November 5, 2009 at 2:17PM by Marion Nestle

Here’s a good reason why food manufacturers don’t want to test for harmful chemicals.  If you test, you might find something you don’t want to.

Consumer Reports did just that It tested a bunch of canned juices, soups, tuna, and green beans and found bisphenol A (BPA) in almost all of them — even the ones labeled organic or bisphenol A-free.

BPA, you may recall, is a chemical in polycarbonate plastics that acts as an endocrine disruptor.  How harmful is it?  Debate rages.  These new data will add to the debate.

CR says it found the highest levels of BPA in some samples of canned green beans and canned soups:

• Canned Del Monte Fresh Cut Green Beans Blue Lake had the highest amount of BPA for a single sample in Consumer Reports tests, with levels ranging from 35.9 parts per billon (ppb) to 191 ppb. Progresso Vegetable Soup BPA levels ranged from 67 to 134 ppb. Campbell’s Condensed Chicken Noodle Soup had BPA levels ranging from 54.5 to 102 ppb.
• Average amounts in tested products varied widely. In most items tested, such as canned corn, chili, tomato sauce, and corned beef, BPA levels ranged from trace amounts to about 32 ppb.

Because it was particularly concerned about BPA exposure for infants and young children, it tested samples of infant formula and apple juice.  It found:

• Similac liquid concentrate in a can averaged 9 ppb of BPA, but there was no measurable level in the powdered version.
• Nestlé Juicy Juice in a can averaged 9.7 ppb of BPA, but there were no measurable levels in the samples of the same product packaged in juice boxes.

Although the BPA in Nestlé Juicy Juice averaged 9 ppb, this was not so high, but children consume a lot of juice so this levels worries the testers.

While waiting for the experts to decide just how bad a problem BPA might be for adults and children, Consumer Reports recommends reducing the risk:

• Choose fresh food whenever possible.
• Consider alternatives to canned food, beverages, juices, and infant formula.
• Use glass containers when heating food in microwave ovens.

I would add to this: urge the FDA to finish up its scientific review right away.  It would be good to know more about just how harmful BPA is, and at what levels.

Update, November 4: I love the industry response to this report: “The use of bisphenol A (BPA) in can linings is both safe and vital for food protection.”

A catalyst for homes, industries, schools, universities and business, the incredible diversity of enterprises is driven by a common bound to move to a green lifestyle.

Inhabiting a world where environmental awareness is a vital concern to the future of our planet, it is important to take note of the consequences of improper building materials and environmental degradation. The implementation of Eco-construction and green energy home solutions will play an important role in the transformation to a healthier and sustainable world.

Throughout the greater part of the 20th century, a naturally-occurring mineral known as asbestos was utilized in a variety of applications. Due to its flame resistant, highly durable and inexpensive qualities, it became the ideal choice for manufacturers as a form of insulation, piping, brake lining and flooring. There are many green, Eco-friendly materials that replace the need for asbestos and can reduce energy costs annually.

Tips to avoid exposure

If any suspected asbestos is located, the best advice is to leave it alone. If you are having home renovations, performed, do not panic. Again, asbestos that is left un-disturbed will normally pose no threat.

It is recommended for home or business owners removing asbestos to have it performed by a licensed abatement contractor who is trained and equipped in handling hazardous materials. It is also important for the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) not to be violated.

Exposure to damaged asbestos has been proven to be the only known cause of a rare but aggressive form of lung cancer known as mesothelioma. Approximately 2,000 to 3,000 cases are diagnosed every year in the United States, accounting for three percent of all cancer diagnoses. Diagnosis of this asbestos-related lung illness is a difficult task due to a long latency period and many mesothelioma symptoms mimicking less serious ailments.

GO GREEN and Don’t Go Back

Utilizing Eco-friendly methods of building and insulation can have many environmental, economic and health benefits, including enhancement of air quality, improvement of pulmonary health, increase property value and reduction of energy costs.

Currently, many cities in the U.S. have created lumberyards which re-store where you can purchase recycled building materials that are authentically strong and inexpensive. The implementation of green alternatives such as cotton fiber, lcynene foam and cellulose can reduce annual energy costs by 25 percent. Cotton fiber is also becoming a favorite insulation method. Made from recycled batted material, it is then treated to be fireproof. Water based spray polyurethane foam, lcynene, is a healthy insulation which contains no toxic components.

