02008-07-13 | Health, News
Houston Mayor Attacks EPA over Air Pollution : TreeHugger
Bill White, the Mayor of Houston, thinks the air over his city is a toxic soup because of emissions from chemical plants and refineries. But he doesn’t know for sure, because the Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t test for it, it just relies on estimates from the producers.
According to the Houston Chronicle:
White said studies show that actual emissions can be 100 times greater than EPA estimates, which are based on industry-provided data.
To produce more reliable information, the federal agency should require refineries and chemical plants to verify the accuracy of their emissions with emerging laser technology and fence-line monitors, among other steps, White said.
“Up until now, the EPA has relied on rough estimates (((WHAT???!!))), and the companies themselves have done the estimates,” he said. “It’s a simple request, but it’s a very bold request. It’s a request that will allow the people of Houston to know what’s in their air.”
White said the EPA uses formulas, equations and assumptions to determine pollution levels from refineries and chemical plants that the agency itself described as flawed 12 years ago. ::Houston Chronicle
02008-04-20 | Environment, Health, Music
No Fortissimo? Symphony Told to Keep It Down – New York Times
Tests showed that the average noise level in the orchestra during the piece, “State of Siege,†by the composer Dror Feiler, was 97.4 decibels, just below the level of a pneumatic drill and a violation of new European noise-at-work limits. Playing more softly or wearing noise-muffling headphones were rejected as unworkable.
Some rock concerts peak at 150db. Combine rock concerts with much listening to mp3 players at high volume and our future will be noisy – because the public will be deaf or near-deaf…
02008-04-20 | Health
It’s Official: Canada Declares Bisphenol A Toxic : TreeHugger
Canadian Health Minister Tony Clement (pictured left) announced yesterday that Bisphenol A would be listed as a toxic substance and banned the use of polycarbonate plastic baby bottles. His Ministry will also tell baby food manufacturers to get it out of the linings of infant formula cans.
Wikipedia Entry
Diary Entry
Diary Entry
Diary Entry
Nalgene to stop making bottles with BPA – Breaking News – World – Breaking News
Hard-plastic Nalgene water bottles made with bisphenol A will be pulled from stores over the next few months because of growing consumer concern over whether the chemical poses a health risk.
And this on the Nalgene web site:
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (April 18, 2008) – In response to consumer demand, Nalgene® will phase out production of its Outdoor line of polycarbonate containers that include the chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA) over the next several months, it announced today. Nalgene’s existing product mix, including the recently launched Everyday line, already features a number of containers made from materials that do not contain BPA.
While plastics containing Bisphenol A are nasty in water-bottles, it is really awful in baby-bottles which are regularly cleaned with hot water. For plastic-bottle alternatives you can follow some of the above links. I have been using Kleen Kanteen stainless steel bottles for years and SIGG makes nice bottles as well.
02008-04-11 | Health
Cars Conjure A Fate Worse Than Death
…we want you to ride your bike, and the truth is that it’s one of the safest modes of transport. In fact, a recent study by the National Safety Council shows that the odds of dying from cancer, a stroke, or a motor vehicle accident are far greater than death by bike.
(Via Carectomy)
and here are the odds:
Motor Vehicle Accident = 1 in 84
Pedestrian Accident = 1 in 626
Bicycling Accident = 1 in 4,919
02008-03-17 | Environment, Health
During our weekly breakfast meeting, Jon and I riffed on how the landscape of towns will change in the next decades.
My dad used to drive miles to save a few pennies on cases of bubbly water, because gasoline was cheap, roads were excellent and huge warehouse stores (think Walmart, Sam’s Mart, Costco) were being built on the periphery, where the land was inexpensive. Later, when he retired he tried to take over all shopping from my mom. She let him shop for a couple of weeks and then put an end to that. For her grocery-shopping was more than finding the best deal – which is how my dad approached it and consequently drove all over town – it was also a chance to run into friends and acquaintances and exchange news, it was an opportunity to change the food-menu according to what was fresh and available, and it was exercise since she walked everywhere. Well, she did let him continue to buy the cases of water (Geroldsteiner, if you want to know) because it was nice to have lots of that at home.
So, in the seventies and since then many super-stores were built outside of the centers and because gasoline was cheap and people wanted to save a buck, these stores flourished. Naturally many small stores in the center of town could not compete and closed up.
Guess what, now we will depend on new small groceries opening up within walking distance and it will seem frivolous to drive for miles to shop at a giant warehouse – let’s not even talk about the lack of service in those giant places. Going to the corner-grocer is a social event, a community-building event even. Going to Costco is a drag – at least for me… maybe other people enjoy it. I hate the sound in those cavernous places, hate the lighting, etc….
Then I compared cigarettes to cars, inspired by this. The similarity in advertising styles is amazing. If you want to be cool, you gotta!!! What car they drive is generally more important to a guy, than how he dresses. Hm, actually that’s MUCH MORE IMPORTANT. If I only had the RIGHT car, chicks would dig me…
I remember the late sixties when every home had at least one nice cigarette container and many ashtrays and everyone coming for a visit was offered cigarettes. And I was often asked to buy more at the automat around the corner. Who would have believed then, that within just a few decades smoking would become a “bad thing”. No smoking in bars and restaurants. No smoking in airplanes or any public transportation. No smoking in the theater (they had ashtrays in movie theaters forty years ago!!!) or any public building. No smoking in your hosts house – unless they are smokers also.
I think that’s how we feel about cars in a couple of decades. Cars are bad for us. 30,000-40,000 die on American streets every year and that does not take into account all of the people who are in bad health because they don’t move unless they are in a car. If a car is cigarette, and a SUV is a cigar, then a hybrid car or even an all-electric car is a filtered cigarette. Kids are overweight because they don’t walk or bike to school – they are driven by their parents.
I think we will look back at this time and just simply shake our heads. Another nightmare that ended at last, like the cigarette nightmare. Will our landscape change a lot? You bet. Smaller stores in more neighborhoods rather than a couple of really large stores far away. Streets that are designed for pedestrians and bicyclists rather than cars. People looking for jobs and schools near home, or looking for homes near their job or school – and giving their employers and city planers hell if they don’t plan for that.
Check out how well the Romans designed cities in this beautiful book.
02008-03-16 | Environment, Health
I mentioned Pangea before – here and here. I like their products a lot, although I find that they can be a little strong for my nose. Today I opened a package and just as I was about to throw the recycled cardboard container away I stopped to read about the material:
The molded fiber box is the first of its kind. It was manufactured with zero waste and is created from 100% post-consumer newsprint without glues or dies. Soak the box for 1 minute and plant it about 1″ deep in soil. Up should spring medicinal herbs found in our products.
Excellent! Naturally I will plant the box.
