Latest Articles & Case Studies - Health & Safety

Guidelines for the selection of consultants advising SMEs on integrated quality, environment, health and safety management systems

Fri, 25 May 2012 19:01:52 GMT

IntroductionThe aim of this CWA is to provide a guide for professional integrated management system consultants, as well as internal personnel acting as an integrated management system manager.Organisations managed under the ISO 9000 principles, are required by legislation to satisfy environmental and health and safety systems requirements as well. Although standards application and certification are available and can be applied right down to single pe...

Material History — The Past of Materials Read with X-Ray

Izumi Nakai — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:17:42 GMT

By using fluorescent X-ray, we can read out the past information hidden in a material. This lecture explained X-ray fluorescent analysis using synchrotron radiation by referring to the identification for the Wakayama Poisoned Curry Murder Case, presumption of origins of ceramic ware, and research on plants that absorb and accumulate toxic arsenic from the environment, as examples....

Screening Analysis of Hazardous Elements using X-ray fluorescence Analyzer — Analytical Technique in Compliance with RoHS Directive —

Atsushi Bando — Fri, 25 May 2012 12:54:40 GMT

Under recent circumstances where attention to the environment is required in every field, there is an increasing need for analysis of hazardous substances included in products such as electrical and electronic equipment, and automobiles, as triggered by the enforcement of the RoHS Directive of the European Union (EU). As part of this trend, the X-ray fluorescence analyzer (XRF) plays an important role as a screening apparatus for confirmation of absence of hazardous substances in parts and ma...

Dialysis with a semipermeable membrane – a new sample-preparation technique for determination of Polybrominated Diphenyl ethers in fatty matrices

Dominika Wojtalewicz — Fri, 25 May 2012 12:19:12 GMT

SummaryDialysis with a low-density polyethylene semipermeable membrane (SPM) is an efficient means of removal of lipids in the determination of bioaccumulative, persistent, halogenated organic compounds. In this study an SPM was used for preconcentration of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) from food samples. The method is useful for determination of PBDE and other halogenated persistent organic pollutants in fatty food samples. In this work chocolate, butter,...

Engine Testing

Shigeru Tominaga — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:41:45 GMT

Engine testing involves measurement of rotating speed and torque of the engine by applying load controlled by a dynamometer connected to its output shaft. HORIBA has developed various types of dynamometer for the purpose of engine testing. They are mainly classified into two types; one is absorbing only dynamometer such as hydraulic dynamometers and eddy-current dynamometers, the other is absorbing and driving machines such as AC, and DC dynamometers and oil hydraulic dynamometers. HORIBA`s D...

Smart buildings: ten trends to watch in 2012 and beyond

Shigeru Tominaga — Fri, 25 May 2012 08:07:53 GMT

Buildings are becoming smarter through the deployment of intelligent and energy efficient technologies that reduce energy consumption while making buildings easier to manage and operate. Demand for efficient HVAC and lighting systems, as well as other types of hardware like controls and submeters, is growing as the value proposition for energy efficiency is proven again and again. In addition, advances in software for building energy management systems (BEMS) as well as for building d...

Determining pesticides in dietary supplements with QuEChERS extraction, cartridge SPE, and GCxGC-TOFMS

Shigeru Tominaga — Fri, 25 May 2012 07:59:21 GMT

Regulatory requirements are driving the development of new multiresidue pesticide methods for dietary supplements. Minimizing matrix interference is critical for data accuracy. The novel approach employed here combines QuEChERS extraction, cartridge SPE cleanup, and GCxGC-TOFMS analysis, and results in good recoveries across a range of compounds found in these complex matrices. IntroductionDietary supplement manufacturers must now comply with th...

Comparing pesticide residues in Amish and commercially grown strawberries and spinach using QuEChERS, Various dSPE Sorbents, and GC-TOFMS

Julie Kowalski;Jack Cochran — Fri, 25 May 2012 07:27:43 GMT

AbstractQuEChERS extraction, dSPE cleanup, and GC-TOFMS analysis were used to assess pesticide levels in strawberries and spinach from both commercial and Amish growers. Various dSPE cleanup products were compared to determine which were most effective. Good recoveries were obtained for most pesticides; however, low recoveries were observed for some base-sensitive or planar compounds. Incurred pesticides were generally low and varied by both matrix and source. ...

