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TitrIC combines the advantages of direct measurement of pH value and conductivity, of titration and ion chromatography in a single system that provides fully automatic drinking water analyses.

All ionic components are determined reliably, quickly and reproducibly. The results are saved in the integral database and can be processed to produce a combined report. Intelligent control and thoroughly tested technology guarantee reliable analyses regardless of the time of day or night. Up to one hundred samples can be analyzed fully automatically. This reduces the time required and inreases the precision of the measurements.

Metrohm is a worldwide leading manufacturer of precision instruments for chemical analysis. In the field of electrochemical ion analysis Metrohm has been the leader for many years. This is reflected in the company's comprehensive product range:

• pH meters, ion meters, conductometers
• Potentiometric, thermometric and Karl Fischer titration
• Polarography, voltammetry and CVS
• Ion chromatography
• Stability measurement of fats, oils and biofuels
• Process analysis
• Automation in titration, voltammetry, ion chromatography and process control

Metrohm offer much more than just instruments. In their laboratories they develop customized applications to help their customers safeguard the quality of their products, comply with regulations and optimize processes.

Metrohm is exclusively represented in more than 80 countries, in more than 40 of which they have their own subsidiaries. This guarantees a tight network for sales and service.

Head office: Herisau CH-9101 Switzerland 

California Department of Toxic Substances Control Director Maureen Gorsen explains how, by using wiki technology, California shares with the public at large its mandate to create Green Chemistry regulations.

Director Gorsen also instructs wiki users on how to participate in this innovative approach to advancing California's green product revolution. California is implementing the first body of green chemistry law in the world and DTSC, the agency charged with its implementation is making history by writing the regulations on real time along with stakeholders and the people of the State of California.


Wiki for Green Chemistry

Chemicals used in wood preservation are coming under environmental and health related attacks and new approaches for a greener chemical approach are underway.

The US Department of Agriculture carries on extensive research about wood -- how to grow it, how to engineer it to conserve it, and how to protect it over the lifetime of the building or application -- and what happens to the chemicals infused into the wood after the used wood is discarded in landfills. The Forest Products Laboratory is the research arm of the USDA that tests wood, wood products, and the chemicals used in wood for construction purposes.

Chemical ingredients are casually accepted by consumers because the terminology and the science are so complex that even scientists argue over the impact on people and the environment.   But it is important for citizens -- parents, loved ones, and merchants who care about their customers -- to learn as much as possible about key ingredients.   That's what the green movement is about -- and that is what social justice is about.  Pollutants can be recognized and removed from our homes and work environments.

Here is a basic overview of one set of known problem chemicals:  organic bromine and chlorine.  Better known as substances in PVC pipe, electronics and other common product materials.

This overview of organic bromine and chlorine is quoted from a report by the International Chemical Secrtariat (www.chemsec.org) and Clean Production Action (www.cleanproduction.org)

Organic bromine and chlorine

Compounds that contain organic bromine and chlorine tend to be particularly likely to bioaccumulate, be persistent and/or toxic - or to degrade in the environment into new brominated or chlorinated organic compounds with these characteristics.

As they accumulate over time, these organo-halogen compounds can become widespread pollutants in air, water, soil, and sediment, where they are increasingly ingested by humans and animals. It is also important to note that inorganic forms of these chemicals can lead to the formation of dioxin and other problematic chemicals, particularly when they are mixed with organic matter.

Chlorinated dioxins and furans can cause severe health problems, including:

• Cancer
• Endocrine disruption
• Endometriosis
• Neurological damage
• Birth defects and impaired child development
• Reproductive system damage
• Immune system damage

Because dioxins and furans break down slowly, they endure in the environment for long periods of time.18,19 Like many organohalogens, they bioaccumulate in animals' fatty tissue. The highest concentrations are found in animals at the top of the food chain, including humans. Linda Birnbaum, a leading science expert on BFR s and dioxins, led the US EPA's 1994 dioxin assessment process, which concluded that for certain dioxins there was no safe level of exposure for humans.

Most of what we know about dioxins and furans is the result of the study of one particular dioxin: tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCD ), which is a developmental toxicant that causes skeletal deformities, kidney defects, and weakened immune responses in the offspring of animals exposed to it during pregnancy. The compound is also associated with some cancers and other health effects, including immune system alterations and skin lesions. Additionally, studies indicate many of the hundreds of other dioxins and furans are likely to cause similar health effects.

