By Joel Bittle •
August 21, 2008
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The air is going to get a little bit cleaner come January, 2009 - and that has nothing to do with a new presidential administration. The California Air Resources Board’s dramatic Air Toxic Control Measure known as “the CARB rule” will go into effect January 1 and will, among other things, mandate a reduction in formaldehyde levels in composite wood products like particle board, hardwood plywood, and medium density fiberboard. Manufacturers of composite wood products have less than four months to adapt to the new requirements or they will be unable to manufacture or sell their products in California.
Formaldehyde came into the public consciousness this past Winter as trailers used for Hurricane Katrina victims were found to contain dangerous levels - click here for those findings. Urea-formaldehyde is a volatile organic compound that has been linked to health issues ranging from persistent eye and skin irritation to asthma to, in extremely high levels, cancer. It has been practically banned in Europe, Japan, and Canada. The United States Green Building Council awards LEED credits for buildings that have eliminated added urea-formaldehyde. The inclusion of the word “added” is due to the fact that small levels of formaldehyde occur naturally in wood. Urea-formaldehyde is used in composite wood as a drying agent for glues and adhesives, significantly speeding up the manufacturing process of the composite wood. For this reason, non-formaldehyde composite woods will come at a higher price. Add in the increased demand due to the CARB rule and the current limited supply of formaldehyde-free composite wood and we could see increased prices across the board for composite wood products like furniture, cabinets, moldings and millwork, doors, and many other products.
By Katy Farber •
August 19, 2008
I’m a big fan of California. I’m almost as far from the state as I could be, here in Vermont, but I usually wholeheartedly agree with the environmental and public health decisions made by the California legislature to protect their citizens.
The ban on phthalates for one. The chemical and toxin labeling law (hence all those “May Cause Cancer in the State of California” labels you see all over cheap goods from China). And the higher fuel efficiency standards, which have considerably reduced smog. Then, they were poised to ban BPA (bisphenol A and PFOA (a chemical in food wrapping). No dice.
What happened? In a close vote, the California legisture voted not to ban BPA and PFOA.
By Ariel Schwartz •
August 19, 2008
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon have discovered environmentally-friendly molecule catalysts that can be used to clean up a variety of toxic substances including waste water and fuel.
The catalysts, known as Tetra-Amido Macrocyclic Ligands (TAMLs), could replace current industrial practices used in cleaning up environmental hazards.
TAMLs are made up of common elements of biochemistry—carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen around a reactive core. They are usable at very low temperatures and form strong chemical bonds.
By Derek Markham •
August 18, 2008
Coca-Cola is natural?
I don’t drink it, my family doesn’t drink it, but millions do.
And if you believe the latest “Pemberton” ads, it’s got “No added preservatives. No artificial flavors. Never had it. Never will.”.
What a load of malarkey!
Find out about Coca-Cola’s corporate abuses:
Coke also owns Odwalla juices among its 450 brands, so buy a juicer or a find a local juice bar instead of giving Coke your money. Read up on greenwashing with the World Wildlife Fund (to the tune of $20 million).
By Jennifer Lance •
August 18, 2008
We spend a lot of time on our organic lawn. Not only does the green grass provide a psychological respite to the dry, hot summer, but it also provides our home with forest fire protection. In other more urban areas experiencing drought conditions, many people are seeking alternatives to a living lawn, such as astroturf. Whatever your families choice for a lawn (or not to have a lawn), the safety of this play surface for your children should be a concern.
Pesticides and Herbicides in Lawn Care
As child growing up in suburban Ohio, I remember seeing little flags on my neighbor’s chemically treated lawn that read “Just fertilized. Keep pets and children off”. Even at a young age, I wondered how safe these chemical applications were. According to Mother Jones:
One common herbicide in popular “weed and feed” lawn-care products, 2,4-D, constituted about 50 percent of Agent Orange, and has been linked to birth defects, neurological problems, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and liver and kidney damage. In Canada, as many as 160 municipalities have banned the use of pesticides with 2,4-D.