Large Volume Splitless Injection Using an Unmodified Split/Splitless Inlet and GC-TOFMS for Pesticides and Brominated Flame Retardants

Michelle Misselwitz;Jack Cochran — Fri, 25 May 2012 07:03:14 GMT

AbstractLarge volume splitless injection for gas chromatography typically requires a special injection port, for example, a programmable temperature vaporizer (PTV), but an alternative setup using concurrent solvent recondensation–large volume splitless injection (CSR-LVSI) and a split/splitless injection port has been reported. This technique was used here, both with and without sample extract concentration, to analyze pesticides and brominated flame retardants i...

Why we need sustainable development goals

Paula Caballero Gómez — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:19:25 GMT

Rio+20 must launch SDGs to guide countries through complex development challenges, argues Colombian ministry official Paula Caballero Gómez.Despite countries` growing commitment to alternative energy and more efficient use of resources, twenty years after the Earth Summit sustainable development is still seen by many as an idea rooted in environmental concerns.This creates a fundamental disconnect between proponents of sustainability and those who, leaving envir...

Changing World Technologies

Paula Caballero Gómez — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:42:46 GMT

Location: Carthage, MOProject Start Date: 2011Element Markets recently forged a relationship with Changing World Technologies (CWT) to market the company’s Renewable Fuel Credits. CWT uses a patented process in its Missouri facility to transform organic and agricultural wastes into renewable diesel fuel oil (RDO). The EPA designated this RDO as a biomass based diesel under the EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2), qualifying CWT ...

Does your organization have a strong safety culture?

Paula Caballero Gómez — Wed, 23 May 2012 06:37:32 GMT

Your safety culture reflects your organizations collective response to workplace safety and is evident in shared beliefs, behaviours and values your employees exhibit surrounding safety. A solid safety culture is a good indicator that your workplace injury prevention programs are hitting home with your employees, and while this at times can be difficult to measure, Mark Middlesworth, founder of Ergonomics Plus, provides a quick guide to ...

An updated response to EEI’s timeline of environmental regulations

John Larsen;Michael Obeiter — Tue, 22 May 2012 06:26:04 GMT

This fact sheet updates the analysis done in our earlier response to EEI’s timeline of environmental regulations. EPA remains on track in issuing rules that provide a path to a cleaner power fleet. After years of delay, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is working to reduce dangerous and toxic pollutants released...

Toxicity of carbon nanotubes to freshwater aquatic invertebrates

Sun, 20 May 2012 00:37:43 GMT

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are hydrophobic in nature and thus tend to accumulate in sediments if released into aquatic environments. As part of our overall effort to examine the toxicity of carbon-based nanomaterials to sediment-dwelling invertebrates, we have evaluated the toxicity of different types of CNTs in 14-d water-only exposures to amphipods (Hyalella azteca), midges (Chironomus dilutus), oligochaetes (Lumbriculus variegatus), and mussels (rainbow mussels, Villosa iris) in advance of condu...

Effects of triclosan on marine benthic and epibenthic organisms

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:17:16 GMT

Triclosan is an antimicrobial compound that has been widely used in consumer products such as toothpaste, deodorant, and shampoo. Because of its widespread use, triclosan has been detected in various environmental media, including wastewater, sewage sludge, surface waters, and sediments. Triclosan is acutely toxic to numerous aquatic organisms, but very few studies have been performed on estuarine and marine benthic organisms. For whole sediment toxicity tests, the sediment-dwelling estuarine am...

Dissolved organic matter reduces algal accumulation of methylmercury

Allison C. Luengen, Nicholas S. Fisher, Brian A. Bergamaschi — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:17:16 GMT

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) significantly decreased accumulation of methylmercury (MeHg) by the diatom Cyclotella meneghiniana in laboratory experiments. Live diatom cells accumulated two to four times more MeHg than dead cells, indicating that accumulation may be partially an energy-requiring process. Methylmercury enrichment in diatoms relative to ambient water was measured by a volume concentration factor (VCF). Without added DOM, the maximum VCF was 32?�?104, and the average VCF (from 10 ...

Bayesian approach to potency estimation for aquatic toxicology experiments when a toxicant affects both fecundity and survival

Jing Zhang, A. John Bailer, James T. Oris — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:17:15 GMT

Chemicals in aquatic systems may impact a variety of endpoints including mortality, growth, or reproduction. Clearly, growth or reproduction will only be observed in organisms that survive. Because it is common to observe mortality in studies focusing on the reproduction of organisms, especially in higher concentration conditions, the resulting observed numbers of young become a mixture of zeroes and positive counts. Zeroes are recorded for organisms that die before having any young and living o...