Dioxin precursors

Of particular concern is the ability of halogenated organics to act as precursors for generating dioxin, a potent known human carcinogen4 that is toxic at very low levels. Exposing halogenated organics such as the BFR s, CFR s, and PVC in electronics to incineration at insufficiently high temperatures or the uncontrolled burning practices commonly used in informal recycling in the developing world can generate dioxins, as well as furans, which can be equally toxic.

Chlorine Use in PVC

The predominant use of chlorine in electronics has been in PVC plastics. Most internal and external cables use PVC to insulate copper wires. Human health and environmental concerns about exposure to plastic additives used in PVC, such as lead, cadmium, and phthalates, as well as dioxin formation during the combustion of PVC components, triggered industry-wide efforts to replace PVC use in wire and cables. The major challenge has been developing alternative resins, that meet safety standards that in some instances were only written to specify PVC resins. To further complicate the situation, these safety standards vary geographically, forcing companies to use and get approval for multiple alternatives that comply with the different regional standards.

Bromine- and chlorine- based compounds are used extensively in the production of today's modern electronic products as flame retardants, solvents, dyes, adhesives and plastic resins.

The highest concentrations of bromine and chlorine are used in brominated and chlorinated flame retardants (BFR s and CFR s) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

However, in response to growing awareness of the human health and environmental problems associated with the use of bromine and chorine, leading manufacturers have started to restrict the use of these chemicals. These manufacturers have also come to recognize that the wide variety of halogenated compounds used in the electronics supply chain makes it very difficult to certify that specific brominated or chlorinated compounds have successfully been removed from electronics products.

Accordingly, some manufacturers have chosen to restrict the use of all substances containing these two elements, rather than contend with the difficulties involved in implementing and validating restrictions on specific, individual brominated and chlorinated substances. The method of focusing on chemicals on the group level rather than on individual compounds has come to be known as the elemental approach.

The Association Connecting Electronics Industries (IPC) is currently in the process of developing another standard for all plastic resins. The current proposal (September 2009) applies the elemental standard to a subset of brominated and chlorinated compounds, namely BFR s, CFR s, PVC, and PVC congeners in plastic resins. This approach, however, is more difficult to verify through testing and some companies are calling for a more verifiable approach that would apply restrictions on all uses of bromine and chlorine.

The Environmental Council of the States (ECOS)

The Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) is the national non-profit, non-partisan association of state and territorial environmental agency leaders. The purpose of ECOS is to improve the capability of state environmental agencies and their leaders to protect and improve human health and the environment of the United States of America.

 

Their belief is that state government agencies are the keys to delivering environmental protection afforded by both federal and state law.

The Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC) is an affiliated work group of states  seeking to speed the acceptance of new technology, primarily by reviewing and certifying  cleanup technology for use in new jurisdictions. ITRC is a state-led coalition working together with industry and stakeholders to achieve regulatory acceptance of environmental technologies. ITRC consists of 50 states, the District of Columbia, multiple federal partners, industry participants, and other stakeholders, cooperating to break down barriers and reduce compliance costs, making it easier to use new technologies, and helping states maximize resources. ITRC brings together a diverse mix of environmental experts and stakeholders from both the public and private sectors to broaden and deepen technical knowledge and streamline the regulation of new environmental technologies.

ERIS is the host for ITRC, which conducts training and reviews technology applications, providing state officials in new jurisdictions with a level of comfort as to the efficacy of new technology. ERIS and ITRC do not have separate staff, but use ECOS staff on a reimbursable basis.

ECOS has steadily increased the base level of practical research regarding state environmental agencies. This year was no exception. Here are some examples:
 
Restoring Budgets for "Core Programs" ECOS is working to convince Congress (and US EPA) to restore the cuts to the State and Tribal Assistance Grants that have occurred since 2005. Nearly all the cuts to EPA's budget have been passed on to the States, which implement 96% of the delegated programs such as clean air, clean water, waste and drinking water protection. ECOS members believe these cuts threaten our ability to protect the environment. ECOS again this year (2008) presented an alternative budget to Congress. In 2009, we worked with US EPA to present state budget needs for the 2011 budget period.
 
Mercury

ECOS is particularly interested in reducing the presence of mercury in the environment because continued mercury pollution poses a growing threat to human health and the environment. In 2001, ECOS and other partners founded the Quicksilver Caucus (QSC) to pool resources, and to explore and pursue methods for reducing mercury in the environment. The removal of mercury from the environment remains a priority for state environmental agencies. In 2009, the QSC continues to help provide a forum for dialogue between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state environmental agencies to facilitate facility compliance with the Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) Rule.

