among the dominant debates in the area of the environment in the next few years.
Once ubiquitous on university campuses, where they emerged as the accessory of choice among young, outdoorsy types, Nalgene bottles are being displaced by metal bottles, While metal bottles are the 'safer,' greener -- and cooler -- way to hydrate... "Who knows?" "In a few years' time they may say there's something wrong with stainless steel.
Haase Comment- "If the general public had any idea of the consequences of using hazardous chemical to make consumables, they would all make smarter purchases that save our future"
Also see more reports on plastic risks here:
- Canada Says Good Bye - Hazardous Chemicals
- BPA scandal - Public health agency linked to chemical industry
- Professor-obesity could be caused by female sex hormones used to make plastic bottles
Online resources on possible risks and alternatives to plastics for children:
Environment California report: www.links.sfgate.com/ZCM
Environment California report: www.links.sfgate.com/ZCM
EWG report on bisphenol A: www.ewg.org/reports/bisphenola/consumertips.php
Other studies on toxic chemicals linked here: Toxic2U
California OKs Phthalates Ban on Children's Products
Siding with activists who urged action against "toxic toys," California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill on Sunday banning chemicals called phthalates in children's products.
The bill aimed at the chemicals used to help mold and smooth toys and other plastic products such as teething rings comes amid growing concern among US consumers over substances used by manufacturers in China to make toys, prompting recalls, including by Mattel Inc., the world's biggest toy maker.
"We must take this action to protect our children," Schwarzenegger said in a statement. "These chemicals threaten the health and safety of our children at critical stages of their development."
The bill aimed at the chemicals used to help mold and smooth toys and other plastic products such as teething rings comes amid growing concern among US consumers over substances used by manufacturers in China to make toys, prompting recalls, including by Mattel Inc., the world's biggest toy maker.
"We must take this action to protect our children," Schwarzenegger said in a statement. "These chemicals threaten the health and safety of our children at critical stages of their development."
Labels: Toxic2U
¶ 10/16/2007 07:31:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Aug 13, 2007
COMMON PLASTIC INGREDIENT MAY BE CAUSE FOR CONCERN
¶ 8/13/2007 06:26:00 AM 0 Comments
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"This might be a time for the application of the precautionary principle," said panel chair Robert Chapin of Pfizer Inc.
Jun 6, 2007
Are FEMA Trailers Making Residents Sick?
Today the government says 86,000 families are still living in those white FEMA travel trailers across the Gulf — more and more waking up with a host of health problems — tied, medical experts believe, to the place they still call home.
Trailers with floors and cabinets built with particle board containing the chemical formaldehyde. Under hot, humid conditions, formaldehyde lets off toxic fumes, especially harmful to young lungs.
"It's the long-term carcinogen issue that really concerns me," Needle said.
Terry Sloan was a floor supervisor at a Gulf Stream Coach factory in Etna Green, Ind. Gulf Stream Coach built more than 50,000 stripped-down travel trailers.
Sloane says his crew worked at a breakneck pace for months, which, he says, forced the company to use cheaper wood products.
"Quality suffered dramatically because of the drive and pressure to put these trailers out," Sloan said.
Executives at Gulf Stream Coach declined an on-camera interview. Instead, the company issued this statement saying, in part, "For the FEMA trailers it used components and materials that met or exceeded industry standards."
But there are no federal standards for formaldehyde. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends a workplace exposure limit of .1 parts per million.
Last year the Sierra Club tested 31 travel trailers in Mississippi and found that virtually all — 94 percent — had levels of formaldehyde above that limit.
And CBS News has discovered an internal FEMA document that cites cancer as a potential job hazard for those just inspecting the trailers.
FEMA'S recommendation for fixing the problem? Open the windows and turn on the air conditioner.
David Paulison, FEMA's administrator, told Keteyian, "I don't know that the trailers are causing" any sickness.
As for Angela Orcutt, she's long suspected something in her home was making her son sick.
So we tested it, using the exact same meter used by FEMA.
