How much water goes into a burger? Studies find different answers.

A fast-food quarter-pounder requires 1,300 gallons of water to produce, but a loaf of bread uses up 150 gallons. The message, which supports calls to eat less meat, is broadly correct, but the number itself is disputed. Read full here from Wall Street Journal

Fertilizer ban could help lakes

Read the full story in the Macomb (MI) Daily. VIA Laura B. lib.wmrc.uiuc.edu

Hoping to stop out-of-control weed growth on Lake St. Clair, county officials are eyeing a ban on many lawn fertilizers and U.S. Rep. Candice Miller wants to implement similar restrictions statewide.

River, lake getting cleaner

Read the full story in the Southgate News Herald. VIA Laura B. lib.wmrc.uiuc.edu

Thirty-five years of pollution prevention and control has produced dramatic ecological recovery to the Detroit River and western Lake Erie, according to a major binational report.

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).

It Costs Just $2,500. It's Cute as a Bug. And It Could Mean Global Disaster.

Washington Post: The most hotly anticipated auto show of 2008 isn't the one set to begin in Detroit on Thursday. It's the New Delhi Auto Expo, which opened in India three days ago and managed to beat Detroit to the punch by exactly one week -- and $2,500. That's the sticker price of the most eagerly awaited new car in decades: the Indian-made "people's car," dubbed the Nano. It's the brainchild of Ratan Tata, scion of the massive Indian conglomerate known as the Tata Group. He had long ...Link via - ecologicalinternet.org

Antibacterial acts as endocrine disrupter

Researchers find that a widely used antibacterial compound amplifies natural hormone effects.

 

Triclocarban, an antibacterial compound widely used for about 45 years in personal-care and cleaning products such as soaps, lotions, and sanitizing wipes, exacerbates the effects of natural testosterone, according to a study published online November 29 in Endocrinology (2007, DOI: 10.1210/en.2007-1057). Other known endocrine disrupters are estrogenic, antiestrogenic, antiandrogenic, or androgen mimics.

 

In the new study, researchers from the University of California Davis and Yale University exposed human cells and live rats to either triclocarban or one of a few other polychlorinated diphenyl urea compounds, either alone or with testosterone, at levels similar to those that can occur in people. Triclocarban amplified the effects of testosterone, which is present in men, women, and children. In vitro tests with human cells showed that the interaction of triclocarban and testosterone was synergistic, including a signaling increase of 45% in one test. In rats, the combination showed additive effects of increased mass in several accessory sex organs.

 

Read full here

CA sues EPA over Global Warming Solutions Act - Here we go again...

California's environmental policy has made headlines recently, with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announcing that he plans to sue the federal government over its refusal to let the state enact its own plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and instead adopt a more lax federal plan. While the E.P.A.'s regulation promises to increase fuel efficiency standards by 40 percent come 2020, the California plan would cut emissions from new vehicles by around 30 percent by 2016.

But from an economic standpoint, is Schwarzenegger's move a good idea for the state? In their new working paper "Too Good to Be True? An Examination of Three Economic Assessments of California Climate Change Policy," the economists Robert Stavins, Judson Jaffe, and Todd Schatzki examine California's Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, which purports to reduce the state's total emissions by 25 percent, bringing emissions back to their 1990 level by 2020. The authors review in detail the studies used as justification for enacting the policy, all of which found that the state could meet its 2020 target at no net economic cost. Their conclusions are summarized as follows:

[A]lthough opportunities may exist for some no-cost emission reductions, these California studies substantially underestimate the cost of meeting California's 2020 target…. by omitting important components of the costs of emission reduction efforts, and by overestimating offsetting savings that some of those efforts yield through improved energy efficiency. In some cases, the studies focus on the costs of particular actions to reduce emissions, but fail to consider the effectiveness and costs of policies that would be necessary to bring about such actions. While quantifying the full extent of the resulting cost underestimation is beyond the scope of our study, the underestimation is clearly economically significant. A few of the identified flaws individually lead to underestimation of annual costs on the order of billions of dollars.

Billions of dollars of underestimated costs is no small mistake (calling into question whether the initial researchers faced political pressure to deliver that "no net cost" verdict), and these results could mean serious repercussions for a state that's already facing a looming fiscal crisis, not to mention the ongoing costs of recovery for the 2007 wildfires for both the federal and state government.

Read more in NYT By Melissa Lafsky

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Haase Comments:

Here we go again... with CA Suing Over Clean Air, ... prepared to "sue again and sue again"

Where does the American public think the money comes from when government sues government?

Billions of dollars that could be used for Environmental protection gets thrown away every in these federal/state bickering wars...

WalMart pushing "green" electronic standards

Wal-Mart Stores Inc "green"  foray into "green" electronics is proving to be more complicated than its foray into "green" packaging.

 

Also, there are no uniform US guidelines regarding energy consumption or recycling, so Wal-Mart is sorting through a maze of international and local standards.

