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Hazardous Chemicals (hazardous + chemical)
Selected AbstractsResponsible Care© Programs for Hazardous ChemicalsENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2001Ernest D. Weiler This article describes the development, use, and learnings of a comprehensive Responsible Care® program as applied to the management of hazardous substances at various stages during the life cycle of the product. The article offers specific examples for stewardship programs in the biocide industry, and discusses the role of the medical community. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source] Superfund site remediation by landfilling,overview of landfill design, operation, closure, and postclosure issuesREMEDIATION, Issue 3 2004G. Fred Lee This article discusses the appropriateness of using landfills as part of remediating hazardous chemical and Superfund sites, with particular emphasis on providing for true long-term public health and environmental protection from the wastes and contaminated soils that are placed in the landfills. On-site landfilling or capping of existing wastes is typically the least expensive approach for gaining some remediation of existing hazardous chemical/Superfund sites. The issues of the deficiencies in US EPA and state landfilling approaches discussed herein are also applicable to the landfilling of municipal and industrial solid "nonhazardous" wastes. These deficiencies were presented in part as "Problems with Landfills for Superfund Site Remediation" at the US EPA National Superfund Technical Assistance Grant Workshop held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in February 2003. They are based on the author's experience in investigating the properties of landfill liners and the characteristics of today's landfills, relative to their ability to prevent groundwater pollution and to cause other environmental impacts. Discussed are issues related to both solid and hazardous waste landfills and approaches for improving the ability of landfills to contain wastes and monitor for leachate escape from the landfill for as long as the wastes in the landfill will be a threat. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Potential Applications of Oxidoreductases for the Re-oxidation of Leuco Vat or Sulfur Dyes in Textile DyeingENGINEERING IN LIFE SCIENCES (ELECTRONIC), Issue 3 2008F. Xu Abstract Conventional textile dyeing by vat and sulfur dyes includes reduction and re-oxidation steps (with chemical reductants and oxidants), so that the insoluble dyes can be solubilized in the dyeing solution, adsorbed by the fabric, and fixed onto the dyed fabric. The treatments often involve hazardous chemicals, expensive catalysts, or conditions that are suboptimally effective, energy-intensive, caustic, or polluting. Improving these steps with enzyme technology could be of significant interest in terms of better dyeing, handling of hazardous chemicals, disposal of waste, or production economy. The idea of an enzymatic re-oxidation step for vat and sulfur dyeings was tested under simplified laboratory conditions. Selected vat and sulfur dyes, including Vat Blue,43, Vat Orange,7, Vat Green,3, Vat Orange,2, Vat Red,13, Vat Yellow,2, and Sulfur Black,1, were first chemically reduced. The reduced (leuco) dyes were then re-oxidized by aerated buffer solutions or H2O2, in the presence or absence of an oxidoreductase, selected from seven laccases from Myceliophthora thermophila, Scytalidium thermophilum, Coprinus cinereus, Trametes villosa, Rhizoctonia solani, Pycnoporus cinnabarinus, Botrytis cinerea, a bilirubin oxidase from Myrothecium verrucaria, and a heme peroxidase from Coprinus cineresu. It was shown that the enzymes were able to catalyze and accelerate the re-oxidation of the reduced dyes, even when they were adsorbed on cotton fabric, by dissolved air (O2) or H2O2. Small redox-active mediators could facilitate the enzymatic re-oxidation. For Sulfur Black,1, a higher conversion of the leuco dye was achieved with laccase-catalyzed re-oxidation. The further development of this potential enzyme application is discussed. [source] Consumption of foods and foodstuffs processed with hazardous chemicals: a case study of BangladeshINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONSUMER STUDIES, Issue 6 2008Md. Motaher Hossain Abstract Determining the best way to persuade consumers to consume more healthy foods is challenging. In Bangladesh, however, daily newspapers consistently show that various hazardous chemicals (e.g. calcium carbide, sodium cyclamate, cyanide and formalin, etc.) are mixed with or added to foods and foodstuffs. These chemicals are very dangerous to humans. This present study examines the reasons behind the use of hazardous chemicals in foods as well as the extent to which food producers/sellers