Our result read .17. That's 70 percent higher than what the EPA standard is.
"It's scary," Orcutt said.
"It's the long-term carcinogen issue that really concerns me," Needle said.
Terry Sloan was a floor supervisor at a Gulf Stream Coach factory in Etna Green, Ind. Gulf Stream Coach built more than 50,000 stripped-down travel trailers.
Sloane says his crew worked at a breakneck pace for months, which, he says, forced the company to use cheaper wood products.
"Quality suffered dramatically because of the drive and pressure to put these trailers out," Sloan said.
Executives at Gulf Stream Coach declined an on-camera interview. Instead, the company issued this statement saying, in part, "For the FEMA trailers it used components and materials that met or exceeded industry standards."
But there are no federal standards for formaldehyde. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends a workplace exposure limit of .1 parts per million.
Last year the Sierra Club tested 31 travel trailers in Mississippi and found that virtually all — 94 percent — had levels of formaldehyde above that limit.
And CBS News has discovered an internal FEMA document that cites cancer as a potential job hazard for those just inspecting the trailers.
FEMA'S recommendation for fixing the problem? Open the windows and turn on the air conditioner.
David Paulison, FEMA's administrator, told Keteyian, "I don't know that the trailers are causing" any sickness.
As for Angela Orcutt, she's long suspected something in her home was making her son sick.
So we tested it, using the exact same meter used by FEMA.
Our result read .17. That's 70 percent higher than what the EPA standard is.
"It's scary," Orcutt said.
Labels: EnviroProtection, Recycling, Toxic2U
¶ 6/06/2007 07:46:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Jun 2, 2007
Our oceans are turning into plastic...are we?
¶ 6/02/2007 06:19:00 AM 0 Comments
Links to this post
A vast swath of the Pacific, twice the size of Texas, is full of a plastic stew that is entering the food chain. Scientists say these toxins are causing obesity, infertility...and worse.
Fate can take strange forms, and so perhaps it does not seem unusual that Captain Charles Moore found his life's purpose in a nightmare. Unfortunately, he was awake at the time, and 800 miles north of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.
It happened on August 3, 1997, a lovely day, at least in the beginning: Sunny. Little wind. Water the color of sapphires. Moore and the crew of Alguita, his 50-foot aluminum-hulled catamaran, sliced through the sea.
Returning to Southern California from Hawaii after a sailing race, Moore had altered Alguita's course, veering slightly north. He had the time and the curiosity to try a new route, one that would lead the vessel through the eastern corner of a 10-million-square-mile oval known as the North Pacific subtropical gyre. This was an odd stretch of ocean, a place most boats purposely avoided. For one thing, it was becalmed. "The doldrums," sailors called it, and they steered clear. So did the ocean's top predators: the tuna, sharks, and other large fish that required livelier waters, flush with prey. The gyre was more like a deserta slow, deep, clockwise-swirling vortex of air and water caused by a mountain of high-pressure air that lingered above it.
The area's reputation didn't deter Moore. He had grown up in Long Beach, 40 miles south of L.A., with the Pacific literally in his front yard, and he possessed an impressive aquatic résumé: deckhand, able seaman, sailor, scuba diver, surfer, and finally captain. Moore had spent countless hours in the ocean, fascinated by its vast trove of secrets and terrors. He'd seen a lot of things out there, things that were glorious and grand; things that were ferocious and humbling. But he had never seen anything nearly as chilling as what lay ahead of him in the gyre.
It began with a line of plastic bags ghosting the surface, followed by an ugly tangle of junk: nets and ropes and bottles, motor-oil jugs and cracked bath toys, a mangled tarp. Tires. A traffic cone. Moore could not believe his eyes. Out here in this desolate place, the water was a stew of plastic crap. It was as though someone had taken the pristine seascape of his youth and swapped it for a landfill.
