the mess of the Bush EPA

Rebecca Clarin writes a very informative article in today's Salon regarding what has happened to EPA toxicity studies under the Bush Administration.

The EPA's Stalin Era

Basically, the IRIS database is an extensive database that has public health data regarding toxic chemicals.  One would think that it behooves a society with unexplained toxicity concerns to conduct as many studies as possible where there are suspicions of contamination.  

Sadly, under the Bush administration, getting IRIS studies approved became much more complicated.  This was achieved via an alliance between conservatives John Graham at the OMB and George Gray at the  Office of Research and Development.  Changes in the process included lowering the value of a human life by $1m (to $7m) and quantifying toxicity as a range instead of a single number, plus more emphasis on cost benefit analysis. If that's not bad enough they added more layers of approvals outside of the EPA, including the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy.

 

 So the math here is:

Cost Benefit Analysis for IRIS Studies at the EPA

IRIS Study Benefits = Vaguer toxicity assessment number with low range x Lesser value of human life = Lower benefit number for toxicity study

IRIS Study Costs = The same cost number for toxicity study

Initial Assessment = More often, Costs>Benefits = Fewer IRIS studies are worth the cost

Final Assessment = Fewer IRIS studies worth the cost +DOD endorsement + DOE endorsement = Way Fewer IRIS Studies

The article cites the egregious contamination situation that exists near Kelly Air Force base, San Antonio, where tetrachloroethylene, or PCE, was used extensively as an airplane degreaser and then dumped in shallow waste pits, causing contamination of a 4 square mile area known as "the plume".   Residents of the plume have severely elevated levels of cancer, not to mention liver, heart, lung, kidney disease, recurrent sinus infections and low birth weights.   The EPA hasn't completed a study in 10 years, and currently officially proclaims the air and groundwater safe.  However, the 25% of sick households with cancer and other illnesses in this area says otherwise.

The Obama administration can reinstate the old IRIS process with "a flick of a pen,", according to the author.  Hopefully, said pen flick is forthcoming.

LED Lights in Tanzania

Our friends at Dissigno are replacing kerosene lighting with LED lights with a grant from the World Bank (part of Lighting Africa initiative).  Six hours of pedaling stores enough energy to light 6 homes for 30 days.  San Francisco-based Dissigno is currently on site in Tanzania.  

About 2 billion people have no electric lighting a home.  Fuel (typically kerosene) is expensive, inefficient, unhealthy, and unsafe.  The costs of fuel dependency and subsidies are very high.  Lack of lighting is directly linked with the cycle of illiteracy and poverty.  You Tube video:  http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=2nASqdJw3rg

Dissigno was recently written up in Discover mag and on the Wired Science blog.  Pretty cool stuff.

Photos: John Dickey

Global Warming and Frozen Markets

Dan Shapely of The Daily Green assembles a few points about the environmental movement that come to the forefront given the large losses in the capital markets:

1. Green power creates jobs, however contributions from the private sector will be more scarce.

2. Annual environmental losses outweigh financial ones (deforestation alone costs as much as $5 trillion/year, BBC News recently reported), and take much longer to reverse than capital markets. 

3. Carbon tax may see more support (Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia U) as it requires less financial engineering than the Cap-and-Trade programs favored in Kyoto.  

Financial capital is a huge part of assuaging global warming:  particularly when it comes to alternative power generation, like offshore wind farms and solar projects. 

Financial Turmoil, and Thoughts on Green

When jobs implode, business credit lines are yanked and the bills are due, keeping green might not be at the top of anyone's list.  Historically, in tough economic times, people are going to focus on their own needs first.   We're already reading about the impact of disappearing banks, lost jobs, foreclosures and the immediate effects on personal spending.   It's down.  Predictions for the rest of the year: way down.

Here's some thoughts on general trends in the markets.

• More people trying to make ends meet to supplement income.  This boosts the supply of stuff sold by small business and individual internet sellers on venues like craigslist and ebay.
  
• Price sensitivity and lower demand for goods in general.  
  
• Decline of interest in luxury brands. 
  
• Increased demand for used items, bargain items, and products with lower markups.  
  
• Less charitable giving.  

Buying green typically has status associated with it.  However, many things green can become desirable in a recession.  

1. Lead with practical goods.
   
2. Focus on cost savings.
   
3. De-emphasize status.
   
4. Show the human element of who benefits from the sale.  
   
5. Add items with lower price points.
   

- 

Economy Takes Bike Industry on Joyride

Checked out wired's blog today... Yes, it makes sense that eco-consciousness, high gas prices and obesity worries would blend together and accelerate things for somewhat sleepy bike industry.  Not such a bad thing, especially since there are less enjoyable thing to do than go for a bikeride. 

