Green Right Now Reports:
In a study released Tuesday by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers report that they have found a continuing “possible link” between formaldehyde exposure and death from cancers of the blood and lymphatic system among workers exposed to the chemical.
The report is part of an ongoing study of industrial workers in plants making formaldehyde products.
“Since the 1980s, NCI has studied cancer deaths among a group of 25,619 workers, predominately white males, who were employed before 1966 in 10 industrial plants that produced formaldehyde and formaldehyde resin and that used the chemical to produce molded-plastic products, decorative laminates, photographic film, or plywood,” according to the NCI release.
These workers show a higher susceptibility to certain cancers, especially among workers with high exposure to the chemical, researchers say.
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Our toxic world: From smog to baby bath, it’s hard to know the risks
By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now
Quick get me to a de-tox chamber!
I hate to pile on, but underneath all the bad news about our sickly economy and fragile atmosphere is an oil slick of foreboding tidings about our ailing everyday environment.
Take last week’s study in the New England Journal of Medicine showing that people living in the smoggiest cities are more likely to die from respiratory diseases. The study of nearly half a million adults found that ground-level ozone has a longer-term impact than previously recognized, resulting in “a significant increase in the risk of death from respiratory causes”. That makes so much sense. We’re warned to stay in on “alert” days when ozone levels are high; especially the young, the old and people with asthma. It stands to reason that ozone could be cumulatively damaging.
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Tags: · 1, 4 dioxane, BarbaraKesslerBlog, brain tumors, breast cancer, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, cell phones, formaldehyde, pharmaceuticals, respiratory illness, Silent Spring Institute, smog, Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Indoor plants lower formaldehyde levels
By John DeFore
Green Right Now
The sickening effects of atmospheric formaldehyde may have become a hot topic thanks to FEMA trailers after Hurricane Katrina, but the problem is hardly limited to mobile homes. Formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a widespread health concern introduced to buildings through industrial textiles like carpeting and by materials, like plywood, that use certain adhesives.
That doesn’t mean we have to accept living in toxic rooms. Researchers in Korea have measured the extent to which household plants can clean the air, and their discoveries are encouraging.
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Tags: · formaldehyde, plants, VOCs
Green Depot founder says green consumers are savvy buyers
By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now
Who are green consumers? And what do they want?
These are two questions being hashed about by marketers and businesses around the country as Americans become increasingly conscious of wanting products that are cleaner, less-toxic, verifiably sourced, responsibly made, and reasonable in the bargain.
Green consumers, it appears, do come in peace. And while they might not speak green. They’re willing to learn. That’s what Sarah Beatty has concluded after a few, fast and furious years in the green building and living supply business. She’s the founder and president of Green Depot stores, which is opening its seventh store this month after less than five years in the business.
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Tags: · formaldehyde, FSC wood, Green Depot, home supplies, indoor air quality, recycled glass, zero-VOC paint