How did all the plastic end up here? How did this trash tsunami begin? What did it mean? If the questions seemed overwhelming, Moore would soon learn that the answers were even more so, and that his discovery had dire implications for humanand planetaryhealth. As Alguita glided through the area that scientists now refer to as the "Eastern Garbage Patch," Moore realized that the trail of plastic went on for hundreds of miles. Depressed and stunned, he sailed for a week through bobbing, toxic debris trapped in a purgatory of circling currents. To his horror, he had stumbled across the 21st-century Leviathan. It had no head, no tail. Just an endless body.
"Everybody's plastic, but I love plastic. I want to be plastic." This Andy Warhol quote is emblazoned on a six-foot-long magenta and yellow banner that hangswith extreme ironyin the solar-powered workshop in Moore's Long Beach home. The workshop is surrounded by a crazy Eden of trees, bushes, flowers, fruits, and vegetables, ranging from the prosaic (tomatoes) to the exotic (cherimoyas, guavas, chocolate persimmons, white figs the size of baseballs). This is the house in which Moore, 59, was raised, and it has a kind of open-air earthiness that reflects his '60s-activist roots, which included a stint in a Berkeley commune. Composting and organic gardening are serious business hereyou can practically smell the humusbut there is also a kidney-shaped hot tub surrounded by palm trees. Two wet suits hang drying on a clothesline above it.
Fate can take strange forms, and so perhaps it does not seem unusual that Captain Charles Moore found his life's purpose in a nightmare. Unfortunately, he was awake at the time, and 800 miles north of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.It happened on August 3, 1997, a lovely day, at least in the beginning: Sunny. Little wind. Water the color of sapphires. Moore and the crew of Alguita, his 50-foot aluminum-hulled catamaran, sliced through the sea.
Returning to Southern California from Hawaii after a sailing race, Moore had altered Alguita's course, veering slightly north. He had the time and the curiosity to try a new route, one that would lead the vessel through the eastern corner of a 10-million-square-mile oval known as the North Pacific subtropical gyre. This was an odd stretch of ocean, a place most boats purposely avoided. For one thing, it was becalmed. "The doldrums," sailors called it, and they steered clear. So did the ocean's top predators: the tuna, sharks, and other large fish that required livelier waters, flush with prey. The gyre was more like a deserta slow, deep, clockwise-swirling vortex of air and water caused by a mountain of high-pressure air that lingered above it.
The area's reputation didn't deter Moore. He had grown up in Long Beach, 40 miles south of L.A., with the Pacific literally in his front yard, and he possessed an impressive aquatic résumé: deckhand, able seaman, sailor, scuba diver, surfer, and finally captain. Moore had spent countless hours in the ocean, fascinated by its vast trove of secrets and terrors. He'd seen a lot of things out there, things that were glorious and grand; things that were ferocious and humbling. But he had never seen anything nearly as chilling as what lay ahead of him in the gyre.
It began with a line of plastic bags ghosting the surface, followed by an ugly tangle of junk: nets and ropes and bottles, motor-oil jugs and cracked bath toys, a mangled tarp. Tires. A traffic cone. Moore could not believe his eyes. Out here in this desolate place, the water was a stew of plastic crap. It was as though someone had taken the pristine seascape of his youth and swapped it for a landfill.
How did all the plastic end up here? How did this trash tsunami begin? What did it mean? If the questions seemed overwhelming, Moore would soon learn that the answers were even more so, and that his discovery had dire implications for humanand planetaryhealth. As Alguita glided through the area that scientists now refer to as the "Eastern Garbage Patch," Moore realized that the trail of plastic went on for hundreds of miles. Depressed and stunned, he sailed for a week through bobbing, toxic debris trapped in a purgatory of circling currents. To his horror, he had stumbled across the 21st-century Leviathan. It had no head, no tail. Just an endless body.