 

"We'd like to see some kind of federal legislation that would take all the individual state programs and bring it together," said Kevin O'Connor, Wal-Mart's general merchandise manager for consumer electronics, in an interview at the Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, this week in Las Vegas.

 

Wal-Mart has set a goal of one day using only renewable energy and creating zero waste, and it has challenged its suppliers to remove nonrenewable energy from their lives.

 

Because of its status as the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart is considered one of the few retailers with enough heft to make direct changes to global energy consumption.

 

While the efforts may help the environment, they are also designed to help Wal-Mart's bottom line.

 

WHO PAYS FOR THE GREENING?

"That's one of the reasons the bad stuff was used in the first place -- it was cheaper," he said.

 

Delattre said one way to deal with the higher prices is to tell consumers that a product might cost more upfront but would bring future savings if it consumed less energy.

 

But at the end of the day, Wal-Mart says its green push has to extend beyond itself to save costs for everyone involved.

 

"It's not about driving a Wal-Mart program," said Gary Severson, who oversees electronics at Wal-Mart's US stores. "We're trying to get to a national standard ... because you don't get the scale unless we're able to drive it beyond us."

 

Read full Story by Nicole Maestri

 

REUTERS NEWS SERVICE

 

 

Updates & Events from WasteCap Wisconsin

Construction & Demolition Debris Recycling Training Program offered at ABC of Wisconsin Winter Convention
Date: February 22, 2008

WasteCap Wisconsin will be offering the full-day Construction & Demolition Debris Recycling Training Program at the ABC of Wisconsin Winter Convention in Wisconsin Dells. For more information on the training program, visit www.wastecapwi.org/training.

Senate Committee passes recycling amendment
Source: American Recycler, January 2008

A secret no more, recycling was acknowledged for its contribution to fighting climate change by the United States Senate committee drafting the climate change bill, S. 2191, according to the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) president Robin Wiener. The amendment introduced by Sen. Carper, co-chair of the Senate Recycling Caucus, strengthens recycling as a tool against climate change in two ways. To read the full article, visit http://www.americanrecycler.com/0108/senate.shtml

 

Focus On Energy 2008 Green Manufacturing Summit
Date: January 29, 2008 Location: Schlitz Audubon Nature Center (1111 E. Brown Deer Rd. in Milwaukee)
Bradley Corporation is pleased to present the 2008 Green Manufacturing Summit in partnership with Focus on Energy. You have heard the hype, now learn how "green" practices can immediately reduce your company's operating costs. Local small and mid-size manufacturers and green experts will start a dialog about sustainable manufacturing in Milwaukee and share success stories. A complimentary continental breakfast will be provided. Register early as seating is limited! For more information and to register, visit http://www.bradleycorp.com/greensummit/

 

Sign up now for your free listing in WasteCapDIRECT
WasteCap Wisconsin has been hired by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to develop an online searchable database of haulers, processors and end markets for Wisconsin's construction and demolition debris. During the construction of this tool, we are looking for Wisconsin companies (haulers, processors and end markets for construction and demolition debris including asphalt, brick, cardboard, carpet, ceiling tiles, concrete, drywall, scrap metal, pallets, shingles and wood) who want to sign up early to be included in this directory which will be available for public use in 2008. Basic listings are free and upgraded listing opportunities are available to better highlight your business. To signup for your listing, please email Shannon Delaney at sdelaney@wastecapwi.org for more information.

 

About WasteCap Wisconsin (please visit: www.wastecapwi.org)

WasteCap Wisconsin and its clients have diverted 258,018,817 pounds of construction and demolition waste from landfills, which is 46.4 pounds per person in Wisconsin. The equivalent of 82,479 trees have been saved by recycling wood and cardboard. WasteCap Wisconsin's construction and demolition projects are currently achieving an average 72.3% recycling rate. WasteCap has saved its clients $1,118,053 in avoided disposal costs by recycling C&D debris.

 

1st commercial scale, near zero-emission coal plant with carbon storage in North America.

Oxyfuel technology may offer solutions to the problems and promises of coal—and at new technologies that capture and store CO2 Generating Controversy.

 

In conventional combustion, coal is burned in air. Air is three quarters nitrogen, and that nitrogen ends up in emissions. But in oxyfuel technology, the nitrogen is removed at the outset, and so emissions are nitrogen-free. Sulfur is scrubbed from the emissions the usual way.

 

Lars Strömberg was former chief engineer of the oxyfuel pilot project and is now Vattenfall's head of research.

 

STROMBERG: If we can take away this nitrogen from the combustion process, then the fuel gases consist mainly of water vapor and carbon dioxide only, which means that if we can condense the water vapor, we have more or less pure carbon dioxide. Therefore, we don't need any separation technologies.

 

SWEET: Removing nitrogen from air is the most costly part of the oxyfuel process. Strömberg believes it can be made more efficient and inexpensive in the future.