Lender Liability under CERCLA, the Asset Conservation, Lender Liability, and Deposit Insurance Protection Act of 1996 and the New Jersey Spill Act

Christopher D. Hopkins, Esq. — Thu, 17 May 2012 23:20:45 GMT

In this current climate of loan defaults and foreclosures, lenders are becoming increasingly concerned with their potential environmental liability when deciding whether or not to accept known contaminated property as collateral for loans. While such lender concerns are understandable, lenders are afforded significant state and federal liability protection, even after foreclosure, such that existing environmental contamination currently being addressed on loan collateral should not be an impe...

Philips Lightolier – Fall River, MA - Case Study

Christopher D. Hopkins, Esq. — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:07:44 GMT

Founded in 1904, Philips Lightolier has long been an innovator in the electric lighting industry with its headquarters located in Fall River, MA. Philips Lightolier is a leader in the development of energy-efficient lighting and controls, from high performance fixtures, to smart controls, and the integration of electronics. New fixtures introduced by several different company brands achieve more than 90% efficiency in emitting the light output from the lamps they house. Lightolier also addres...

Remove algae and biofilm from cooling tower basins - case study

Christopher D. Hopkins, Esq. — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:20:37 GMT

Possibilities & Expectations of the LG Sonic for cooling tower treatment: LG Sonic devices control the bacterial population in cooling tower systems by severely inhibiting biofilm formation. This provides a large market potential in cooling water treatment applications. It is well known that Legionella bacteria propagate by reproducing within a larger organism like parasites, cyanobacteria etc. Biofilm reduction in these systems by ultrasonic treatment lowers the ...

ACO KerbDrain helps meet the demanding performance specifications at Hindhead Tunnel, Surrey

Christopher D. Hopkins, Esq. — Thu, 17 May 2012 11:50:01 GMT

Constructing a road tunnel under the sensitive environment of the Devil`s Punchbowl in Surrey has been a major engineering achievement. It has required every element of the project to meet not only the demanding highway performance specifications but also the absolute need to protect and preserve a unique ecological area. The tunnel`s carriageway drainage system is no exception.The improvement scheme for the A3 around Hindhead, Surrey is a project that has been under consideration...

Returning to Rio to build a more sustainable future

Manish Bapna;Kirsty Jenkinson — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:55:03 GMT

In 1992, heads of state converged on Rio for the Earth Summit, a bright moment that seemed to herald a new era for sustainable development. Bold speeches were given, important treaties signed. Saving the planet was cast as a moral imperative. Multilateral institutions would lead the way. Twenty years later, the world looks much different. The unipolar system of U.S. domination that followe...

Quantifying the concentration of crude oil microdroplets in oil–water preparations

Aaron Redman, Joy McGrath, William Stubblefield, Al Maki, Dominic Di Toro — Wed, 16 May 2012 00:57:13 GMT

Dissolved constituents of crude oil, particularly polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), can contribute substantially to the toxicity of aquatic organisms. Measured aqueous concentrations of high�molecular weight PAHs (e.g., chrysenes, benzo[a]pyrene) as well as long-chain aliphatic hydrocarbons can exceed the theoretical solubility of these sparingly soluble compounds. This is attributed to the presence of a �microdroplet� or colloidal oil phase. It is important to be able to quantify the dis...

Critical evaluation and further development of methods for testing ecotoxicity at multiple pH using Daphnia magna and Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata

Cecilie Rendal, Stefan Trapp, Kresten Ole Kusk — Wed, 16 May 2012 00:57:10 GMT

To meet the requirements of risk assessment legislature regarding the ecotoxicity of ionizing compounds, the present study attempts to establish easy, robust methods for testing ecotoxicity at various pH levels. An overview is given of the buffering methods in the literature. This is supplemented by a series of experiments where toxicity and ability to stabilize pH of eight common buffering compounds was tested on Daphnia magna and Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata. We consider a buffer applicable...

Benefits of the Best Pressure Washers Powered By Electricity

Lauren Zwiebel — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:28:58 GMT

Ask any expert about the best pressure washers and they are likely to mention the electric powered versions. Since they run on electricity, the electric-powered ones are highly versatile and ideal for use in almost all settings with reliable electrical supply. The cleaning efficiency of the best pressure washers is measured in terms of their pressure in psi (pounds per square inch) and flow rates in GPM (gallons per minute). The medium-powered versions feature pressure levels of 1...