Category: News

Source: Environmental Expert.com

The IAQ Video Network produces another educational video about microbial pathogens, toxins and occupational health hazards.

Phoenix, AZ, June 27th, 2012 — Today, the IAQ Video Network and Cochrane & Associates announced the release of another online video to help educate the public about issues that may impact their health.  The latest educational video discusses health hazards associated with wood dusts.

In 2009, wood dust was added to California’s Proposition 65 list as a substance known to the State of California to cause cancer. Many workers across the nation are exposed to wood dusts at sawmills, wood processing facilities and during construction and renovation activities.

Wood dust can be created when wood is cut, drilled, sanded, machined or processed.  Wood dust becomes a potential health problem when wood particles become airborne.

“Breathing these particles may cause allergic respiratory symptoms, mucosal and non-allergic respiratory symptoms, irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, pulmonary function impairment, and even cancer,” reported Paul Cochrane, President of Cochrane and Associates, the company behind the IAQ Video Network and the new public outreach video.  “In addition to the health effects of wood dust, airborne dust can create the potential for a dust explosion.  Significant accumulations of fine particles of wood dust can result in a fire hazard and explosion risk. We hope this video helps to educate people about potential risks associated with exposure to wood dusts.”

To view this video please visit:

http://youtu.be/tq2ruF4iy2U

This educational video was sponsored by a number of organizations and leading industry professionals that help protect the public’s health.  Sponsors include: EMSL Analytical, LA Testing, UltraViolet Devices, EC2, Sussex Environmental Health Consultants, Clark Seif Clark, IAQ Index, Legends Environmental Insurance Services, Advanced Building Assessment and the Institute for Safety and Health Management (ISHM) to name a few.

To learn more, or to inquire about IAQ Video Network sponsorship opportunities, please visit http://www.IAQTV.com or http://www.cochraneassoc.com, email info@cochraneassoc.com or call (602)510-3179.

Source: Environmental Expert.com

Nationwide Challenge Will Award Winning Community a $100,000 Grant from SC Johnson

RACINE, Wis., June 27, 2012 /PR Newswire/ — Americans recycle only one-and-a-half pounds of the more than four pounds of waste they generate daily(1), adding unnecessary waste to our nation’s landfills. In an effort to help slow this trend and further inspire waste reduction efforts, SC Johnson has partnered with Recyclebank®, the award-winning recycling incentives program, to launch the SC Johnson Green Choices Recycling Challenge. The program encourages 50 communities, one in each state, to compete for the highest recycling participation rate during the six-month challenge. The winning community will receive a $100,000 grant from SC Johnson.

‘Companies have a responsibility to make more environmentally conscious products and operate more sustainably, but we also need to find ways to inspire families and help them to make green choices, like recycling, an everyday action, said Fisk Johnson, Chairman and CEO of SC Johnson. ‘The SC Johnson Green Choices Recycling Challenge along with our recently announced Sustainable Behavior Change Program will help us to better understand what motivates people to change their actions when it comes to waste reduction.’

The SC Johnson Sustainable Behavior Change Program is a five year research project that will bring together academics, environmentalists and consumers in an effort to identify what drives behavior change around a number of sustainable actions. Overlaying consumer-action programs will test different message techniques across communities to understand what motivates that behavior change. The program’s initial research will dovetail with the SC Johnson Green Choices Recycling Challenge.

While the challenge aims to increase consumers’ recycling, it will also contribute to the company’s goal of becoming landfill neutral by 2016. Through operational commitments as well as with the help of Recyclebank and communities(2), across the country, the company will eliminate or divert more than 480 million pounds of waste from the nation’s landfills, which is equivalent to more than its U.S. waste footprint. The company defines its waste footprint as all its U.S. manufacturing, office and consumer packaging waste and shipping materials.

