Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Save the EPA Library

An editorial in the Electronic Green Journal about why Americans should be writing to their Representative ( find yours) to save the EPA Library, which serves EPA researchers as well as the public at large. Sad to see this happening, especially when the First Lady was a librarian. This doesn't make a difference because a) no one listens to her b) she doesn't know what's going on, c) she's waiting for the Rapture or d) who cares? she's the First Lady. Or am I missing something? Maybe it could be a lot worse? That's always a good way to rationalize things. Or maybe politics is the wrong place for politics.

[Source: ResourceShelf]

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Hugg: Like Digg, but for green keeners

Link to Hugg, which connects you to 'global green news' and allows you to 'hugg' a page which has been added to the collection (popularity based on number of huggs?) You can submit news once you register but I'm not quite sure what counts as news (you have to log in to get instructions on submitting news items, and I'm too tired right now). It's a Beta site and a TreeHugger project.

A lot of hugged pages were about electric or hybrid cars a few days ago, I mean enough to be a noticeable trend, and I found this kind of suspicious. Lots of other consumer goods too, which is kind of funny. I hope this doesn't end up as a marketing tool for greenish (or worse: wolf-in-green-clothing) business.

Friday, May 26, 2006

Air pollution and exercise: Think before jogging at 5 pm when pollution is high

I was doing a search on the environmental effects of diesel vs. gasoline (I started in TOXNET and then quickly reverted to beloved PubMed, specifically the MeSH Database accessible from the left side of the screen. I used the Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) "Vehicle Emissions/adverse effects"[MAJR] OR "Vehicle Emissions/toxicity"[MAJR] (I love subheadings like adverse effects or toxicity: they really cut to the chase). Obviously this search strategy and database are clinically biased, but the first result which popped up was related to pollution and urban exercise. It's a letter to the Medical Journal of Australia and worth a read.

When I used to cycle as a kid, I couldn't believe how dusty my hair (yes, hair) was by the time I would travel from one area in NDG to another -- and NDG is bordering on being a suburb in my adult mind; it's certainly not downtown Montreal. My lungs didn't feel so hot either. Cycling vs. walking reminds me of that debate about whether you get wetter running in the rain or walking, which has actually been studied (persistent link to Proquest Research Library). I'll stick to walking to work, thanks. It may be that "commuter-cyclists have 40% lower mortality than drivers", but what about us pedestrians?

Health and Transportation in Montreal

A piece in the Montreal Gazette reports on Montreal's Public Health Agency report (available in French) which states that cars are related to all sorts of health problems. These extend from the effects of pollution, to injuries on the road (the word 'accident' is kind of problematic), to obesity.

[Begin personal rant] As a Montrealer, I find traffic is becoming insufferable in the downtown area. It really irritates me that people from off-island or the burbs are able to drive into the city so easily and find free parking in high-use areas. Case in point: If such a large percentage of people in the Plateau don't own cars, where are all the cars coming from? [End personal rant]

La Maison d'Aurore is trying to do something about this: they would like a 30 km/hr speed limit and speed bumps. The Montreal Mirror reports that they're organising a march on Saturday, May 27, at 11 am from Laurier Park to Lafontaine Park, to increase awareness. I think it has to go much further than this: Create serious obstacles to driving into the city, and make public transit more appealing.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Air Pollution Boosts Death Rates According to Forbes Article

Air pollution boosts death rates according to a report at Forbes.com. Forbes.com? Wow. They're talking about particulate pollution, or soot. The population included Medicare patients who had been treated for a number of diseases; they were followed for 15 years and the levels of particulate matter in the air were linked to risk of death. Rather frightening how short a time it took for levels to have a significant effect on mortality.

Cleaning Product Risks: Study at UC Berkeley

A UC Berkeley study has resulted in a 330-page report to the CA Air Resources Board which points to potentially harmful levels of exposure in the household to chemicals found in common cleaning products and air fresheners.

Monday, May 22, 2006

Benefits of house plants

'Houseplants offer health benefits' is kind of a fun read, even if the EPA hasn't quite bought the idea fully.

Friday, May 19, 2006

China and "environmentally friendly" electronics

Treehugger.com posts about how China will be attempting to maintain access to the market in the European Union, where new restrictions on the quantity of toxins allowed in electronic goods and appliances will come into force this summer.

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Benzene in your soda?

Yum. Interesting column at cbs4.com on the chemical brew which can result from the combination of Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, and benzoate preservatives. Apparently heat and sunlight can mix these to make benzene, which I'm pretty sure is a known carcinogen. I'm not a chemist, but it might be worth checking out the Environmental Working Group website for this and more stuff that you'd probably rather not know about but should.

EPA wants to change thresholds used in the Toxics Release Inventory

The EPA is apparently seeking to change the thresholds used in the Toxics Release Inventory. See how this could affect the data in your U.S. community in a study by the National Environmental Trust.

Monday, May 01, 2006

Guide to Less Toxic Products

The Guide to Less Toxic Products is brought to you by the Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia and includes categories such as: consumer advice, personal care, household cleaners, baby care, and chemical hazards. [Source: Toxic Nation]