Currently, the QSC is exploring ways to preclude use of mercury in thermostats and thermometers, and is exploring ways to recover and better manage mercury already contained in such products.

Dental Mercury Amalgam Waste Management White Paper

In April 2008, the QSC released the Dental Mercury Amalgam Waste Management White Paper, which explores successes and lessons learned from early dental amalgam mercury management programs. The QSC also held a webinar on the topic of dental amalgam mercury programming and state and local efforts to reduce loading of amalgam mercury to water systems via use of separator machinery. The webinar highlighted the White Paper the Quicksilver Caucus published earlier in the year, along with various states' experiences with the subject, as outlined in case studies also recently published by the Caucus. The QSC is working to develop mercury total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for waterbodies, taking into account the contributions of air and waste programs. Currently, the QSC is also considering pursuing more work in the field of management of mercury from compact fluorescent lights (CFLs).

Environmental Information Management

States need to tell the public and USEPA about the quality of the environment in each State. In the past five years, over 40 States and USEPA have initiated projects to modernize their information systems to support their complementary roles in environmental protection. Because of outdated and inefficient information systems, the States and USEPA began to modernize -- with many leaning towards integrated systems.

The One Stop Reporting Program provided a solid foundation for the development of an integrated environmental information network to improve environmental decision-making and enhance access to environmental information among States and USEPA.

Since 2002, State and federal partners have expended tremendous effort to create the National Environmental Information Exchange Network (Exchange Network) -- a revolutionary way to exchange environmental information between partner organizations.

EPA maintains an extensive database of Design for the Environment approved products.  These listings can be checked by consumers or business procurement buyers for products recognized under the DfE Formulator Program. DfE commends these companies for their leadership in designing products that are good for their business and for the environment.

Partners and Recognized Products

• Cleaning Products
  • Consumer Cleaning Products
    • Cleaners
    • Floor Care
    
    
    • Laundry Detergents
  • Industrial/Institutional Cleaning Products
    • Cleaners
    • Floor Care
    • Laundry Detergents
    • Automatic Dishwasher Detergents
    • Graffiti Removers
    • Marine Cleaning Products
    • Car Care
    • Aircraft Cleaning Products
    • Industrial Vehicle Cleaning Products
• Biological-based Products
  • Bioremediator
  • Drain Maintainer
  • Grease Trap / Lift Station Maintainer
  • Holding Tank Treatment/Deodorizer
  • Septic System Treatment
  • Vehicle/Parts Wash Additive
  • Wastewater Innoculant
  • Bilge Maintainer
• Deicers
• Field Paint
• Industrial Coatings
  • Conversion Coatings
  • Pavement Treatment
• Inks
  • Inkjet Printing
• Odor Removal
• Field Paint
• Tire Additives
• Soluble Films

See the EPA Web page for updated links.

CleanGredients® Data Verification

NSF International is pleased to announce it has partnered with the GreenBlue Institute and CleanGredients® to perform third-party reviews of surfactant ingredients. Once successfully reviewed, surfactants may be listed on the CleanGredients website, the industry resource for formulators.

NSF reviews ingredient formulations for aquatic toxicity and biodegradability using criteria defined by the U.S. EPA DfE (Design for the Environment) Program, which designates surfactants with especially positive environmental characteristics.

CleanGredients.org is an online database of institutional and industrial (I&I) cleaning ingredients that:

• Helps formulators identify ingredients that have potential environmental and/or human health and safety benefits.
• Provides an opportunity for manufacturers and producers of cleaning ingredients to showcase their ingredients with potential environmental and/or human health and safety benefits.

SOURCE:  NSF International

The EPA SNAP program has developed a series of pages for each SNAP industrial sector. These links lead to  lists by end use and for the entire sector, as well as related documents (e.g., fact sheets on specific end-uses).