 

STROMBER: Yes, definitely. First of all, the cost will decrease with size. Secondly, we can reuse parts of the energy in the power process.

 

SWEET: If the cost of obtaining pure oxygen from air can be reduced by using waste heat from the plant, the oxyfuel process may be an attractive way of doing carbon capture.

 

When people talk about capturing and storing carbon from coal combustion in the United States, the focus usually is on a technology called IGCC. IGCC involves gasifying the coal to generate electricity, but it doesn't work well with coals that are dirty and inefficient, like lignite or soft coal.

 

Studies comparing the relative costs of capturing carbon, using IGCC versus oxyfuel, usually give a slight edge to IGCC. Cost estimates are in the same ballpark, however, and the IGCC plants in operation have never actually captured carbon.

 

Because of oxyfuel's simplicity and its suitability for lower-grade coals, the U.S. power equipment manufacturer Babcock & Wilcox also has been taking a strong interest in this approach. Speaking to a congressional committee last March, Babcock CEO John Fees said the company is putting its eggs in the oxyfuel basket.

 

And let me repeat that: It's the first commercial scale, near zero-emission coal plant with carbon storage in North America.

 

SWEET: Since last summer, Babcock & Wilcox has been testing oxyfuel combustion at a research plant in Ohio that's the same size as Vattenfall's German facility. But the Ohio test facility does not have the equipment to separate oxygen and nitrogen on-site or to capture carbon dioxide and store it in the ground at the end of the process.

 

Read full here...

Toxic Hazards in your home...

It looks like "The Wisconsin State Journal" must be reading my stuff from 2005?

Nice for public awareness but hardly "New, News":

Quick facts on Household Chemicals & Hazardous materials (Need more? just ask ;-):

• Nationwide, more than 32 million pounds of household cleaning products are poured down the drain each day (EPA).
• OSHA estimates that 30 and 70 million U.S. indoor workers and approximately 37 percent of the population suffers from chemical sensitivities, skin rashes, or allergies due to poor indoor air quality...
• A U.C.L.A. study indicates that "adverse health effects have been identified regarding common chemical ingredients found in 222 cleaning products."
• The Average American Uses about 25 Gallons of toxic, hazardous chemical products per year in their home... A major portion of these can be found in household cleaning products.
• The toxic chemicals in household cleaners are three times more likely to cause cancer than air pollution. (EPA)
• 150 chemicals commonly found in homes, have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer, and psychological abnormalities. — Consumer Product Safety Commission
• Consumer Products emit about 267 tons per day of VOCs during 2000 in California alone (ABR.gov)
• Cleaning products were responsible for nearly 10 percent of all toxic exposures reported to U.S. Poison Control Centers in 2000, accounting for 206,636 calls. Of these, nearly two-thirds involved children under six, who can swallow or spill cleaners stored or left open inside the home.

www.christopherhaase.com/blog/labels/Toxic2U.html

"The Wisconsin State Journal" Parts on Hazardous Homes

Hazardous Homes Part II: Household products that may be harmful

Though most of us think of our home as a place where we are safe from what seems an increasingly dangerous world, we are more often filling our houses with products and chemicals that may threaten our health. And much of the time we're not even aware of it.

Total annual calls to the Wisconsin Poison Center have risen more than 40 percent in the past five years.

Full article text

From - Hazardous Homes Part I: The mold menace

Of the many toxins we are exposed to in our homes, few remain as controversial and as problematic as mold. And, according to Dr. Jon Ouellette, a Madison allergist who specializes in mold, more people are likely to be dealing with the problem in their homes because of ice dams that send water cascading down inside walls or flooding that accompanies thaws or even from this summer's torrential rains.

Despite many personal stories of people sickened and driven from their homes or workplaces by toxic molds, medical science is still trying to catch up with definitive research linking mold and illnesses. Full article text

For more on mold

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services have extensive information on their Web sites. Go to the EPA site at www.epa.gov/mold/index.html

Or the site maintained by the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, which includes health information and studies as well as tips on hiring mold contractors. The page is at http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/eh/mold/

Wisconsin DNR News - for January

Advisory group finishes its review of groundwater quantity law
Trout streams, other top waters gain protection but more to be done - A 2004 groundwater quantity law is working as lawmakers intended to bolster protection for Wisconsin trout streams and ... Read Full Article

Hearings set on proposed temperature standards for wastewater dischargers
MADISON - The wastewater that power plants, paper mills, food processors and other industries release into Wisconsin streams, lakes and rivers would need to meet proposed temperature standards ... Read Full Article

 

Full Available at:

China Bans Plastic Bags, Sets Tougher Fuel Standards

China banned the production of thin plastic bags Tuesday and outlawed their use in supermarkets and shops beginning June 1 (linked).

Salvaging EPA Libraries

Remember how EPA library closures and record purges were threatening public access to important environmental information? Now Congress is requiring the agency to restore library services, reports Katherine Boyle of Greenwire:

U.S. EPA must craft plans to reopen regional libraries shuttered from a Bush administration cost-cutting effort under a provision in the agency's fiscal 2008 budget.

