The Louisiana flood waters have receded and so has the national media coverage of this disaster. The storm pummeled South Louisiana with almost seven trillion gallons of water in a week’s time. It flowed from parish to parish; the storm destroyed homes and businesses, and claimed lives. The TV cameras are gone, but the cleanup […]
The role of chemistry in sustainable buildings: Greenbuild sessions highlight materials health, safety and innovation
Innovations in chemistry make an important contribution in developing the products and materials that help create attractive, durable, modern buildings. High performance spray foam insulation helps keep heat and cooled air inside a building, lowering energy costs. Vinyl flooring in hospitals and operating rooms is easy to clean and disinfect and can last for many […]
Carcinogen or not a carcinogen? A tale of two WHO Agencies, and the importance of evaluating study quality and human relevance
How is it possible that two World Health Organization (WHO) agencies could evaluate the same chemical’s potential to cause cancer and come to seemingly opposite conclusions? Dr. David Eastmond explored this question in a presentation at the Summer Toxicology Forum meeting comparing the approaches taken by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and […]
Why NIEHS should publicly endorse EPA’s EDSP program and the WHO/IPCS definition of an EDC
As with the presidential campaign, serious debate on the subject of chemicals that can interact with the human endocrine system is often sidetracked by a tendency by some to engage in the politics of identity, branding anyone with a different perspective to be in industry’s pockets. Such ad hominem attacks are a serious impediment to progress and […]
The pursuit of quality in risk assessment
The Toxicology Forum is an international organization that encourages dialogue among government agencies, industry, academia, policymakers, and NGOs concerned with public health issues. Following Congress’s recent passage of the Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act, the Toxicology Forum’s summer meeting in Salt Lake City, featured a particularly interesting and timely session on “the pursuit of quality and […]
NIEHS celebrates 25 years of endocrine disruptor research – we ask, what’s to celebrate?
For the past three decades, the rate of innovation among the world’s leading chemical manufacturers has accelerated at a globally competitive pace. Consumers often reap the benefits of this innovation firsthand: we see a larger number and greater variety of products appearing on store shelves; upgraded products that outperform their predecessors; and new technologies that […]
On laminated wood flooring products, science shows low risk from formaldehyde exposure
Recent media stories questioning the safety of laminated wood products shipped into the United States from China have caused concerns among homeowners with laminate wood flooring in their homes. But the results of a recent review by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) should put those concerns to rest. The CPSC reports that out of […]
Plastic paw helps injured pup run again
To demonstrate the many different ways that plastics help make life better, the Plastics Make it Possible® campaign has created a new video showing how plastic prosthetics are helping our four-legged friends overcome injury and live full and active lives. The video follows Hudson, a four-year-old pit bull who lost one of his paws as […]
ACC files comments to inform EPA’s development of rules under the LCSA
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is already moving quickly to implement the Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act (LCSA), and here at ACC we have been actively engaged with the Agency in the implementation process. In early August, EPA held a series of public meetings on the LCSA to discuss the first rules the Agency is […]
New study finds greater access to plastics recycling programs
Good news on the recycling front: a new study found that more than 60 percent of the U.S. population has access to recycling programs for a wide range of plastics. The study, “2015-16 Centralized Study on Availability of Plastics Recycling,” conducted by Resource Recycling Systems and Moore Recycling Associates Inc., looked at access to programs […]