"Everybody's plastic, but I love plastic. I want to be plastic." This Andy Warhol quote is emblazoned on a six-foot-long magenta and yellow banner that hangswith extreme ironyin the solar-powered workshop in Moore's Long Beach home. The workshop is surrounded by a crazy Eden of trees, bushes, flowers, fruits, and vegetables, ranging from the prosaic (tomatoes) to the exotic (cherimoyas, guavas, chocolate persimmons, white figs the size of baseballs). This is the house in which Moore, 59, was raised, and it has a kind of open-air earthiness that reflects his '60s-activist roots, which included a stint in a Berkeley commune. Composting and organic gardening are serious business hereyou can practically smell the humusbut there is also a kidney-shaped hot tub surrounded by palm trees. Two wet suits hang drying on a clothesline above it.
May 15, 2007
Boy I Called this one :-) LEDs emerge winner to fight fluorescents
"They're going to keep going down," Scianna said. "By the middle of next year, they'll be priced for consumers."
___
On the Net:
U.S. Department of Energy on LEDs: http://www.netl.doe.gov/ssl/
Recycling options for CFLs: http://www.lamprecycle.org
NEW YORK - The light bulb, the symbol of bright ideas, doesn't look like such a great idea anymore, as lawmakers in the U.S. and abroad are talking about banning the century-old technology because of its contribution to global warming.
But what comes next? Compact fluorescent bulbs are the only real alternative right now, but "bulbs" that use light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, are quickly emerging as a challenger.
Department of Energy, and widespread use of LED lighting could cut consumption in half. By 2027, LED lighting could cut annual energy use by the equivalent of 500 million barrels of oil, with the attendant reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide, the gas believed to be responsible for global warming.
But what comes next? Compact fluorescent bulbs are the only real alternative right now, but "bulbs" that use light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, are quickly emerging as a challenger.
Department of Energy, and widespread use of LED lighting could cut consumption in half. By 2027, LED lighting could cut annual energy use by the equivalent of 500 million barrels of oil, with the attendant reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide, the gas believed to be responsible for global warming.
The energy efficiency is no doubt a draw for commercial clients like hotels, but LEDs have another big advantage: they last up to 50,000 hours, according to manufacturers. That compares to about 10,000 hours for fluorescents and 1,000 hours for incandescents. Not having to send out janitors to replace burned-out bulbs means big savings in maintenance costs.
LEDs already beat fluorescents for energy efficiency in some niche uses. For instance, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is putting LED lighting in its in-store refrigerators, where the cold dims fluorescents and incandescents produce too much heat. LEDs also starting to replace flat fluorescent backlights in liquid-crystal displays, or LCDs, where they produce better colors.
LEDs don't contain toxic mercury, which CFLs do, though the amount is very small. (Recent stories circulating on the Web about calling a hazmat team if a CFL breaks are exaggerated. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends sweeping up, not vacuuming, the fragments, then checking out local recycling options.) The cost of LED lighting should be coming down quickly. Polybrite founder Carl Scianna said the cost of individual white-light diodes, several of which go into an LED bulb and make up much of the cost, have come down in price from about $8 to $1.50 in a year.
"They're going to keep going down," Scianna said. "By the middle of next year, they'll be priced for consumers."
___
On the Net:
U.S. Department of Energy on LEDs: http://www.netl.doe.gov/ssl/
Recycling options for CFLs: http://www.lamprecycle.org
Labels: Toxic2U
¶ 5/15/2007 08:14:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
May 14, 2007
Just one part per billion can make a Rat grotesque obesity
Labels: Toxic2U
¶ 5/14/2007 06:30:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
May 10, 2007
EPA Reporting Rules Reduce Toxic Information
Mike Salinero of The Tampa Tribune explains the new EPA rule on filing information to the toxic release inventory 12/27/06. EPA said it will lessen paperwork for small businesses; environmentalists say it deprives communities of information about toxic chemical releases in their neighborhoods.
Labels: EnviroProtection, Toxic2U
¶ 5/10/2007 07:07:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Plastic waste: more dangerous than global warming
Plastic pollution is destroying the world's ocean ecosystems, but some companies are in a position to stop the devastation.
We have all seen those graphic photos depicting the fate of marine mammals tangled in discarded fishing nets. And the sight of a soft drinks bottle floating by while we are canoeing in our local lake or river of choice is not a rarity. True that...