Congress allocated nearly $3 million for restoring library services and requires the agency to report its progress to lawmakers within three months.

At issue are EPA libraries that were closed in Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City and Washington and those in Boston, New York, San Francisco and Seattle whose staffing and operating hours were trimmed.

Why are these libraries so important? Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility explains: Liz Borkowski "the pump handle"

Drink up Johnny... oh, and eat your vegetables

Researchers have calculated people can extend the length of their lives by up to 17 per cent by not smoking, drinking only moderately, eating healthily and keeping physically active.

Prof Khaw and colleagues, surveyed 20,244 men and women living in Norfolk in the mid-1990s. The participants, none of whom had known cancer or heart disease, were aged between 45 and 79.

 

....the healthiest group in the study were calculated to have a lifespan that was, on average, 14 years longer than those with the least healthy lifestyle.

 

Those with one point - for displaying only one healthy behaviour - were 2.5 times as likely to have died than the healthiest group.

 

Smokers were 77 per cent more likely to have died during the study period, and low alcohol intake was associated with a 26 per cent increased chance of survival.

 

Being physically active and having levels of vitamin C equivalent to eating five servings of fruit and vegetables increased chances of still being alive by the end of study by 24 per cent and 44 per cent, respectively.

 

Read more By Nic Fleming, Medical Correspondent UK Telegraph health homepage

The Daily Green 4 today

DAILY GREEN - At least four European cities are following London's lead and imposing "congestion pricing" fees on drivers who enter the cities during hours when traffic is at its worst. . . According to USA Today, Milan in Italy, and Berlin, Cologne and Hanover in Germany instituted congestion pricing Jan. 1.

DAILY GREEN - China's State Council put a nationwide ban on plastic bags. The cabinet has demanded all stores (from major supermarkets to small shops) go plastic bag-free after June 1. According to the Daily Mail, China uses more plastic bags than any other country.

Big Lake's fish population plummeting

FISH FAMINE Here is a comparison of prey fish abundance in Lake Michigan in 2006 and 2007. Prey fish are bloaters, alewife and other species eaten by larger fish: salmon, lake trout and whitefish: 400: Kilotons of prey fish in 1989, the highest volume recorded since data was first collected in 1973. 61: Kilotons of prey fish in 2006. 30: Kilotons of prey fish in 2007. 92: Percentage difference in prey fish abundance in 1989 and 2007. 212: Kilotons of quagga and zebra mussels in 2006. 245: Kilotons of quagga and zebra mussels in 2007. -- Source: U.S. Geological Survey's Great Lakes Science Center

The quantity of fish food in Lake Michigan hit a record low for the second straight year in 2007, a trend that could be disastrous for the salmon fishery if it continues.

The volume of all prey fish in the lake -- alewife, bloaters and other small fish eaten by salmon, lake trout and whitefish -- dropped by half, from 61 kilotons in 2006 to 30 kilotons in 2007, according to data compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey's Great Lakes Science Center.

That's the lowest volume recorded since the government began tracking prey fish densities in 1973. Prey fish abundance last year was 92 percent below the record volume of 400 kilotons recorded in 1989, said Chuck Madenjian, a USGS research fishery biologist.

At the same time prey fish numbers are plummeting, the volume of foreign dreissenid mussels in Lake Michigan -- quagga and zebra mussels -- increased 13 percent in 2007, according to USGS data. There were 245 kilotons of quagga and zebra mussels in the lakes, eight times the volume of all prey fish; quaggas account for 98 percent of the mussels in the lake, according to government data.

"Most of the stuff we bring up in our bottom trawl now is quagga mussels," Madenjian said. "Their population has just exploded in the lake in the last five years."

The divergent trends of more mussels and fewer prey fish doesn't bode well for the Lake Michigan ecosystem or the sport and commercial fisheries.

Quagga mussels hog the plankton that comprises the base of a food chain that supports most fish species. The dime-sized mussels, which snuck into the Great Lakes in ocean freighters' ballast water, have been linked to the collapse of Lake Huron's salmon fishery.

They are shrinking salmon and whitefish in lakes Michigan and Ontario and causing algae blooms that foul beaches and botulism outbreaks that have killed 75,000 fish-eating birds around the Great Lakes over the past decade.

A state biologist said anglers should expect to catch fewer salmon, and smaller salmon, in Lake Michigan in the coming years. There aren't enough prey fish in the lake to support the near-record salmon catches anglers have enjoyed in recent years, said Randy Claramunt, research biologist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

"I think we're going to see reduced salmon catches in the near future," Claramunt said. "This is not a crash of the salmon fishery, it's more like a soft landing."

Read more here

EHS Blogger "blackouts"?

Where did the Environmental, Health and Safety
Professionals go? Don't stress... were down but not out.

The months before March are mission critical "crunch time" for Environmental, Health and Safety Professionals...

