Pollution Prevention Week 2012 Greenlist Bulletin
From the Toxics Use Reduction Institute
at the University of Massachusetts Lowell
September 21, 2012
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This is the weekly bulletin of the TURI Library at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Greenlist Bulletin provide s previews of recent publications and websites relevant to reducing the use of toxic chemicals by industries, businesses, communities, individuals and government. You are welcome to send a message to mary@turi.org if you would like more information on any of the articles listed here, or if this email is not displaying properly.
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| Advancing pollution prevention as a cornerstone of sustainability | Source: Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange, 2012
The Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange (P2Rx™) is a national partnership of regional pollution prevention information centers. The Centers build networks, deliver P2 information, and measure P2 program results. The strength of the Network lies in the expertise and diversity among the regional centers and the variety of audiences served including government and state environmental agencies, technical assistance providers, businesses, educators, nonprofit organizations, and the general public.
Read more...
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| The National Pollution Prevention Roundtable Announces: The 2012 MVP2 Award Winners | Source: National Pollution Prevention Roundtable, September 19, 2012
WASHINGTON, DC -- The 2012 Most Valuable Pollution Prevention (MVP2) awards presented by the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR) celebrates the successes of innovators in the areas of pollution prevention and sustainability. The MVP2 awards are presented annually during National Pollution Prevention (P2) Week. . . .
Awards are presented in four categories. This year's winners for the Projects/Programs Award were Earth Friendly Products, IBM Fishkill, IBM Burlington, Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center and Washing Systems LLC. The Multimedia Award was presented to the Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center for their YouTube Media Channel as well as to Cimira Studios, Impact Washington, US EPA OSEM and Washington State Department of Ecology for their video, "AccraFab - Lean and Environment Reduces Wastewater Costs for Plating Company." Paul Anastas with Yale University and Allen White with Tellus Institute took home the awards for P2 Champion. Volunteer of the Year was awarded to Cathy Colglazier with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
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| Wet Cleaning Technology Virtual Tradeshow | Source: Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association (NEWMOA), September 20, 2012
The purpose of the "Wet Cleaning Technology Virtual Tradeshow" is to enable garment cleaners and government and other technical assistance providers to conduct effective comparisons of available wet cleaning systems. It includes information on laundry capacity and the height, weight, and depth of the machines, as well as water, waste, and energy impacts. Users can search by washer or dryer to learn more about the specific features of the different machines.
NEWMOA staff populated the Tradeshow with information gathered from the University of California Los Angeles' (UCLA) Sustainable Technology & Policy Program (STPP) environmental garment care demonstration project report, "Equipment Report: Professional Wet Cleaning," dated June 2011, as well as other sources. In some cases, vendors of wet cleaning equipment supplied information about machine attributes, including environmental considerations.
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Click here to browse TURI's resources on wet cleaning.
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Using new satellite based exposure methods to study the association between pregnancy PM2.5 exposure, premature birth and birth weight in Massachusetts
| Source: Environmental Health, June 18, 2012
Authors: Itai Kloog, Steven J Melly, William L Ridgway, Brent A Coull and Joel Schwartz
Adverse birth outcomes such as low birth weight and premature birth have been previously linked with exposure to ambient air pollution. Most studies relied on a limited number of monitors in the region of interest, which can introduce exposure error or restrict the analysis to persons living near a monitor, which reduces sample size and generalizability and may create selection bias. . . .
The presented study suggests that exposure to PM2.5 during the last month of pregnancy contributes to risks for lower birth weight and preterm birth in infants.
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Access article here.
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| Toronto ChemTRAC provides resources for businesses | Source: City of Toronto, July 2012
ChemTRAC aims to track and reduce the use of 25 priority substances (chemicals) through data collection and pollution prevention supports for businesses. The ChemTRAC data is publically available online and an annual report provides information to help the community better understand the sources of these chemicals. The data can be used by businesses to help the community understand why and how your facility uses the substances and the steps you have taken to reduce the impact of the facility on the environment. Many businesses share these actions through their annual reports to ChemTRAC and/or through community newsletters. The ChemTRAC data also enable you to compare your practices with other businesses in your industry and city. Read more -- including sector specific tools and information ... Also see a collection of case studies available from GTAA Partners in Project Green here. |
| Self-Healing, Chromate-free Conversion Coating for Magnesium Alloys | Source: Metalfinishing.com, July 31, 2012
Magnesium and its alloys are increasingly being used in a wide range of applications, from aircraft to motor vehicles to consumer electronics because of the low density, high specific strength and stiffness [1-5]. However, since magnesium exhibits high chemical and electrochemical activity, its alloys suffer from poor corrosion resistance, often leading to structural or mechanical failure. Magnesium corrodes rapidly when exposed to salt water, moisture or acidic liquids or gases. Many methods have been used to protect magnesium alloys by inhibiting corrosion or slowing down the reaction mechanisms, including use of conversion coatings, anodizing, electroplating and addition of corrosion inhibitors.
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| Please send a message to mary@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://library.turi.org for greater topic coverage.
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Greenlist Bulletin is compiled by:
Mary Butow
TURA Program Research Assistant
Toxics Use Reduction Institute
University of Massachusetts Lowell
600 Suffolk St., Wannalancit Mills
Lowell MA 01854
978-934-4365
978-934-3050 (fax)
mary@turi.org
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