Greenlist Bulletin
From the Toxics Use Reduction Institute
at the University of Massachusetts Lowell
November 23, 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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| Smartphones and high-tech labs to reveal health effects of pollutants | Source: Imperial College - London, November 19, 2012
New technologies for sensing chemicals that people are exposed to and their effects in the body will help scientists work towards a complete picture of how environmental pollutants influence health in a major EU initiative being launched today. Researchers will use smartphones equipped with GPS and environmental sensors to monitor potential hazards that study participants are exposed to. This information will be combined with blood and urine analysis to investigate whether exposure to risk factors leaves chemical fingerprints that can be detected in bodily fluids. Read more...
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| MassDEP Changes Rules to Spur Increased Use of Organics for Recycling, Composting and Renewable Energy Production | Source: Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, November 20, 2012
BOSTON - The Patrick-Murray Administration issued final rules amending its solid waste and wastewater regulations, a move designed to tap the hidden energy value of food and other organic materials, and use more of that waste for renewable energy production and composting. More than one million tons of food waste and other organic material are disposed of every year by food processors, large institutions and residential sources in Massachusetts. Approximately 100,000 tons of organics are recycled or composted each year, but the state has set a goal of diverting an additional 350,000 tons per year by 2020. "Organics comprise about 25 percent of the solid waste we dispose of each year, and those materials take up valuable space in our landfills and incinerators and create greenhouse gases," said Commissioner Kenneth Kimmell of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). "When we merely discard organics, we are wasting a great opportunity to capture the economic and environmental benefits from recycling and converting this material into clean renewable energy and valuable fertilizers." Read more...
Also read about "Three Local Organizations Honored for Food Waste Recycling Efforts."
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| Researchers improve technology to detect hazardous chemicals | Source: Imperial College - London, November 20, 2012
Scientists at Imperial College London have developed a system to quickly detect trace amounts of chemicals like pollutants, explosives or illegal drugs.
The new system can pick out a single target molecule from 10,000 trillion water molecules within milliseconds, by trapping it on a self-assembling single layer of gold nanoparticles.
Read more...
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| Updated Guidance on the Application of the Classification, Labeling and Packaging (CLP) Criteria | Source: European Chemicals Agency, November 20, 2012
Helsinki -- The Guidance on the Application of the CLP Criteria for Part 3 Health Hazards, relating to specific concentration limits (SCLs) for four hazard classes, has been updated to provide guidance to manufacturers, importers and downstream users on how to set SCLs. The SCL concept allows fine-tuning of the contribution of certain hazardous substances to the classification of mixtures based on the potency of the substances. The updated guidance provides: - Guidance on the setting of lower and higher SCLs for substances classified for the following four health hazard classes: skin corrosion/irritation, serious eye damage/eye irritation, reproductive toxicity and specific target organ toxicity - single exposure (STOT-SE), in accordance with CLP Article 10(7);
- Relevant background information on setting SCLs for the reproductive toxicity hazard class based on potency considerations included in the new Annex "Annex VI: Background document to the guidance for setting specific concentration limits for substances classified for reproductive toxicity according to Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008."
Read more... |
| Prioritizing Chemicals and Data Requirements for Screening-Level Exposure and Risk Assessment | Source: Environmental Health Perspectives, November 1, 2012
Authors: Jon A. Arnot, Trevor N. Brown, Frank Wania, Knut Breivik, and Michael S. McLachlan
Background: Scientists and regulatory agencies strive to identify chemicals that may cause harmful effects to humans and the environment; however, prioritization is challenging because of the large number of chemicals requiring evaluation and limited data and resources. . . .
Conclusions: Mechanistic exposure modeling is suitable for screening and prioritizing large numbers of chemicals. By including uncertainty analysis and uncertainty in chemical information in the exposure estimates, these methods can help identify and address the important sources of uncertainty in human exposure and risk assessment in a systematic manner.
Read more...
Read original article in Environmental Health Perspectives: "Prioritizing Chemicals and Data Requirements for Screening-Level Exposure and Risk Assessment."
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Cadmium in Consumer Products, Especially Toy Metal Jewelry
| Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, November 20, 2012
On November 20, 2012, EPA issued a rule requiring manufacturers and importers of cadmium or cadmium compounds that have been, or are reasonably likely to be, incorporated into consumer products to report unpublished health and safety data to the Agency.
Read the rule here.
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WVE's Non-Toxic Shopping Guide
| Source: Women's Voices for the Earth, November 2012
WVE's Non-Toxic Shopping Guide has everything you need to make responsible choices without compromising the fun and excitement of gift-giving. . . .
The Guide includes tips, resources, and top picks for safer products from eco-friendly, conscientious women of the WVE community who are experts in their fields.
Access guide here.
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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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