To help my fellow EHS pro's I post an annual "Compliance & Regulatory" resource list (see links below).

EHS subscribers ..
Here's the "short list" - ENJOY!

---

EHS Federal Regulations:
OSHA Regulations &EPA Regulations

Best list of EHS Regulations by state:
http://www.lgean.org/html/stateregs.cfm

The most comprehensive list of information of EHS Federal Agencies and
Regulations

The most comprehensive list EHS Regulation and History

All OSHA Safety Programs (A-Z)

"Regulatory Check" lists for EHS Pro's

If I missed any here are links to All Federal Regulatory Codes:

OSHA
EPA
DOT &DOT Hazmat Table

WI State codes:
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/cea/publications/codes.htm

Federal codes:

http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/cfr-table-search.html

http://www.law.cornell.edu/states/listing.html

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Just the Facts... if the general public was aware of how great our existing Environmental & Welfare Protection regulations were, they would understand that we would have "NO" current manmade global warming problems.... "IF" individuals and corporations would have complied with the regulations for the last two decades. It's not debatable... it is an inarguable, gut wrenching fact.

So if you think "Inconvenient Truth" was alarming, my 20 year compliance data report would give you a stroke. Seriously...

During this time I deploy my artificial intelligence data mining protocols to ensure I am still accumulating the most advanced resources available to "Protect People and the Planet".

So don't worry, Very soon I'll be back in force with my "Million Blogger Army" ;-)

Christopher Haase

Please Email me or leave a comment of link errors or more information - Thanks!

Fresh Water For The World's Poorest

Lack of water causes great distress among the population in large parts of Africa and Asia. Small decentralized water treatment plants with an autonomous power supply can help solve the problem: They transform salty seawater or brackish water into pure drinking water. Large industrial plants for the desalination of seawater deliver 50 million cubic meters of fresh water every day -- particularly in the coastal cities of the Middle East. However, the technology is complex and consumes large amounts of energy. Read full here

IBM sued for dumping chemicals in upstate New York

A group of 94 plaintiffs has filed suit against IBM in New York's state Supreme Court seeking damages for the company's role in dumping toxic chemicals near a former factory that allegedly contributed to residents developing cancers, heart defects, and other problems. According to attorneys, the main pollutant is trichloroethylene, which was first found drifting into homes and other businesses in the area in 2003. IBM operated the Endicott, N.Y., plant from 1924 until it was sold in 2002; the company has since moved to clean up or mitigate at least some of the pollution. The suit filed yesterday seeks damages of over $100 million.

sources: Associated Press, Reuters, The New York Times

EPA does not believe that the deal Dow is offering goes far enough,

EPA terminates negotiations with Dow Chemical on river cleanups

 

(Chicago, Ill. - Jan. 4, 2008) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 today stopped its negotiations with Dow Chemical aimed at a settlement to conduct a study and interim cleanup actions for dioxin contamination in the Tittabawassee River system.

 

"EPA does not believe that the deal Dow is offering goes far enough," said Ralph Dollhopf, Associate Director for the Superfund Division of EPA's Regional Office in Chicago. "Key issues that are paramount for protecting human health and the environment remain unresolved. EPA simply will not accept any deal that is not comprehensive." Read full press release here

 

For more information about the cleanup, visit http://www.epa.gov/region5/sites/dowchemical/

 

Another loss in the Great Lakes -Fred Brown

Fred Brown, one of the brightest minds and most articulate advocates for Michigan's water and other natural resources, passed away last week. As a member of the former Michigan Water Resources Commission in the 1980s and 1990s, Fred brought his brilliance to the job of protecting the state's rivers, lakes and streams. He asked the questions no one else would. He will be missed.

Here's his obituary link

And a tribute from Wayne Schmidt, the longtime staff ecologist at the Michigan United Conservation Clubs- posted By David Dempsey..."Dr. Fred Brown, a great MI conservationist is gone"

Thw most toxic chemicals currently in the lakes will not leave...

FROM David Dempsey:

Toxaphene, PCBs, chlordane and the other banned pesticides will not leave the Great Lakes until they are globally banned. Hiding the problem will not make it go away and spending the hoped-for $20 billion to clean up the lakes will do nothing for the most toxic chemicals currently in the lakes. http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion/column/265436

More on Mel and his cause here: http://msupress.msu.edu

And here: sweeping-toxaph

A great EPA loss in 2007 - Steve Rothblatt

We are all saddened by Steve's loss. Our thoughts are with his wife, Jeanne, whom Steve met here when she worked in graphic arts, and their two children David and Joanna. His funeral was held at the Union Church of Lake Bluff, 525 E. Prospect Avenue,

Lake Bluff, IL - Steve's Obituary

WORDS FROM: Bob Iverson - Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR)

I am sad to inform you that Steve Rothblatt, Director of the Air and Radiation Division, passed away early today after a long illness.