The Department of Energy concluded that cooling and heating counts for up to 50-70 percent of all energy used in the average home in the U.S. In today’s state, this philosophy can also save natural resources. Recently, congress passed an economic stimulus package that promotes energy efficiency for home and business owners.

The American Recover and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009 includes incentives for upgrading to more Eco-friendly/sustainable methods of energy and insulation. Many locations throughout the United States are swiftly changing their construction practices to suit the environment and the health of human beings.

September 26, 2009
by Bruce Mulliken, Green Energy News.

FPL Group and Duke Energy, two green-leaning utility companies in the U.S., have announced a new commitment to solidify their growing green leadership: Combined, the companies will invest $600 million to transition all their company passenger cars and trucks to plug-in hybrid or all-electric vehicles. The changeover will begin at the first of the year and eventually more than 10,000 vehicles will have the capability of reenergizing from the power grid.

If they meet their commitment, announced at the Clinton Global Initiative’s (CGI) fifth annual meeting in New York City, the conversion will potentially be able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 125,000 metric tons over the next 10 years. The program should be complete by 2020.

In a press release the companies note that “Plug-in electric vehicles reduce overall carbon emissions by up to 70 percent (100 percent if charged by zero-carbon, renewable energy sources) and lower fuel costs by about 80 percent. If PEVs replaced all gasoline-powered vehicles in the United States, they would reduce the need for foreign oil imports by nearly two-thirds.”

Massive reductions in carbon emissions and oil imports sound like a goal worth pursuing, particularly an effort to reduce carbon emissions from vehicles by 100 percent by charging electric vehicles with renewable energy.

This could be a national effort but, beyond commitments like this from just two companies, how do we get to even larger fleets of renewably charged electric vehicles? How do we get from where we are now to where we could be?

Intermittent renewables (like solar and wind) and electric vehicles have a common problem: range. Solar obviously has a power generating “range” of, well, daylight. Wind provides power when the wind is blowing: that’s its range. Plug-in vehicles have their range as well, of course. It’s as far as the vehicle can travel between lengthy recharging. (Lengthy could be described as anything more than the few minutes it takes to fuel up with gasoline or diesel. Drivers are impatient; even 15 minutes might seem like an eternity.)

Perhaps the common “range” problem of electric vehicles and intermittent renewables can be reduced by the two working together, working in consort. Plug-in vehicles have a battery pack for energy storage. For the most part (with a few exceptions) there is no storage of energy from renewables. This is clearly where the common problem may be eliminated: use electric cars and trucks to store energy from renewables. Further, install enough renewably powered, high-voltage, fast-charge charging stations to make charging more frequent so that long charging periods would not be necessary.

In other words, build renewable-powered fast-charge charging corridors.

This is exactly what SolarCity (r) and Rabobank are partnering to do in California. The companies have announced “a partnership to create the world’s first solar-power enhanced, fast-charge electric car charging corridor. When complete, the corridor will include four locations between San Francisco and Los Angeles (Salinas, Atascadero, Santa Maria and Goleta), allowing all-electric cars to make the trip using solar energy and provide for the fastest charge time available for public electric vehicle (EV) charges.” SolarCity will own and operate stations on the corridor which will be built in cooperation with electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla Motors. Solar charging, using 240 volt charging (no wimpy 120 volts here) will provide a full charge in one-third the amount of time of other charging stations. (400 volts would be even better, by the way.)

The corridor will be the first interregional effort of its kind and would be the first interregional effort to include solar power at a charging station. (There are other solar charging stations, but they’re not tied to a recharging corridor.) Rabobank has installed its first 30 kilowatt array at a branch bank and is evaluating installing solar at additional locations. When not used to charge cars the power will offset power used at the locations.

There’s another problem solved with vehicles charged with intermittent renewables. Green electricity can be taken home. A plug from car to house can power-up a house overnight.

Perhaps there should be more effort to build charging corridors. Combined FPL and Duke serve customers in more than two dozen states, thus will have electric vehicles operating in them. Will they open up charging facilities to the more than 15 million customers they serve? FPL is the largest generator of solar and wind energy in North America. Duke is expanding its renewable portfolio. How much of that will be stored in electric vehicles?

Links:

SolarCity
http://www.solarcity.com

Rabobank
http://www.rabobankamerica.com

FPL Group
http://www.FPLGroup.com

Duke Energy
http://www.duke-energy.com

Clinton Global Initiative’s (CGI)
http://www.clintonglobalinitiative.org