Wind turbines are a fast, efficient way to produce renewable energy. They’re good for the environment, the power grid, and local communities. But some residents who live closest to the turbines complain about the noise, and limited data suggests it might be more than a nuisance.
Wind turbines have grown quieter with improvements in technology, but the fact remains that they generate noise. At night in particular, the atmospheric conditions change so that turbines are more likely to generate audible sound. Beyond causing annoyance, some residents have started to complain about health effects. They claim to suffer from exposure to “infra-sound”.
This sound is so low that the human ear can’t detect it, but that’s doesn’t mean it can’t impact the human body. After all, we can’t see UVA or UVB light rays, but you feel them in a sunburn. The question is how and to what extent? Is it serious enough to be a concern?
This is where research into the topic becomes tricky. It’s one thing to find a report or article online that discusses the topic; it’s another to find reputable research that provides (unbiased? conclusive?) evidence. It’s an emotional subject, so reliable information is hard to find. Some sources made nasty accusations against an opponent (government, industry, organization, etc.) without any evidence at all. The conclusions I was able to draw are pretty straightforward, and they fit nicely into two points.
By mcmilker •
August 17, 2008
When I attend trade shows and green festivals, I’m always on the look out for products for my family. Sometimes these are simpler greener options, often they address safety issues.
Any parent today is getting used to having the bejesus scared out of them every time they turn around so I guess I’m no different. Since, it seems quite impossible to throw out everything we own; repaint the house…no tear down the house; buy all new appliances; and only eat organic…I make smaller changes.
Most of my big concerns center around ingestion of toxic chemicals, so food, drink and dishes are high on my list of things to ensure are really safe. Oh, and drinking cups.
By Sam Aola Ooko •
August 17, 2008
It is Olympics season and every video house in this farming town is full with home fans following the athletics races in Beijing that their local heroes are featuring.
Eldoret is the bread basket of Kenya’s athletics elite and famous runners, including Kipchoge Keino who made history by winning the east African country’s first gold medal in the 1500 meters run at the Mexico City Games.
But the town is also home to Hanna Jeruto, a 24 year old HIV+ mother who exclusively breastfeeds her 4 month old son, Kipruto. Kipruto, however, is HIV negative and when she was delivering at the provincial hospital doctors had advised her not to breastfeed him.
By Emma Pezzack •
August 14, 2008
Propylene and butylene glycol are two of the worst toxic ingredients quietly slipped into almost all of our conventional beauty products. God knows how they ever got there in the first place! Well, actually I have several opinions on that subject but another time… Just so you know, these petrochemicals are used for things like anti-freeze (in your car battery), polyurethane (plastics) and as an emollient in your [...]
By Katy Farber •
August 13, 2008
We are spending the week with friends in Maine, and they have a beautiful 6 month old baby boy who is getting his two front teeth. He is suffering so, and reminding me of the same process with my two little girls.
I would give them frozen bagels, organic cotton rattles and lovely little wooden teethers. Most of the time, they threw them down in 2 seconds, found the limited plastic in the house, and bit that. No matter how hard I tried. I eyed those chewy plastic teethers in the grocery store, you know, the ones laced with phthalates, vinyl (the poision plastic) and other chemicals? When your child is in pain, it is hard to resist something that might help. But I did, and they cried and cried (and sometimes so did I).
By Jennifer Lance •
August 13, 2008
It is back to school time, and whether you child plays at a park or a school, you have probably been on a playground that uses recycled tires for cushioning. In the past, I have questioned the safety of children playing with old tires; however, I remember enjoy tire swings immensely as a child. Now, the Green Guide has reported on the safety of recycled tire cushioning found on many playgrounds.
A few years ago, we installed new playground equipment at our school. As the teacher in charge of the project, I was encouraged by parents to explore the option of recycled tires for cushioning, which comes in either a mulch or mat. At first, I thought this was a good idea as it involved recycling and really does provide a great cushioning, but in the end we chose pea gravel for cost, environmental, and safety concerns.