We have all seen those graphic photos depicting the fate of marine mammals tangled in discarded fishing nets. And the sight of a soft drinks bottle floating by while we are canoeing in our local lake or river of choice is not a rarity. True that...
Labels: Toxic2U
¶ 5/10/2007 07:06:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
May 2, 2007
Attend the 2007 H2E Environmental Excellence Summit
Celebrate environmental achievements and learn about emerging environmental issues in health care!
May 14-15, 2007
Minneapolis, MN
Online Registration closes May 7th
Presented by Hospitals for a Healthy Environment
May 14-15, 2007
Minneapolis, MN
Online Registration closes May 7th
Presented by Hospitals for a Healthy Environment
H2E Environmental Excellence Awards
H2E's Environmental Excellence Awards celebrate healthcare's environmental leaders, who are engaging in pioneering environmental initiatives and helping build momentum for environmentally responsible healthcare. One hundred and twenty eight organizations will receive a total of 146 awards across five categories for their outstanding work! This year also marks the inauguration of H2E's new "hall of fame"the Environmental Leadership Circle. More details here.
Pharmaceutical Waste Management Workshop
Effectively managing pharmaceuticals in your facility means reducing waste and improving compliance while providing a safer environment for patients, staff, and the community. Learn about the newest best practice developments and how to make positive changes at your facility by attending the Pharmaceutical Waste Management Workshop. More details here.
Keynote Speaker Pete Myers
The Environmental Excellence Summit's keynote speaker, author Pete Myers, will discuss the emerging science on low-level chemical exposures, hormone disruption, and efforts to reduce the effects of synthetic chemical contamination. Myers' compelling analysis of what is at stake if we fail to address low level chemical exposures underlines the need to minimize the use of toxic materials in health care delivery. More on Pete Myers here.
Networking Opportunities
See the list of current registrants to find friends, or use our networking/travelshare tool to connect with people who share your interests in advance of the event.
Trash Flower Contest!
Win an eco-gift basket by developing the wackiest (or loveliest!) flower arrangement you can out of your facility's trash. This annual event brings out the artist in all of usand tells a story about the many ways to employ materials after use! More on the contest here.
Register Today!
Online registration closes May 7.
Labels: Toxic2U
¶ 5/02/2007 08:01:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Apr 18, 2007
Environmental News Bits (From Laura B.)
The chemical industry is an essential contributor to the U.S. economy, with about $555 billion in annual revenues. There are approximately 13,500 chemical manufacturing facilities in the United States, owned by more than 9,000 companies. The sector is one of the nation's largest exporters, accounting for 10 cents of every U.S. export dollar.
Americans Report Increased Environmental Consciousness and Expectation That Companies Will Take Action
The 2007 Cone Consumer Environmental Survey released today finds one-third of Americans (32%) report heightened interest in the environment compared to a year ago. In addition, they are overwhelmingly looking to companies to act: 93% of Americans believe companies have a responsibility to help preserve the environment. http://www.csrwire.com/PressRelease.php?id=8183
Chemical Industry Expands Work with EPA in Solving Environmental Problems
The American Chemistry Council (ACC), which represents 130 companies accounting for approximately 85 percent of U.S. chemical production by volume, has agreed to work with EPA in the Sector Strategies Program. ACC joins the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association (SOCMA), a participant in the program since 1998. Together, ACC and SOCMA represent the majority of chemical production in the United States.
The American Chemistry Council (ACC), which represents 130 companies accounting for approximately 85 percent of U.S. chemical production by volume, has agreed to work with EPA in the Sector Strategies Program. ACC joins the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association (SOCMA), a participant in the program since 1998. Together, ACC and SOCMA represent the majority of chemical production in the United States.
The chemical industry is an essential contributor to the U.S. economy, with about $555 billion in annual revenues. There are approximately 13,500 chemical manufacturing facilities in the United States, owned by more than 9,000 companies. The sector is one of the nation's largest exporters, accounting for 10 cents of every U.S. export dollar.