Happily now included in the family are electronic bikes, ebikes, which you may say are really battery powered scooters (shhh).  But these gizmos are picking up speed in terms of popularity, very much so, especially in China.  It's the future, and therefore, very soon Brangelina will be pictured riding on them.  

Drinking Water, the EPA, and Slower Thyroids

Perchlorate is widespread contaminant from unsafe disposal of solid rocket fuel. The contamination arose out of the lax environmental standards from the cold war era (starting in the 1950s). The EPA just made a decision to do nothing about the contamination problem, which has been raised in the west and southwest, particularly in the Colorado River Basin.

MSNBC has cover's the EPA's decision and the public's response.

It's known to be present in drinking water in more than 35 states. It also has been found in the food supply, particularly in lettuce. It affects humans by inhibiting iodine intake of thyroid gland, causing reduced thyroid function.

From Burning Man to Berkeley, Solar Power to the Masses

Berkeley's about to offer a pilot program that provides government financing when houses retro-fit their power with solar panels. Ordinarily this costs about $22k, and instead homeowners could pay $180/mo to the gov't for 20 years (ideally to be offset by savings).

NYTimes and the SFChronicle cover all of this quite positively.

My green NYC building has solar panels. Typical nyc power bills are around $150-300/mo in 2 bedrooms and I pay $50-75/mo.

So it looks like the Berkeley deal could making going solar ~ free~ , which is pretty hot!

Study: BPA --> Heart Disease/Diabetes

This is one of the first references I've seen on BPA (bisphenol-A) that shows links to heart disease and diabetes. BPA has long been thought to cause endocrine disruption, although endocrine disruption reaching into new diseases in addition to cancer may be new info to the public. BPA's already banned in Canada. This is promting the FDA to reconsider it's position that BPA levels and exposure are believed to be safe.

NPR's Allison Aubrey discusses on today's All Things Considered.

Wikipedia covers BPA chemistry and suspected toxicity in depth.

paper vs plastic

John Tierney cites research evidence coupled with IHHO and relays his conclusions on some conventional wisdoms about what's ethical and not in today's New York Times. He's got 10, but here's a sampling:

Debate
1. paper v plastic bags?
Answer: plastic
Why? less energy to produce, transfer, easier to recycle, less space in landfills

2. is saturated fat good or bad?
Answer: good
Why? recent study in Israel reveals people who consumed more saturated fat than control group lost more weight

3. local or far away fruit?
Answer: far away
Why? more efficient distribution

My granite countertop is radioactive?!?

"Hot" granite has high uranium levels that emit cancer-causing radon gas, reports the NYT this week. No problem, yours can be simply checked with a handheld Geiger counter.

every time you turn on your TV...

It's hard to quantify and lower power use on an analog scale. New home moderation systems are getting less pricey. Check it out on in today's NYTimes Technology section.

parking footprints, a convenient truth

It used to be that one needed a MD or diplomatic license to get a free parking spot in nyc. If you are somewhat less pedigreed, the $12k Smart Car Fourtwo buys something similar. Saw this one at North End Vespa enclave in Battery Park. Treehugger lightly suggests that it's not an environmental purchase on gas mileage. (something like 33mpg downhill with tailwind). There's only a 1yr+ waiting list to get one.

Oil Gone Wild

Jack Hidary writes on Huffington Post economic restructuring suggestions for reducing dependence on oil. $1 million goes overseas every minute with oil prices at $147 a barrel. 55% of US oil use is by autos and SUVs, so presumably curbable.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jack-hidary/oil-gone-wild_b_112446.html

what's a watt?

Great tips for saving energy in your home from Michael Bluejay to get your power use (and bill) down from the average american usage (around 850kwh/month). Michael also notes coal carries 50% of the power load in the US.

http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/

Apocalypse In Progress

For the entry #1 of the EthicL blog, we introduce the idea that social ethics, green-ness and wellness are moving targets and are certainly not black and white. The world is complicated and while many of us like to think of our values and beliefs as "fixed", things change very quickly, so I am often reminded of being open to opinions and ideas, to keep thinking.

Mike Davis writes a fantastic article at Salon which comprehensively goes through issues of how global warming is not only changing the earth's environmental condition, but also the human condition. Raises issues about the concentration of wealth in the middle east, the realities of treaties and the complexities and contradictions brought about with many seemingly positive eco-initiatives like biofuels and carbon offsets.

Apocalypse Now by Mike Davis, Salon.com
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/07/07/global_warming/index.html