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We provide environmental, chemistry and hazardous materials news, information & resources including: in depth articles; a detailed periodic table of elements; chemical substance database; hazmat emergency response guides; hazmat placarding information; and much more.

We are more than just a great reference resource; we strive to provide hard science articles written by highly qualified scientists like Wilma Pretorius, PhD.

Articles and resources are divided into five major subject areas (environmental issues, chemistry resources, hazardous materials, "go green" and careers), which are further broken down into sub-topics. For instance our environmental section is sub-divided into the following sections: Climate Change, Consumer Health & Food Safety, Energy, Environmental Disasters, Politics and Public Policy, Pollution, Sustainability, Waste & Recycling.

Go Green

Going green can save money while helping to protect the environment.

• 70s House Eco Renovation 
  A series of articles documenting the eco renovation a house built in 1970 and reviewing products used in the renovation. We expect the renovations to be spread out over a few years.
  • Redecorating
    Eradicating the color green: This phase of our eco renovation focused primarily on aesthetics, interior decoration, and critical safety issues.
    • Painting Walls
      Bright walls require less light, Low VOC options, recycled painting supplies.
    • Replacing Carpets
      Soybean based padding, recycled PET carpets, low VOCs, reduced health concerns
    • Updating Light Fixtures
      Better ambiance, energy efficient CFLs
  • Bathroom Renovation
    This make over may come in stages as we may replace the most wasteful fixtures before the full bathroom renovation takes place.
    • Installing a low flow showerhead
      An easy DIY project that will result in immediate savings.
  • Switching to Renewable Energy
    One of the ways we will reduce our carbon footprint will be to replace some of our fossil fuel energy consumption over to carbon neutral renewable energy sources.
    • Buying local clean power electricity
      One of the easiest ways for us to reduce our carbon footprint by around 1.5 tons per year was to start buying our electricity from a clean power provider.
  • Kitchen Renovation - Coming in 2010 or 2011
  • Weatherization - Coming late 2009
    The most important part of reducing one's energy usage is weatherizing one's home. The first step in this is conducting an energy audit.
    • Energy Audit
      This energy audit was conducted on our house to help us prioritize weatherization and energy efficiency projects.
    • Revised ROI Calculations
      These are updated return on investment calculations for the energy audit that was conducted on our house and reflect updated information.