Refrigeration & Air Conditioning

End Uses

• Chillers typically cool water, which is then circulated to provide comfort cooling throughout a building or other location. Chillers can be classified by compressor type, including centrifugal, reciprocating, scroll, screw, and rotary. SNAP has identified substitutes for CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-113, CFC-114, R-13B1, HCFC-22, R-500 and other ODSs. Chillers used to cool industrial processes are discussed under Industrial process refrigeration systems.
• Industrial process refrigeration systems cool process streams in industrial applications. The choice of substitute for specific applications depends on ambient and required operating temperatures and pressures. SNAP has identified substitutes for CFC-11, CFC-12, HCFC-22 and other ODSs.
• Ice skating rinks frequently use secondary refrigeration loops. They are used by the general public for recreational purposes. SNAP has identified substitutes for CFC-12, HCFC-22, R-502 and other ODSs.
• Industrial process air conditioning is distinct from commercial and residential air conditioning. It is often used when ambient temperatures near 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 degrees Celsius) and corrosive conditions exist. Units in this end-use provide comfort cooling for operators and protect process equipment. SNAP has identified substitutes for CFC-12, CFC-114 and other ODSs.
• Cold storage warehouses are used to store meat, produce, dairy products and other perishable goods. The majority of cold storage warehouses in the United States use ammonia as the refrigerant in a vapor compression cycle, although some rely on other refrigerants. SNAP has identified substitutes for CFC-12, HCFC-22, R-502, and other ODSs.
• Refrigerated transport moves products from one place to another while maintaining necessary temperatures, and include refrigerated ship holds, truck trailers, railway freight cars, and other shipping containers. SNAP has identified substitutes for CFC-12, R-502 and other ODSs.
• Retail Food Refrigeration includes all cold storage cases designed to chill food for commercial sale. In addition to grocery cases, the end-use includes convenience store reach-in cases and restaurant walk-in refrigerators. Icemakers in these locations are discussed under commercial ice machines. SNAP has identified substitutes for CFC-12, HCFC-22, R-502 and other ODSs.
• Vending machines are self-contained units which dispense goods that must be kept cold or frozen. SNAP has identified substitutes for CFC-12, R-502 and other ODSs.
• Water coolers are self-contained units providing chilled water for drinking. They may or may not feature detachable containers of water. SNAP has identified substitutes for CFC-12, R-502 and other ODSs.
• Commercial ice machines are used in commercial establishments to produce ice for consumer use, e.g., in hotels, restaurants, and convenience stores. SNAP has identified substitutes for CFC-12, R-502 and other ODSs.
• Household refrigerators and freezers are intended primarily for residential use, although they may be used outside the home. Household freezers only offer storage space at freezing temperatures, unlike household refrigerators. Products with both a refrigerator and freezer in a single unit are most common. SNAP has identified substitutes for CFC-12, R-502 and other ODSs.
• Residential dehumidifiers are primarily used to remove water vapor from ambient air for comfort or material preservation purposes. While air conditioning systems often combine cooling and dehumidification, this application serves only the latter purpose. SNAP has identified substitutes for CFC-12, HCFC-22 and other ODSs.
• Motor vehicle air conditioning systems, or MVACS, provide comfort cooling for passengers in cars, buses, planes, trains, and other forms of transportation. MVACS pose risks related to widely varying ambient conditions, accidents, and the location of the evaporator inside the passenger compartment. Given the large number of cars in the nation's fleet, and the variety of designs, new substitutes must be used in accordance with established retrofit procedures. Flammability is a concern in all applications, but the conditions of use and the potential for accidents in this end-use increase the likelihood of a fire. In addition, the number of car owners who perform their own routine maintenance means that more people will be exposed to potential hazards. SNAP has identified substitutes for CFC-12 and HCFC-22.
• Residential and light commercial air conditioning and heat pumps includes central air conditioners (unitary equipment), window air conditioners, and other products. HCFC-22, a class II substance, is the most common refrigerant for this application. SNAP has identified substitutes for HCFC-22 and other ODSs.
• Heat transfer includes all cooling systems that rely on convection to remove heat from an area, rather than relying on mechanical refrigeration. There are, generally speaking, two types of systems: Systems with fluid pumps, referred to as recirculating coolers, and those that rely on natural convection currents, referred to as thermosiphons. SNAP has identified substitutes for CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-113, CFC-114, CFC-115 and other ODSs.
• Very Low Temperature Refrigeration systems require maintaining temperatures in the vicinity of -80 degrees F (-62 degrees C) or lower. Examples include medical freezers and freeze-dryers, which generally require extremely reliable refrigeration cycles to maintain low temperatures and must meet stringent technical standards that do not normally apply to refrigeration systems. SNAP has identified substitutes for CFC-13, R-13B1 (Halon 1301), R-503 and other ODSs.