Steve was with Region 5 for over 30 years. After graduating from the University of Illinois and DePaul University Law School, he began his service with EPA in 1974 when he was hired as a Chemical Engineer in the Enforcement Division. Three years later, he became a supervisor in the Enforcement Division. In 1978, Steve was promoted to Enforcement Branch Manager in the Air and Hazardous Materials Division. In 1979, he became the Air Program Manager. Steve continued to serve as a Branch Manager in various capacities in the Air Management Division until July 2000. At that time, he served a six month detail as Director of the Indian Environmental Office. In 2003, Steve was selected for the Senior Executive Service, and he continued to serve as the Air and Radiation Division Director until his death.

I have enjoyed working with Steve over many years and particularly in the last 18 months when we worked very closely on air issues in Region 5. He was always in good humor even in difficult circumstances. While seriously ill himself, he always expressed concern for the well being of his friends and co-workers.

Experts warn against using air fresheners

A coalition of environmental groups wants the EPA to require companies to provide information on air freshener ingredients.

Experts warn that some popular air fresheners may contain dangerous chemicals, and some say we shouldn't use these fresheners until we know for sure.

Air fresheners are a $1.7 billion industry. You can find them in an estimated 75 percent of American homes, and they are liberally sprayed to cover the slightest odors.

"Air fresheners have a lot of issues. There's a number of chemicals; there's pthalates, there's terpines," said Tom Watson, King County EcoConsumer.

For years, Watson has been urging people to give up common air fresheners. And so are other groups, saying we just don't know what's in them.

"These manufacturers are actually not required to put on the label exactly what's in the product," said Jessica Fromman of the Sierra Club.

The Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Alliance for Healthy Homes and the National Center for Healthy Housing want the EPA to require companies to:

- provide EPA with consumers' reports of health problems associated with air fresheners

- submit copies of existing health and safety studies on the products

- test the products for their potential impacts on people's respiratory systems

- label products containing phthalates, a particularly dangerous class of chemicals

The EPA has already found problems with so-called ozone air fresheners and has asked for information on the aerosol sprays.

Meanwhile, manufacturers like SC Johnson reject any safety fears. Read on here by GARY CHITTIM / KING 5 News

Treehugger - 'Organic' is Banned

From TreeHugger.com - Better think twice before tossing 'organic' into a sentence. The word is one of 19 words or phrases on Lake Superior State University's annual List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness. "['Organic' is] overused and misused to describe not only food, but computer products or human behavior, and often used when describing something as 'natural,' says a quote on the university's Web site...

GE "Love for Coal" to promote "eco-imagination"

FROM: TreeHugger
Remember this little ditty? Though a bit dated now - the spot was originally aired in mid-2005 - this effort by GE to promote its "eco-imagination" campaign remains a classic in what not to do in green marketing.




GE was eventually pressured into dropping the ad campaign after it received numerous complaints from coal mining families. Companies (including GE) have grown more savvy over the past few years in "branding" themselves as responsible stewards of the environment - though greenwashing (unfortunately) is still all too common.

Warning - Toxins in dust are NOT a new phenomeonon that scientists are uninformed about.

I was concerned about the article below when I read it.

Regarding "toxins in dust"... It stated that (The articles misinformed words):

Scientists don't know for sure where all the toxins commonly found in dust come from. They also don't know the typical concentration of metals and other toxins in house dust. - "Wrong" They do and it is well documented with preventative facts.

It's a baffling phenomenon that may have significant implications, because it could mean that soil cleanups and other measures don't address some of the major sources of human exposure to metals. - "Wrong" It is not a phenomenon and it IS addressed (EPA regulated) during cleanups.

"There's a lot we don't know about house dust and what makes it potentially worrisome is just the number of chemicals and various things that end up in house dust," - "Wrong" we know a lot and "Worry" is typically generated from lack of knowledge and understanding of risk the factors 

Keeping a clean house won't stop the release of lead or flame retardants into house dust. But until researchers have a better understanding of how dust becomes contaminated and the level of risk it poses, it's the best solution to a perplexing problem. - "Wrong"  clean homes include HEPA filtration that is proven to stop spread of these toxins.

"I think it won't be long until more studies have the ability to relate some of these toxic chemicals with a wide range of behaviour effects," Dr. Diamond said. - "True" they have been around for over a decade.

Toxins in dust are NOT a new phenomenon that scientists are uninformed about.

 

 

Regardless you may find the uninformed comments from article amusing... so here is the link:

House dust: toxic and on your table

 

 

Haase Comments -  While you "could read this article"... like most things on the web, it is just a "hype" subject with misleading information. (sadly, this passes as "current" hype news when it has been thoroughly documented by EPA for decades)

 

In fact there have been organizations, universities and environ websites helping inform and warn the public on this subject for over a decade. Soooo.....  Here are "helpful" facts on home toxins & Dust:

• Three informative reports on hazardous chemicals in the average house
• Get the facts before paying for air duct cleaning
• The Truth about Household Toxics By ENN.com
•  How toxic is your body?
• The health effects of PBDE's

Japan's Fire in the ICE-to meet its gas use demands for 14 years.