Chemical Manufacturing Sector Strategies Program http://www.epa.gov/sectors/chemical/index.html
Degreasers to Cut Air Toxics Emissions
Approximately 50 of the largest degreasing facilities will reduce air toxics emissions under tighter EPA standards that will prevent an additional 1,700 tons of solvent emissions and save the industry more than $1 million per year. Degreasers, also known as the halogenated solvent cleaning industry, use solvents to remove soils such as grease, oils, waxes, carbon deposits and tars from metal, plastic, fiberglass and other surfaces.
Approximately 50 of the largest degreasing facilities will reduce air toxics emissions under tighter EPA standards that will prevent an additional 1,700 tons of solvent emissions and save the industry more than $1 million per year. Degreasers, also known as the halogenated solvent cleaning industry, use solvents to remove soils such as grease, oils, waxes, carbon deposits and tars from metal, plastic, fiberglass and other surfaces.
EPA issued a national rule to limit emissions of air toxics from degreasing operations in 1994. This rule is one of 96 rules called maximum achievable control technology (MACT) standards that require 174 industry sectors to eliminate 1.7 million tons of 187 air toxics. Congress listed these toxic air pollutants in the Clean Air Act. There are nearly 1,900 degreasing operations in the United States. EPA estimates that the 1994 standards prevent nationwide emissions of air toxics by 85,300 tons per year. A copy of the final rule http://www.epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/t3pfpr.html
Small Engine Rule to Bring Big Emissions Cuts
EPA continues to mow down harmful emissions from the non-road sector with a new proposal that sets strict standards for most lawn and garden equipment and small recreational watercraft. (more )
EPA continues to mow down harmful emissions from the non-road sector with a new proposal that sets strict standards for most lawn and garden equipment and small recreational watercraft. (more )
Americans Report Increased Environmental Consciousness and Expectation That Companies Will Take Action
The 2007 Cone Consumer Environmental Survey released today finds one-third of Americans (32%) report heightened interest in the environment compared to a year ago. In addition, they are overwhelmingly looking to companies to act: 93% of Americans believe companies have a responsibility to help preserve the environment. http://www.csrwire.com/PressRelease.php?id=8183
An Inconvenient Tooth: Food Is Major Contributor to Climate Change
Global warming activists have a new ally in their fight to save the planetlunch. It turns out that food (and all the energy it takes to make it) is one of the largest human activities contributing to global warming. The average American creates 2.8 tons of CO2 emissions each year by eatingeven more than the 2.2 tons each person generates by driving, according to recent research (Echel and Martin, 2006). Beginning on Earth Day, 2007, Bon Appétit Management Companythe nation's pioneer in "greening" food service, is launching a national campaign to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions and help their guests do the same. http://www.csrwire.com/PressRelease.php?id=8169
Global warming activists have a new ally in their fight to save the planetlunch. It turns out that food (and all the energy it takes to make it) is one of the largest human activities contributing to global warming. The average American creates 2.8 tons of CO2 emissions each year by eatingeven more than the 2.2 tons each person generates by driving, according to recent research (Echel and Martin, 2006). Beginning on Earth Day, 2007, Bon Appétit Management Companythe nation's pioneer in "greening" food service, is launching a national campaign to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions and help their guests do the same. http://www.csrwire.com/PressRelease.php?id=8169
Read more Environmental News Bits - By Laura B. (Thanks!)
http://lib.wmrc.uiuc.edu/enb
http://lib.wmrc.uiuc.edu/enb
Labels: EnviroProtection, Toxic2U
¶ 4/18/2007 08:44:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Apr 9, 2007
Stores selling out of Glass baby bottles after health alarms raised about plastics
¶ 4/09/2007 02:23:00 PM 0 Comments
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Old news on my blog... but ball is rolling on plastic in food products
Online and brick-and-mortar retailers report a run on glass baby bottles in recent weeks that they say was spurred by reports that the most common type of plastic in baby bottles may leach a toxic chemical. Read more at SF Gate
Then, in late February, Environment California, an advocacy group, released a report titled "Toxic Baby Bottles" that drew intense national media coverage.