use such chemicals. In addition, this study assesses consumer perceptions of and attitudes towards these contaminated food items and explores how adulterated foods and foodstuffs affect consumer health. The empirical data were collected from 110 consumers, 25 sellers or producers, seven doctors and seven pharmacists in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. This study shows that nearly every consumer (93.7%) is aware that various foods and foodstuffs contain hazardous chemicals, and that 95.5% of consumers are aware that these adulterated foods and foodstuffs are harmful to their health. This paper explores the myriad reasons why consumers nevertheless feel compelled to consume such chemically treated foods. [source] Genetic polymorphism of sulfotransferase 1A1, cigarette smoking, hazardous chemical exposure and urothelial cancer risk in a Taiwanese populationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF UROLOGY, Issue 12 2008Yuan-Hung Wang Objectives: To investigate the association between genetic polymorphism of sulfotransferase1A1 (SULT1A1), cigarette smoking, hazardous chemical exposure and urothelial cancer risk in a Taiwanese population. Methods: In a hospital-based case,control study, a total of 300 urothelial cancer (UC) cases and 300 cancer-free controls frequency-matched by age and gender were recruited from September 1998 to December 2005. The SULT1A1 arginine213histidine (Arg213His) polymorphism was genotyped using a polymerase chain reaction,restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Results: We found that the significantly increased UC risks of ever smokers and heavy smokers (,28 pack-years) were 2.1 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.4,3.3) and 2.2 (95% CI = 1.3,3.6), respectively. An increased UC risk of 1.8 (95% CI = 0.8,3.8) was observed among individuals with more than one item of hazardous chemical exposure, but it was not statistically significant. Compared with study subjects carrying the SULT1A1 Arg/Arg genotype, those with SULT1A1 Arg/His or His/His genotypes have a significantly decreased UC risk (Odds ratio [OR] = 0.5, 95% CI = 0.3,0.8). Heavy smokers carrying the SULT1A1 Arg/Arg genotype have a significantly increased UC risk (OR = 5.2, 95% CI = 2.3,11.6). Individuals who had been exposed to more than one item of hazardous chemicals and who carried the SULT1A1 Arg/Arg genotype have a significantly increased UC risk (OR = 3.7, 95% CI = 1.4,9.7). The highest significant increased UC risk (OR = 16.1, 95% CI = 2.9,87.2) was observed among ever smokers with hazardous chemical exposure and the SULT1A1 Arg/Arg genotype. Conclusions: SULT1A1 Arg213His polymorphism is associated with the development of UC, especially among cigarette smokers exposed to hazardous chemicals. [source] The Japanese toxicogenomics project: Application of toxicogenomicsMOLECULAR NUTRITION & FOOD RESEARCH (FORMERLY NAHRUNG/FOOD), Issue 2 2010Takeki Uehara Abstract Biotechnology advances have provided novel methods for the risk assessment of chemicals. The application of microarray technologies to toxicology, known as toxicogenomics, is becoming an accepted approach for identifying chemicals with potential safety problems. Gene expression profiling is expected to identify the mechanisms that underlie the potential toxicity of chemicals. This technology has also been applied to identify biomarkers of toxicity to predict potential hazardous chemicals. Ultimately, toxicogenomics is expected to aid in risk assessment. The following discussion explores potential applications and features of the Japanese Toxicogenomics Project. [source] Automated indexing of the hazardous substances data bankPROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2003Carlo Nuss The Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB), a factual data file produced and maintained by the Specialized Information Services (SIS) Division of the National Library of Medicine (NLM), contains over 4600 records on potentially hazardous chemicals. To improve information retrieval from HSDB, SIS has undertaken the development of an automated indexing protocol in collaboration with NLM's Indexing Initiative group. The Indexing Initiative investigates methods whereby automated indexing may partially or completely substitute for human indexing. Three main methodologies are applied: the MetaMap Indexing method, which maps text to concepts in the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) Metathesaurus; the Trigram Phrase Matching method, which uses character trigrams to match text to Metathesaurus concepts; and a variant of the PubMed Related Citations method to find MeSH terms related to input text. The UMLS concepts generated by the first two methods are mapped to MeSH main headings through the Restrict-to-MeSH algorithm. The resulting MeSH terms are