Fifty-five million years ago the world's climate was catastrophically changed when volcanoes melted natural gas frozen in the seabed. Now Japan plans to drill for the same icy crystals to end its reliance on imported energy. Billions of tons of methane hydrate, frozen chunks of chemical-laced water buried in sediment some 3,000 feet under the Pacific Ocean floor, may help Japan win energy independence from the Middle East and Indonesia.

Japanese engineers have found enough "flammable ice" to meet its gas use demands for 14 years. The trick is extracting it without damaging the environment. Japan is joining the U.S. and Canada in test drilling for methane even as scientists express concerns about any uncontrolled release of the frozen chemical. Some researchers blame the greenhouse gas for triggering a global firestorm that helped wipe out the dinosaurs.

"Methane hydrate was a key cause of the global warming that led to one of the largest extinctions in the earth's history," says Ryo Matsumoto, a University of Tokyo scientist who has studied frozen gas since 1987. . . Read more from BLOOMBERG

Toshiba Builds Ultra-Small Nuclear Reactor

Toshiba has developed a new class of micro size Nuclear Reactors that is designed to power individual apartment buildings or city blocks. The new reactor, which is only 20 feet by 6 feet, could change everything for small remote communities, small businesses or even a group of neighbors who are fed up with the power companies and want more control over their energy needs.

The 200 kilowatt Toshiba designed reactor is engineered to be fail-safe and totally automatic and will not overheat. Unlike traditional nuclear reactors the new micro reactor uses no control rods to initiate the reaction. The new revolutionary technology uses reservoirs of liquid lithium-6, an isotope that is effective at absorbing neutrons. The Lithium-6 reservoirs are connected to a vertical tube that fits into the reactor core. The whole whole process is self sustaining and can last for up to 40 years, producing electricity for only 5 cents per kilowatt hour, about half the cost of grid energy.

Toshiba expects to install the first reactor in Japan in 2008 and to begin marketing the new system in Europe and America in 2009.

 

From nextenergynews.com

DOE and Wisconsin Launch Industrial Efficiency Partnership

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the State of Wisconsin today announced a voluntary collaboration to promote greater industrial energy efficiency throughout the state.  DOE, Wisconsin, Wisconsin's Focus on Energy (Focus), and CleanTech Partners have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to foster increased awareness and use of energy efficient practices and technologies by industries.

 

DOE's Save Energy Now campaign focuses on improving energy efficiency in the industrial sector.  Since 2005, DOE-sponsored teams have identified potential energy savings of $574 million per year.  Those energy savings could potentially avoid 3.75 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

 

This partnership puts Wisconsin in the spotlight as the first state in the nation to adopt the Save Energy Now approach; it also marks an important first step for DOE to bring this initiative to all 50 states by leveraging each state's own capabilities and local partnerships.

 

By combining Save Energy Now with CTP's effective technology deployment model and Focus on Energy's successful industrial program, Wisconsin will support a variety of activities to assist the state's manufacturing facilities. Among the activities, Wisconsin will work with DOE to:

 

·         Promote awareness, demonstration, and adoption of selected technologies funded by DOE's Industrial Technologies Program (ITP)

 

·         Train and certify 20 or more new DOE Qualified Specialists in the State of Wisconsin within the next year

 

·         Conduct fifteen Save Energy Now energy assessments in 2007 and conduct 100 similar assessments at Wisconsin facilities over the next three years.

 

·         Support outreach efforts of the Save Energy Now program in Wisconsin

 

·         Facilitate access by the partners to DOE software tools, training, technical information.

 

Follow-up surveys indicate that the plants assessed in 2006 have taken steps to save 15.1 trillion Btu of natural gas and $75 million annually. More than 60 percent of the recommendations are in progress or planned, and 90 percent of participating companies were influenced by these assessments when it came to implementing new energy saving projects. For more information on the results of the 2006 assessments, visit the Save Energy Now results page: http://www.eere.energy.gov/industry/saveenergynow/partners/resultscfm.

 

A third round of 250 Industrial Save Energy Now Energy Assessments is now open for applications by eligible industrial facilities. Energy experts will help industries identify energy- and money-saving opportunities, focusing on steam, process heating, pump, fan, and compressed air systems. To apply, visit the Save Energy Now website: www.eere.energy.gov/industry/saveenergynow

 

Learn more about Industrial Technologies Program technology research efforts at www.eere.energy.gov/industry

Simple Ways to Dispose of Household Hazardous Products

FROM - Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

You can also visit the agency's Web site at: www.pca.state.mn.us/hhw

 

Rather than guessing about what to do with those old prescriptions and mysterious bottles in the back of your medicine cabinet, or the unlabeled containers left by the previous owner of your home, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is recommending easy ways to dispose of potentially hazardous wastes.