When heated, five of the most popular brands of polycarbonate -- the clear, shatterproof plastic used in baby bottles -- leached bisphenol A at levels that have been found to cause harm in laboratory animals, Environment California found.
When heated, five of the most popular brands of polycarbonate -- the clear, shatterproof plastic used in baby bottles -- leached bisphenol A at levels that have been found to cause harm in laboratory animals, Environment California found.
San Francisco approved a ban on children's products containing bisphenol A and certain phthalates, the chemicals that soften polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. Animal studies also have shown that phthalates interfere with sex hormones. Even at low levels, bisphenol A has been linked to abnormalities in the mammary and prostate glands and the eggs of laboratory animals, scientists say. Animal tests also show bisphenol A can speed up puberty and add to weight gain, and may cause changes that can lead to breast and prostate cancer.
"I typically don't react to these things," she said. "There are 9 million things that are bad for you. You try to temper everything with common sense."
But "this isn't something I want to take a chance on when it comes to my child's well-being."
Online resources on possible risks and alternatives to plastics for children:
Environment California report: www.links.sfgate.com/ZCM
Environment California report: www.links.sfgate.com/ZCM
EWG report on bisphenol A: www.ewg.org/reports/bisphenola/consumertips.php
Apr 8, 2007
The chemical found in water bottles that "is among the scariest manufactured substances in use, an eerie modern version of the vaunted lead water pipes by which ancient Romans were unknowingly poisoned"
Old news from my blog....
"Bisphenol A is ingested by practically everyone in who eats canned foods or drinks from a can or hard plastic water bottles.
Now a controversy is raging over the safety of widespread public exposure to the chemical, which is known to act like a synthetic female sex hormone." ¶ 4/08/2007 06:06:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
"Bisphenol A is ingested by practically everyone in who eats canned foods or drinks from a can or hard plastic water bottles.
Now a controversy is raging over the safety of widespread public exposure to the chemical, which is known to act like a synthetic female sex hormone." ¶ 4/08/2007 06:06:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Apr 6, 2007
Toxics in your Portfolio?
Awareness is starting to take hold with regards to toxics in a wide range of our everyday household products, and while some companies have responded with healthier solutions, others, as the Rose Foundation's Tim Little tells us, may need to hear from their own investors. He's recently co-authored a report on Shareholder Activism at companies that are too toxic for your own good. LISTEN (8 min)
Awareness is starting to take hold with regards to toxics in a wide range of our everyday household products, and while some companies have responded with healthier solutions, others, as the Rose Foundation's Tim Little tells us, may need to hear from their own investors. He's recently co-authored a report on Shareholder Activism at companies that are too toxic for your own good. LISTEN (8 min)Labels: Toxic2U
¶ 4/06/2007 06:00:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Apr 2, 2007
Canadian's need to read my blog or CARB, EPA or WDNR
There's an unpublished report out of Canada disputing claims that emissions from autos running on 10-percent ethanol blends are cleaner than regular gasoline. Scientists at Environment Canada tested four vehicles through a range of driving conditions and temperatures.
"Looking at tailpipe emissions, from a greenhouse gas perspective, there really isn't much difference between ethanol and gasoline," said Greg Rideout, head of Environment Canada's toxic emissions research.
Basically, the study showed no statistical difference between straight gas and E10 blend of ethanol and gasoline. There was a reduction in carbon monoxide, but hydrocarbons and other gases increased under certain conditions.
A government environmental official said he was aware of the report but says ethanol use in the big picture is worth the effort.
"I think there's an issue between the tailpipe and the whole cycle," said John Baird, Federal Environment Minister. "The whole cycle is better than the tailpipe."
Testing four vehicles hardly warrants conclusive results but certainly indicates more tests are needed, and we also need to fully test E85 blends, as well.