Environmental Issues

• Consumer Health & Food Safety Concerns
  • ADA Recommendation for Fluoride in Infant Diets
    Based on American Dental Association recommendations, many infants and small children may be getting too much fluoride in their diets, which may pose long term health risks including fluorosis.
  • Asbestos
    A three part series on its history, chemical and physical properties, uses, health hazards and the legal implications of asbestosis & mesothelioma.
    • Asbestos, a Brief History its Uses & Health Risks
    • Asbestos, its Chemical & Physical Properties
    • Asbestos: A Manufacturing Health Hazard Dating to Prehistoric Times
  • Dry-Cleaning Chemicals
    • Looking Good, Feeling Bad; or, What's the Problem with Perc?
      According to the EPA, we all may be exposed to perc because it is found in the air and drinking water nationwide.
    • Are there Realistic Dry-Cleaning Alternatives to Perc?
      The vast majority of America's dry cleaners use perc - are there viable alternatives? The three most prominent non-perc cleaning options are examined and compared.
  • DuPont's Teflon Cover-up
    Court records and internal documents have shown that DuPont has been covering up the true dangers of Teflon for decades.
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Children: Autism & ADHD
    While the generally accepted causes of neurodevelopmental disorders like Autism and ADHD include genetic and environmental factors, a wide range of toxic chemicals in the environment have also been associated with these disorders.
  • PCBs in the food you love
    PCBs a notoriously hazardous group of chemicals have infiltrated our food chain.
  • Seafood Safety
    • Mercury in Fish vs. the Benefits of Fish Oils
      In spite of the health benefits provided by omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils, people are decreasing fish in their diets due to high levels of mercury found in some fish.
    • Norwegian Farmed Salmon Raises Global Concern
      The quality and safety of Norwegian farmed salmon came into question with a Russian ban, illegal nitrate use and evidence of a Norwegian cover up.
  • The Dangers of Lawn Chemicals at Home
    Each year consumers paint their lawns with various fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. These chemicals can be deadly if used incorrectly.
• Energy & Sustainablity
  • Biofueling to the future
    Whatever their motivation - be it energy independence for the U.S. or an attempt at fighting climate change for Europe - world governments are now heavily subsidizing biofuels.
  • CO₂ Pollution and Global Warming
    Why is carbon dioxide considered pollution and how do scientists know that humans are responsible for climate change?
  • Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs): Are They Worth the Switch?
    Do compact Fluorescent lights really save money, how well do they perform? See what we found out, then calculate your potential savings.
  • Global Trends in Energy Technology Innovation
    In a mere 100 years we have depleted the equivalent of millions of years' worth of solar energy captured by ancient organisms and locked up in oil, gas and coal reserves. We must solve our energy problems in ways that are both profitable and environmentally aware.
  • Hydrogen Fuel Cells: Energy of the Future
    Energy sources of the future will have to be cleaner and more efficient than current sources - hydrogen fuel cells fulfill these requirements; however, several challenges remain before we will see wide-spread commercialization.
• Environmental Disasters
  • Chernobyl
    • Chernobyl Revisited
      In 1996 we revisited the Chernobyl disaster and looked at what the impacts were ten years on.
    • Agricultural and Environmental Impact
      Agricultural and Environmental Impact of the Chernobyl disaster
    • A Turning Point
      Chernobyl was a real turning point for nuclear energy.
  • From Bhopal to Hazardous Waste Compliance
    Why would anyone choose to work in the hazardous waste industry?
  • Love Canal NY: Grownups Don't Do Blue Goo
    What was it like growing up in Love Canal NY, which became one of the Superfund Act's first Superfund hazardous waste site.
  • New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina & the Oil Industry
    New Orleans communities were destroyed and lives uprooted as water came cascading onto the Bayou. Did the damage have to be so devastating?
• Politics and Policy
  • Environmental Justice and the NIMBY Principle
    In whose backyard does our hazardous waste end up?
  • Prairie Dogs: Small mammal, big controversy
    • Prairie Dogs: A Threatened Species or Public Health Nuisance?
      In the Midwest U.S. the matter of whether prairie dogs are a threatened species or an over populated public health nuisance that causes severe economic damage has been raging for decades.
    • Prairie Dog Control: Non-Lethal Techniques
      A discussion of differenct non-lethal prairie dog control measures.
    • Prairie Dog Control: Lethal Techniques
      A discussion of differenct lethal prairie dog control measures.
    • Can Prairie Dogs be Managed Utilizing Reconciliation Ecology?
      The concept of reconciliation ecology is to accommodate wild species within a human modified or occupied landscape. So how can this be applied to prairie dog management?
  • Pseudoscience: A Threat to Our Environment
    Pseudoscience that threatens the integrity of science in America.
  • Sorting out Science from Junk Science
    Do you know how to separate science from pseudoscience? Many websites are sponsored by organizations that have specific agendas.
• Pollution - Air
  • Effects of Air Pollution on your health
    Air pollution caused by products you use every day can harm your health.
  • Clean Air Act Contributing to Mercury Problem
    Clean Air Act Amendments of 1970 and 1977 Set the Stage for the Mercury Calamity of the 21st Century.
  • Nitrogen Dioxide, Ozone & Lead Partner to Increase Pollution Dangers to Urban Children
    Scientists at the University of California, Irvine have found that Nitrogen Dioxide and Ozone react with surfaces painted with lead based paint to increase the release of lead from said paint posing an even greater risk for children.
  • The Heat facing Outdoor Wood Furnaces & Boilers
    Emissions from outdoor wood burning stoves drift across property lines raising health concerns for neighbors.
• Pollution - Water
  • PCBs in New York's Hudson River
    Many parties are responsible for the decades-long PCB contamination of the Hudson River. Who must ultimately pay the price for cleanup? Forensic chemistry helps identify the main polluter and pollutant.
  • Increased Mercury Levels Attributed to Industrial Activities
    Outdated coal fired powerplants are contributing to increased mercury levels in lakes and streams.
  • Environmental Pollution of the Concord River
    In Massachusetts, the Concord River, along with its tributaries, serve as an example of the implications that pollutants can have on our environment.
• Waste & Recycling
  • Guide to Handling Household Chemicals
    There are a lot of dangerous chemicals in your home. Here are some things to do to make it safer.
  • How Well Do You Know Recycled Paper?
    Just like anything else, the recycled paper you buy may not always be what it seems.
  • Protecting Wildlife from Trash
    Many municipal landfills have the situation well in hand; do you?
  • Plastics - From Recycling Bin to New Product
    Where do recyclable plastics go? If a plastic makes it into the recycling loop, it will go through many processes before it emerges as a recycled product.
  • RoHS: Europe's Initiative to Control Technological Waste
    The European Union (EU) member states are taking action and holding manufacturers responsible for the hazardous materials in their products.
  • Treatment of Biohazardous Waste
    Gives insight as to how medical waste is disposed of in America.
  • The History of Waste
    Do you want to be a Garbologist?