 

· Start by taking an inventory of your home's easily-identified usable products. Tighten the lids on those items you use regularly and return them to a storage location out of children's reach. Bring any products you can't identify to a household hazardous waste collection site. The trained staff can make sure that all materials are disposed of safely.

 

· Expired or unwanted medications may be disposed of in the trash after taking a few simple steps. Start by scratching off personal information on the label. Pour a small amount of water into containers of pills or capsules to partially dissolve them. For liquid medications, add table salt, flour or a non-toxic spice such as tumeric or mustard to discourage anyone from ingesting them. For tablets in a blister pack, wrap the pack in multiple layers of duct tape. Finally, place the medication container in another, opaque container with a lid, such as a plastic margarine tub, to conceal the contents. Keep the materials away from children and place the materials into the garbage as close as possible to your trash pick-up day.

 

· Bathroom-related products that can go into the trash include old cosmetics and skin creams. The same is true for water-based glues, joint compounds, empty aerosol cans, alkaline batteries and fertilizers.

 

· Products that may be poured safely down the drains connected to a municipal wastewater treatment system include: bleach, ammonia-based cleaners, disinfectants, drain cleaners, hair dyes and wave solutions, toilet bowl, tub and tile cleaners and rust removers. Make sure to pour each separately and flush the line with water, before pouring a different product down the drain. Potential -- and serious -- problems could result if you mix any product with another in a sink or toilet. People living in homes connected to a septic system may dispose of these items in the garbage.

 

· Products requiring disposal at your local household hazardous waste collection site include: alcohol-based lotions such as perfumes and aftershave, solvent-based cleaners, oil-based paint, hair removers, nail polish and polish removers, window cleaners, floorcare products and oven cleaners. The same is true for most items stored in a garage or workshop, such as paints and stains, paint thinner, roofing tars, driveway sealer, motor oil, filters and other automotive products, charcoal lighter fluid and other fuels, fertilizers with weed killer, insect killers, mothballs, pesticides, pool chemicals, non-empty aerosol cans, shoe polish and spot removers.

 

Easier ways to solve disposal dilemmas include: switching to safer alternative products that are water-based instead of solvent-based, buying pump-spray containers instead of aerosols, buying the right amount of the right product for the intended job, giving away unused products to others seeking them, and taking advantage of product-exchange programs whenever possible.

 

Proper household hazardous waste disposal is worth the effort -- people and the environment are better-protected from unintentional pollution, our groundwater is safer for drinking, and fish and other aquatic wildlife are less likely to be affected.

 

43% of Canadians with Residential Pesticide Prohibitions.

As of November, over 13.7 million Canadians, 43% of the country's population, live in cities or towns that ban or greatly reduce the application of residential pesticides. The largest municipality with the ban is Toronto, at 2.5 million, and the smallest is Sainte-Paule at 229. The aggregate number of pesticide by-laws currently stands at 136, with an additional 14 pesticide
by-laws at the draft stage pending adoption. (Mike Christie, 2007,http://www.flora.org/healthyottawa/BylawList.pdf) SourceDavid Schaller

tucsonaz.gov

"gullible warming" quotes of 2008

"One of the best response quotes of 2008" in regards to defending "Deficient Knowledge":

Quote: "The fewer clear facts you have in support of an opinion, the stronger your emotional attachment to that opinion."  - Anonymous

Better quote:

To reduce intimidating jargon to clear explanations, doesn't really take that much time at all. It just take a person who knows what they're talking about.

 

SIMPLE FACT: Science can be understood by children, when explained by someone who understands it.

 

Sweet Quotes - Thanks Renee!

We can bury our waste or use it as free fuel for life...

Proposed fuel-processing plant could provide 60 per cent of electricity until 2060
A plan by the nuclear industry to build a fuel processing plant at Sellafield is being backed by the government's chief scientist.

The plant would turn the UK's 60,000 tonnes of high-level nuclear waste into reactor fuel that will provide 60 per cent of this country's electricity until 2060...

"Spent" plutonium and uranium will have to be turned into a fuel called mox, or mixed oxide. Thorp and mox - are ready, the 60,000 tonnes of nuclear waste, the leftovers of fuel production work and other highly radioactive material that has accumulated from Britain's nuclear energy programme, could be processed.

The resulting fuel rods and pellets could then be burned in nuclear reactors over the next few decades. In turn, the waste could be burned in a new generation of power plants called fast breeder reactors. Under this scheme, Britain would be near self-sufficient in nuclear fuel for the rest of the century.

Building new reactors is controversial. Apart from their high construction costs, analysts say uranium could become scarce and expensive, with supplies from Canadian and Australian mines drying up in the next 20 years. Reactors would then have no fuel.

 

'We can bury our reactor waste or we can treat it and then use it as free fuel for life,' said the cabinet's chief science adviser, Sir David King. 'It's a no-brainer.'

 

Read more from Robin McKie,