The 50 new communities involved in the SC Johnson Green Choices Challenge will join more than 300 communities across the U.S. and the U.K. that have implemented Recyclebank  programs to help increase recycling rates through incentives and reward residents with deals on everyday household and grocery items. In addition to significant environmental benefits, increased recycling also has a positive impact on municipal finances through disposal cost savings and revenues from the sale of recyclables.

‘At Recyclebank, we believe that the key to unlocking the greatest environmental impact depends on businesses, government and communities working together to inspire and motivate everyday green actions,’ said Jonathan Hsu, chief executive officer at Recyclebank. ‘Through our partnership with SC Johnson and our growing network of municipalities, we can reach an even wider audience to better educate and incentivize a daily routine to the benefit our environment, one small step at a time.’

Recyclebank is similar to a frequent flyer program; rather, members instead earn points for living a more sustainable lifestyle. Members can use those points to ‘shop’ at Recyclebank.com for rewards such as discounts and deals from hundreds of reward partners in more than 10 categories including food and beverage, health, beauty, home, clothing, accessories and gifts. Available rewards include deals on a suite of SC Johnson brands such as Ziploc®, Windex®, Scrubbing Bubbles®, Glade®, and discounts from national retailers and restaurants. Over the course of a year, an average family can earn hundreds of points that can be redeemed for special rewards; this translates into real value — more than $160 annually.

Communities participating in the SC Johnson Green Choices Recycling Challenge include:

A leaderboard at www.recyclebank.com/greenchoices will track progress each month, and the winning community will be announced in January 2013. To learn more about SC Johnson’s sustainability efforts, visit www.scjohnson.com/greenchoices, follow them on Twitter @SCJGreenChoices or access its 2011 Public report at www.scjohnson.com/2011Report

ABOUT SC JOHNSON
SC Johnson is a family-owned and managed business dedicated to innovative, high-quality products, excellence in the workplace and a long-term commitment to the environment and the communities in which it operates. Based in the USA, the company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of household cleaning products and products for home storage, air care, pest control and shoe care. It markets such well-known brands as GLADE®, KIWI®, OFF!®, PLEDGE®, RAID®, SCRUBBING BUBBLES®, SHOUT®, WINDEX® and ZIPLOC® in the U.S. and beyond, with brands marketed outside the U.S. including AUTAN®, TANA®, BAMA®, BAYGON®, BRISE®, KABIKILLER®, KLEAR®, MR. MUSCLE®, and RIDSECT®. The 126-year-old company, that generates $9 billion in sales, employs nearly 13,000 people globally and sells products in virtually every country around the world. www.scjohnson.com

ABOUT RECYCLEBANK
Recyclebank helps create a more sustainable future by rewarding people for taking everyday green actions with discounts and deals from more than 3,000 local and national businesses. Through its online platform and partnerships with municipalities, haulers, small businesses and corporate brands, Recyclebank is empowering individuals to make a collective impact on the environment by increasing household recycling, reducing household energy usage and taking other environmentally-preferred actions. A Certified B Corporation, Recyclebank has been recognized as a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum, a Champion of the Earth by the United Nations Environment Programme and for Outstanding Excellence in Public/Private Partnerships from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Recyclebank is headquartered in New York City. For more information, visit www.Recyclebank.com

(1) ‘Municipal Solid Waste.’ EPA. Environmental Protection Agency. Web. <http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/index.htm

(2) The Recyclebank® partnership looks at waste reduction holistically and will look to recycle both SC Johnson brands and other consumer goods products to help reach the company’s goal.

Source: Environmental Expert.com

— Artificial Turf Recycling Process Developed to Support Industry

CINCINNATI, June 27, 2012 /PR Newswire/ — The problem was becoming monumental. Artificial turf fields installed 8 to 12 years ago are in desperate need of replacement. But what to do with the old turf? Landfills have become expensive options – and in some states with tough sustainability laws – not an option at all. With an estimated 31,000 U.S. fields on the line for replacement in the next 25 years, each with 500,000lbs + of material, this paralyzing dilemma was looming large until now.