Chemistry

• Articles
  • Anatomy of the Atom
    Explains the structure of atoms and how this affects the way they interact with each other.
  • The Chemistry of Polychlorinated Biphenyls
    PCB, The Manmade Chemicals That Won't Go Away
  • Molar Mass Calculations and Molecular Weight Calculator
    A tutorial on Molar mass calculations with examples and a molecular weight calculator to aid calculations.
  • Stoichiometry: Molarity, Molality and Normality
    Introduces stoichiometry and explains the differences between molarity, molality and normality.
  • What You Do and Don't Know About Fluorine
    Fluoride's derivatives have many uses other than as a mouthwash.
• Reference Resources
  • Chemical Database
    An indexed directory of common chemicals used in industry and household products.
  • Chemistry Dictionary
    Defines many of the technical terms and acronyms used on this site as well as many other terms.
  • Periodic Table of Elements
    Comprehensive data for each element of the periodic table including up to 40 properties, common chemical compounds. Information also provided for 3,600 nuclides and 4,400 nuclide decay modes.
    • Periodic Table Sorted By
      • Atomic Radius
      • Boiling Point
      • Covalent Radius
      • Cross Section
      • Crystal Structure
      • Density
      • Electrical Conductivity
      • Eletronegativity
      • Freezing Point
      • Heat of Vaporization
      • Ionic Radius
      • Ionization Potential
      • Mass Average
      • Melting Point
      • Element Name
      • Series
      • Symbol
      • Thermal Conductivity
      • Year of Discovery

Hazardous Materials

• Household
  • Guide to Handling Household Chemicals
    There are a lot of dangerous chemicals in your home. Here are some things to do to make it safer.
  • The Dangers of Lawn Chemicals at Home
    Each year consumers paint their lawns with various fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. These chemicals can be deadly if used incorrectly.
• Industry
  • Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG)
    An online version of the USDOT ERG which is for first responders during the initial phase of a HazMat incident.
    • List materials by
      • UN Number
      • Material Name
    • Guide Pages
    • Table of Initial Isolation and Protective Action Distances
    • Table of Water-Reactive Materials Which Produce Toxic Gases
    • Notes
      • Introduction to the Table of Initial Isolation and Protective Action Distances
      • Protective Action Decision Factors to Consider
      • How to use the table of initial isolation and protective action distances
  • 49CFR USDOT Hazardous Materials Table
    USDOT hazardous materials table from 49CFR 172.101.
  • USDOT HazMat Placards
    Images and definitions of hazardous materials placards required by the USDOT when transporting dangerous goods.
    • 1 Explosives
      Class 1 Explosives
    • 2 Compressed Gas
      Class 2 Compressed Gasses
    • 3 Flammable Liquid
      Class 3 Flammable Liquids
    • 4 Flammable Solids
      Class 4 Flammable Solids
    • 5 Oxidizers
      Class 5 Oxidizers
    • 6.1 Poisons
      Division 6.1 Poisons
    • 7 Radioactives
      Class 7 Radioactive Materials
    • 8 Corrosives
      Class 8 Corrosive Liquids
    • 9 Miscellaneous
      Class 9 Miscellaneous
    • Related Markings
      Related Markings
    • Placarding Quiz
      Test your knowledge of USDOT HazMat placarding regulations (49CFR).
  • USDOT HazMat Placards CD & training modules
    Contains clipart versions of hazmat placards. Includes USDOT hazmat transportation training modules as a free bonus.
  • Exceptions, Exemptions and Variances
    All Leniencies are not created equally, what are the differences?
  • FMCSA HazMat Transportion Permit System
    Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's hazardous materials transportation permitting system.
  • Is This Material an Explosive Hazard?
    This basic question drive the inquiries into characterizing any hazardous material.

Disclaimer

WARNING: These pages are for general reference and educational purposes only and MUST NOT be used to determine regulatory compliance or relied upon where matters of life and health are concerned. This site and the author do not warrant or guarantee the accuracy or the sufficiency of the information provided and do not assume any responsibility for its use.

To ensure regulatory compliance when transporting hazardous materials or dangerous goods, one must receive proper training and certification from a qualified instructor and refer to a copy of the current year's Code of Federal Regulations Title 49 (49CFR) or your country's shipping regulations. When shipping hazardous cargo by air, one should refer to IATA regulations. In matters regarding workplace safety, one should refer to current OSHA regulations (29CFR) and NIOSH guidelines or your own country's health and safety regulations.

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