Greenlist Bulletin
From the Toxics Use Reduction Institute
at the University of Massachusetts Lowell
July 12, 2013
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Are sunscreen chemicals something to worry about?
| Source: St. Augustine.com, July 11, 2013
Author: Gisela Telis
As the season of bare skin and scorching sun draws near, you -- like so many other people -- may find yourself scratching your head over sunscreen.
Yes, skin protection is essential, especially with skin cancer rates on the rise in many populations around the world.
But sunscreens come with often confusing labels and long, unpronounceable lists of chemical and other ingredients. How do you know which are safe to slather on you or your kids?
Read more...
Also check out Environmental Working Group's 2013 Guide to Sunscreens page. |
|
|
|
The obesity epidemic: What do chemicals have to do with it?
| Source: Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, July 9, 2013
Author: Kathleen Schuler
We are all hearing a lot about obesity these days and more people are obese than ever; one-third of American children and two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese. The American Medical Association has declared that obesity is a disease.
While some disagree with the designation of obesity as a disease, there is strong evidence that obesity is linked with diseases -- specifically Type II diabetes and heart disease. There is also general agreement that obesity is a major public health problem. Preventing obesity would contribute to a healthier, happier population and save an estimated $190 billion per year in direct health care costs.
But how do we prevent obesity? We all know that we should eat healthier and exercise more to maintain a healthy weight, but few people are aware that avoiding exposure to certain chemicals could reduce their risk of obesity, especially during prenatal life and in childhood. An emerging body of science links chemicals that disrupt hormones to increased risk for obesity.
Read more...
See the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy's latest fact sheet, Chemicals and Obesity.
Read The Wall Street Journal's FDA Bans BPA in Baby-Formula Packaging.
Also read an article about how no relationship was found between obesity and organochlorine exposure in Environmental Health Perspectives, Prenatal Exposure to Persistent Organochlorines and Childhood Obesity in the U.S. Collaborative Perinatal Project.
|
| Nike to fashion industry: Just do it (with our app) | Source: GreenBiz.com, July 3, 2013
Author: Heather Clancy
Fashion designers can now benefit from years of Nike research into sustainable materials. The giant sportswear company is releasing a free mobile app called Making that offers feedback on fabrics they might be considering for a pair of pants, shoes, dress or other piece of apparel.
Making, available initially for Apple iOS, works by allowing designers to research fabrics or materials they'd like to use. The software publicly exposes information from an internal database amassed over the past eight years, the Nike Materials Sustainability Index (MSI), which has also been embraced by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition as part of its Higgs Index.
Read more...
|
Trends in Biobased Chemistry
| Source: Plastics Engineering, June 2013
Author: Patrick B. Smith
The chemical industry has been based almost exclusively on fossil feedstocks for nearly a century, but biobased feedstocks are becoming economically competitive for certain materials and geographies. Fossil feedstocks are projected to continue to be abundant and relatively inexpensive for the foreseeable future in the USA. Therefore, the commercialization of biobased chemicals and materials will need to proceed with a strategic business discipline within this context. Commercial strategies which target conventional or "incumbent" chemicals and materials have lower financial risks associated with them and a significantly shorter time to market.
Read more...
|
| Finally Moving Forward: Overhauling Ontario's broken waste diversion framework | Source: Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, Canada, June 24, 2013
Author: Gord Miller
For years, waste diversion in Ontario has been stalled. Here's the story so far.
As a province, [the people of Ontario] generate approximately 12 million tonnes of waste a year but divert only 25 percent of it, sending about three-quarters of this waste to landfill. This represents a lost opportunity to create new jobs in the recycling industry, spur innovation, and lessen the strain on landfills. It's also a lost opportunity to reduce a variety of environmental impacts, since recycling uses less resources and energy, and produces less greenhouse gas emissions, than extracting raw materials.
Not only has waste diversion been stuck, but so has the government's progress on overhauling the Waste Diversion Act (WDA) and fixing Ontario's waste diversion framework. . . .
Amongst other things, the proposed Waste Reduction Act would establish IPR requirements, ensure consumer protection by prohibiting surprise "eco fees" at the register, require producers to reimburse municipalities for the costs of collecting and handling products at end-of-life, and install a Waste Reduction Authority to oversee the compliance and enforcement of the new IPR regime. The ECO hopes that the Legislature uses this as an opportunity to debate waste reduction solutions and finally make much-needed progress on this important issue.
Read more...
Also read their 2013 Waste Reduction Strategy document.
Here is a recent article from RubberNews.com, Proposed law would change Ontario's scrap tire program dramatically.
In addition, see the Product Policy Institute blog post: Ontario Proposes Individual Producer Responsibility and Cost-internalization.
Please see invitation to participate in the Product Stewardship Institute's Partner-Member call on this topic. Click here for details. Note: Space is limited to 150 participants.  |
Expanded Cork: All-Natural Rigid Boardstock Insulation
| Source: Environmental Building News, August 2012
Author: Alex Wilson
Cork is natural, it sequesters carbon, and it is produced through a sustainable silviculture process with a 2,000-year tradition. The material regenerates itself and can be harvested every nine years. It insulates well, absorbs sound, and is durable in use but ultimately biodegradable.
In building applications, cork is best known as a floor-tile product and a sound-control underlayment, but it's a good insulator as well. Rigid cork boardstock insulation has been available in Europe for several decades and is just being introduced into the North American market (again).
Read more...
Also read from EBN, Measuring Drywall Against Environmental Standards.
|
|
| 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.
|
Greenlist Bulletin is compiled by:
Mary Butow
Research and Reference Specialist
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
|
|
|
|
|