then clustered into a ranked list of recommended indexing terms. The purpose of the poster is to present our experience in applying these automated indexing methodologies to a large data file with highly structured records, a variety of text and data formats, and complex technical and biomedical terminology. [source] Cryogenic extinguishment of liquid pool firesPROCESS SAFETY PROGRESS, Issue 1 2010Yiannis Levendis Abstract Results on fire extinguishment using direct application of liquid nitrogen are presented in this article. This technique targets challenging fires, such as burning hazardous chemicals or fuels, in which cases prompt suppression or extinguishment is paramount to prevent explosions, avoid release of toxic fumes and avert environmental catastrophes. Liquid nitrogen is a rather environmentally benign extinguishing agent that does not cause property damage or groundwater contamination. Application of this cryogen onto a hot pyrolyzing/burning surface induces abrupt vaporization, spread and expansion. The pyrolyzing gases are inerted, the surface is cooled and hence its pyrolysis rate is reduced, air is separated from the fuel, and the fire extinguishes. To demonstrate this technique, experiments were conducted with pool fires of ethanol, propanol, and diesel fuel. To examine the underlying principles, analysis of the results was conducted based on simplified calculations. Sufficient quantities of the cryogen extinguished the fires nearly instantaneously. Half-liter quantities were sufficient to extinguish 1 m2 pool fires. The method of dispensing and distributing the cryogen on the pool fires proved to be of considerable importance. The existence of wind, which disturbed the flame, was not found to prevent extinguishment. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog 2010 [source] Pseudomonas putida KT2440 responds specifically to chlorophenoxy herbicides and their initial metabolitesPROTEINS: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND BIOINFORMATICS, Issue 11 2006Dirk Benndorf Dr. Abstract Pseudomonas putida,KT2440 is often used as a model to investigate toxicity mechanisms and adaptation to hazardous chemicals in bacteria. The objective of this paper was to test the impact of the chlorophenoxy herbicides 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid,(2,4-D) and 2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)propanoic acid,(DCPP) and their metabolites 2,4-dichlorophenol,(DCP) and 3,5-dichlorocatechol,(DCC), on protein expression patterns and physiological parameters. Both approaches showed that DCC has a different mode of action and induces different responses than DCPP, 2,4-D and DCP. DCC was the most toxic compound and was active as an uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation. It repressed the synthesis of ferric uptake regulator (Fur)-dependent proteins, e.g. fumarase,C and L -ornithine N5-oxygenase, which are involved in oxidative stress response and iron uptake. DCPP, 2,4-D and DCP were less toxic than DCC. They disturbed oxidative phosphorylation to a lesser extent by a yet unknown mechanism. Furthermore, they repressed enzymes of energy-consuming biosynthetic pathways and induced membrane transporters for organic substrates. A TolC homologue component of multidrug resistance transporters was found to be induced, which is probably involved in the removal of lipophilic compounds from membranes. [source] Unreliability of co-occurrence-based sediment quality guidelines for contaminated sediment evaluations at Superfund/hazardous chemical sitesREMEDIATION, Issue 2 2005Anne Jones-Lee Many Superfund/hazardous chemical sites include waterbodies whose sediments contain hazardous chemicals. With the need to assess, rank, and remediate contaminated sediments at such sites, as well as in other waterways, regulators seek a simple, quantitative assessment approach that feeds easily into a decision-making scheme. Numeric, co-occurrence-based "sediment quality guidelines" have emerged with the appearance of administrative simplicity. However, the very foundation of the co-occurrence approach, based on the total concentrations of a chemical(s) in sediment, is technically invalid; its application relies on additional technically invalid presumptions. Use of technically invalid evaluation approaches renders any assessment of the significance of sediment contamination unreliable. This article reviews the technical roots and assumptions of the co-occurrence-based SQGs, the fundamental flaws in the rationale behind their development and application, and their misapplication for sediment quality evaluation. It also reviews concepts and approaches for the more reliable evaluation, ranking, and cleanup assessment of contaminated sediments at Superfund sites and elsewhere. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||||||||