Publications

Ten Questions to Ask Before You Purchase An Alternative Refrigerant

Programs that Provide Training on HFC-134a Retrofit

ASHRAE Journal Article about Refrigerant Safety

ARTI Refrigerant Information Database

Writing about complex scientific stories isn't easy, and takes years of both study and research.  These two investigative reporters have been honored for their dedication.

Susanne Rust & Meg Kissinger

Chemical Fallout
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Thirty years ago, a carcinogenic flame-retardant material was taken out of children's pajamas.  In 2008 it was being used with frequency in products such as baby carriers and bassinetts.  This was just one of several discoveries made by Susanne Rust and Meg Kissinger of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in their series, "Chemical Fallout."

The team exposed government programs that favored chemical makers over the public and conflicts of interests among regulators.  Rust and Kissinger reported that there was no such thing as "microwave-safe" plastics. An outside laboratory tested containers labeled as such and found toxic levels of chemicals leached from every item.

The Journal Sentinel team did their homework: They reviewed hundreds of scientific journal articles and worked with scientists to determine that the federal government's assurances that bisphenol A (a chemical compound found in many plastics) is safe are based on outdated U.S. government studies and research heavily funded by the chemical industry. PBS broadcaster Bill Moyers compared the reporting to the legendary Upton Sinclair. David Kessler, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said that the Sentinel was doing the work that the agency should have been doing all along to protect the public.

Susanne Rust

Senior Reporter, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Susanne Rust was part of a reporting team that won the 2008 Sigma Delta Chi award and the Society of American Business Writers and Editors award for detailing chemical dangers and lax regulations in Washington, D.C. The team also won the 2008 John B. Oakes Award.  Rust has continued to break new ground throughout 2008 with more stories exposing the failures of the Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration.  In her five years at the Sentinel, Rust has also trekked through the hills of Rwanda to cover stories on civil engineering and AIDS; hacked through the dense foliage of a Ugandan rain forest in search of mountain gorillas; poked around Scotland's Roslin Institute looking for clones; and written about eco-friendly agriculture in Costa Rica.  Before joining the Sentinel, Rust pursued a doctorate in biological anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Meg Kissinger

Investigative Reporter, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Meg Kissinger is the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's investigative reporter focusing on health and welfare.  She and two of her colleagues won the 2008 Sigma Delta Chi award and the Society of American Business Writers and Editors Award for a series of articles on the government's failure to screen for dangerous chemicals in household products.  The series also won the 2008 John B. Oakes Award.  Kissinger has spent the last year breaking new ground on the failures of the Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration to regulate toxic chemicals.  She was a finalist for the 2007 Selden Ring and Investigative Reporters and Editors awards for her reports on the filthy and dangerous housing conditions in Milwaukee County for people with mental illness. That series won the Mental Health America Award for best news repoting.  In her 25 years in the newsroom, Kissinger has written about abuses in the nursing home industry, the scam of the door-to-door magazine sales industry and the travails of an oncologist who unwittingly discovered his own end-stage cancer.  

Conventional agricultural practices, while capable of producing large amounts of food and fiber, frequently result in environmental degradation and socioeconomic losses.

These negative aspects of conventional agriculture have led many to promote sustainable agricultural practices.

Sustainable practices seek to ensure the future of agriculture by promoting environmental stewardship, generating an acceptable level of income, and maintaining stable farm families and communities.

The transformation of agriculture into a more sustainable system requires that farmers adopt sustainable practices. However, the factors that determine whether a farmer will adopt a sustainable practice are unclear. This research project, funded by the Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (SSARE),  identified these determinants.

The most frequently mentioned theme throughout all of the interviews, both in volume and in frequency of responses, was the social aspects of adopting sustainable farming practices.

The term social is used here to refer to the interactions and relationships between the farmer and other people. Every farmer mentioned one or more social issues; and for many of the farmers, the social component of adoption was described as the most important or one of the most important facets of farming sustainably. Information provided by the farmers regarding this theme centered on the following categories:

• Resistance or peer pressure,
• Social support,
• Sustainable practices as a societal movement or cause,
• Community building or local issues,
  
• Providing education,
• Generational aspects.

"Barriers to the Adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Practices: Working Farmer and Change Agent Perspectives"   August 19, 2009
Robin A. Fazio, Sonrisa Farm, Colquitt, Georgia
Joysee M. Rodriguez Baide and Joseph J. Molnar
Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology
Auburn University, Auburn, AL
 
Read More at USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Projec