Turf Reclamation Services (TRS), has developed a unique solution for artificial turf removal and recycling that has the entire industry breathing easier. It’s the combination of new equipment that slices and rolls the turf carpet and a new recycling process that extracts the infill and recycles the carpet that makes field replacement an easier process for architects, contractors, and organizations who own the fields. ‘No other organization has developed such a comprehensive beginning to end solution,’ said Mark Heinlein, President, TRS. ‘We’ve been in the artificial turf business since 1999, so we had a good perspective on what was at stake. And we found great partners to help us innovate a solution that is simple, efficient and scalable.’

Leveraging over a decade of front line artificial turf knowledge, TRS developed specialized equipment that removes the field with minimal disruption to the base. The equipment includes a self-propelled drive unit, called the Wrangler™ and two accessories for reclaiming the field. The Viper™ attachment slices the turf into manageable 45′ ribbons the entire width of the field. Each ribbon is then tightly rolled using a second attachment called the SideWinder™. These rolls can then be easily loaded onto trucks for transport.  A separate machine, the Rattlesnake™ is in final development to remove and supersack the material directly on site. The prototype Rattlesnake has proven this concept on several fields and the commercial unit is expected in late 2012.

Depending on the customer’s needs, a number of things can happen to the turf and infill once removed from the site. The turf can be repurposed into a secondary market or be recycled into new products such as synthetic turf infill. The rubber and sand infill can be reused on the project or further cleaned, sieved and separated for use on future synthetic turf projects. The entire recycling process is managed by TRS which can supply a Certified Chain of Custody to ensure the field elements have been properly handled and processed.

‘Architects love the idea of being able to recycle the old turf and remove it in a way that keeps the base intact. It eliminates two major hurdles in the client’s decision to install a new field,’ said Heinlein. TRS crews are providing removal services to turf contractors and have already completed projects throughout the Midwest, South and East Coast. Contact us for your upcoming turf removal needs. The turf removal equipment is available to enterprising contractors for sale from TRS (www.recyclemyturf.com).

FOR MORE INFO CALL Division Manager, ADAM COLEMAN at 855-801-5081. Or email acoleman@recyclemyturf.comwww.recyclemyturf.com

SOURCE Turf Reclamation Services

Source:

IAQ Index™ provides test kits to help identify volatile organic compounds from product off-gassing in homes, offices and schools.

Abingdon, MD, June 25th, 2012 — Earlier this month, the phillyBurbs.com published a report about a recent chemical fire at a manufacturing facility near Philadelphia.  According to the report, the fire consumed a large amount of the 1 million pounds of ethyl acrylate and butyl acrylate stored at the facility.  The owners of the plant performed air testing for volatile organic compound exposure outside of the plant both during the fire and after it was extinguished.

Disasters at chemical plants often make people in nearby areas consider their potential exposure to hazardous chemicals.  Many people don’t realize that many of these same chemicals found at manufacturing plants may already exist in their homes.

According to the Minnesota Department of Health, “Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a large group of carbon-based chemicals that easily evaporate at room temperature. While most people can smell high levels of some VOCs, other VOCs have no odor. Odor does not indicate the level of risk from inhalation of this group of chemicals. There are thousands of different VOCs produced and used in our daily lives.”

VOCs are used in everything from common building materials to home and personal care products.  Some of these chemicals are known to cause short and long term health effects or even cancer.  “High levels of VOCs in indoor spaces occur more frequently than most people realize,” reported Bruce Jacobs, CIH, President of IAQ Index, an indoor air quality (IAQ) test kit manufacturer.  “Because VOCs are used in so many products and materials in all of our homes the only way to know if elevated levels are in a home is to have the air tested.  To help people test for VOCs, IAQ Index has developed a test kit that provides easily understood information about any VOCs found,” he continued.

To learn more about testing for volatile organic compounds or other indoor air quality (IAQ) contaminates, please visit IAQ Index at http://www.IAQIndex.com, email info@IAQIndex.com or call (888) 259-3883.