[Source: autobloggreen.com]
Why are there soooo many millions spent on reporting data that already exists.
Please read U.S. gov reports since 1992, on E10 & E85 that state it is harmful to people and environment.
There's an unpublished report out of Canada disputing claims that emissions from autos running on 10-percent ethanol blends are cleaner than regular gasoline. Scientists at Environment Canada tested four vehicles through a range of driving conditions and temperatures. "Looking at tailpipe emissions, from a greenhouse gas perspective, there really isn't much difference between ethanol and gasoline," said Greg Rideout, head of Environment Canada's toxic emissions research.
Basically, the study showed no statistical difference between straight gas and E10 blend of ethanol and gasoline. There was a reduction in carbon monoxide, but hydrocarbons and other gases increased under certain conditions.
A government environmental official said he was aware of the report but says ethanol use in the big picture is worth the effort.
"I think there's an issue between the tailpipe and the whole cycle," said John Baird, Federal Environment Minister. "The whole cycle is better than the tailpipe."
Testing four vehicles hardly warrants conclusive results but certainly indicates more tests are needed, and we also need to fully test E85 blends, as well.
[Source: autobloggreen.com]
Labels: EnviroProtection, EthanolHoax, Toxic2U
¶ 4/02/2007 07:32:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Mar 29, 2007
Is Biodiesel the Best Alternative Fuel?
"Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel manufactured from waste oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant greases. It is safe, biodegradable and produces less air pollutants than petroleum based diesel." And, the best part is, most diesel fuel vehicles are currently able to run on biodiesel fuels.
To add to the cons: - Demolition of the remains of the world's rainforests to grow the stuff, should it be adapted on a wide scale. Humans already appropriate something like 50% of the entire biological productivity of the planet for food, wood and fuel; biofuels on any meaningful scale would push this towards 100%.
For more information regarding biodiesel fuels, please check out www.FuelEconomy.gov and www.Biodiesel.org
Waste product derived biodiesel should be pushed to the top of the list of alternative fuels.
Less emissions and completely renewable and can be made from waste products? Hard to argue with that.
According to www.FuelEconomy.gov:
According to www.FuelEconomy.gov:
"Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel manufactured from waste oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant greases. It is safe, biodegradable and produces less air pollutants than petroleum based diesel." And, the best part is, most diesel fuel vehicles are currently able to run on biodiesel fuels.
Here's a list of pros and cons from online resources:
Pros:
- Is a completely renewable source of fuel.
- Can be produced from products (restaurant greases) that would otherwise be thrown away.
- Emits substantially less hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides and sulfate.
- Biodegradable and less toxic to handle when compared to gasoline.Cons:
- Currently, if you try and use biodiesel fuel in your diesel vehicle, it may void your car's warranty.
- Unless you're getting waste products from restaurants for free and then converting it to biodiesel yourself, it's going to cost you more than gasoline.
- Emissions include a slight increase in nitrous oxide, which is commonly referred to as "laughing gas."
- Tends to not perform well in cold temperatures.
To add to the cons: - Demolition of the remains of the world's rainforests to grow the stuff, should it be adapted on a wide scale. Humans already appropriate something like 50% of the entire biological productivity of the planet for food, wood and fuel; biofuels on any meaningful scale would push this towards 100%.
YIKES - Balance in biodiversity is a necessity! While biodiesel looks to be a very viable alternative fuel if we from waste products - ONLY
For more information regarding biodiesel fuels, please check out www.FuelEconomy.gov and www.Biodiesel.org
Labels: Toxic2U
¶ 3/29/2007 07:10:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Soy-based Product Explored As Nontoxic Substitute For Important But Toxic Reactive Compound
Isocyanates are important to many products we take for granted -- from paint to spandex running shorts. But the high reactivity for which the chemical group is valued also makes this compound toxic when breathed. A Virginia Tech graduate student has created macromolecules with comparable reactivity using soy-based chemistry. VIA- sciencedaily
Labels: Toxic2U
¶ 3/29/2007 06:21:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post