 

About IAQ Index

IAQ Index was developed by a Certified Industrial Hygienist with decades of experience dealing with indoor air quality issues.  IAQ Index was developed as a health-based, easy-to-understand, air quality index that is calculated from data generated for various parameters commonly measured during IAQ surveys.  The approach is similar to the EPA’s Air Quality Index that has been used historically to communicate the risks posed by common pollutants in the ambient air.

By Haydn Bush
H&HN Senior Online Editor

A California hospital aggressively seeks opportunities to reduce its environmental impact while cutting costs.

Editor’s note: This blog is part of Fiscal Fitness, a regular H&HN series exploring the cost containment strategies hospitals are employing in response to reimbursement pressures and an uncertain economic climate. Read more at our Fiscal Fitness page.

At most hospitals, John Danby, the sustainability administrator for University of California-Davis Health System, says, “if somebody gets past 50 percent in [waste reduction], they have a big party.” But UC-Davis has a steeper mandate to fulfill. As part of the University of California system, the hospital is tied to a system-wide pledge to achieve zero waste by 2020. Achieving that goal for a hospital will prove to be an extremely tall order, but Danby says there are plenty of creative ways to reduce its overall footprint while improving the bottom line.

“For any hospital in the environment we are in today, the easiest way to get traction with sustainability is to show a cost containment,” Danby says.

That ethos has translated to a widespread and eclectic range of initiatives that target both reduced environmental impact and cost savings. Several years ago, Sally Lee, who now directs the hospital’s value analysis program, was working on a technology committee with a focus on physician preference items when she discovered that a number of other hospitals, including UC-San Francisco, were reprocessing single-use medical devices instead of throwing them out and buying new ones.

“It was fairly mainstream,” Lee says.

To convince doctors there was no downside to using recycled items, the hospital created a reprocessing committee, which worked with physicans, the hospital’s risk management team and infection prevention experts to research its clinical impact. Ultimately, the commitee determined that device re-processors are held to the same Food & Drug Administration standards as medical device manufacturers, and identified a 2008 Government Accountability Office report that found no elevated health risk for reprocessed devices.

Subsequently, the hospital began reprocessing catheters and sending them to a third party vendor that disassembled, cleaned, sterilized and repackaged the items; other efforts have targeted scalpels, laparoscopic shears and leg clamps. In the first 12 months of the initiative, UC-Davis saved $400,000.

Since then, Lee has taken over UC-Davis’s entire value analysis program; a recent effort to recycle blood pressure cuffs, at $1 per item, has reaped a $30,000 savings. UC-Davis has also worked to improve the source segregation of its medical waste stream from its operating room, resulting in a 30 percent reduction in medical waste and a savings of $30,000.

Energy efficiency initiatives, meanwhile, are often a challenge for hospitals, given that medical providers have stricter lighting standards than non-clinical enterprises. Still, UC-Davis has been able to take advantage of state rebates for lighting controls that use motion detectors to regulate use, allowing the hospital to install much more efficient lighting at a steep discount, Danby says.

“The fixtures were $220, and the rebate was $200,” Danby says. “A lot of it is opportunities like that.”

But the impact on UC-Davis has gone beyond the incremental bottom line improvements; the far-reaching collection of sustainable practices helped UC-Davis nab Practice Greenhealth’s 2012 Partner for Change Award.

“Making that synergy there is really what makes a sustainability program moves forward,” Danby says.

The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the policy of Health Forum Inc. or the American Hospital Association.

Cecilia DeLoach Lynn, MBA, LEED AP
Director, Sustainability Programs & Metrics
Practice Greenhealth
12355 Sunrise Valley Dr. Suite 680
Reston, VA 20191
Phone: 866-995-1110 /Mobile: 202-744-9871
E-mail: cdeloach@practicegreenhealth.org
http://www.practicegreenhealth.org