tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229714752012-02-12T16:04:11.746-05:00This is the official blog for EnvironmentalChemistry.com, which provides chemistry, environmental and hazardous materials news, information & resources.Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.comBlogger1081100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-52994188163503561172011-03-04T14:30:00.002-05:002011-03-05T12:34:02.172-05:00

For over two weeks now I have been reading about the unprecedented peaceful protests in Wisconsin over their governor's efforts to bust public employee unions, particularly teacher unions, and to cut teacher compensation. What I find most distressing about this is that to achieve the goal of busting public employee unions in states across the U.S., nationwide there has been in the media the

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-8126068962272848352011-01-05T16:00:00.001-05:002011-01-08T13:36:49.965-05:00

Over the past year or so (2009-2010) we undertook a series of weatherization and energy conservation projects on the home we bought in 2009. The first thing we did before undertaking these projects was to have an energy audit conducted (you can read about the energy audit here). Although the audit cost us $415, it was a very important first step in weatherizing our home as it helped us prioritize

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-8135554746629045662010-07-06T10:52:00.000-04:002010-07-06T10:52:50.467-04:00

In cooler climates like here in Maine, even as we swelter through hot summer days we still typically enjoy cooler, more comfortable nights. Even when temperatures push above 90°F (32°C) nights can drop to around 70°F (21°C) at night. This temperature swing provides for a cheap and easy means of helping to keep a home cooler on hot days without the need for air conditioning.The strategy could be

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-73029791422760053152010-03-31T12:10:00.004-04:002010-03-31T12:11:58.821-04:00

With all the home energy efficiency tax credits being offered up to home owners, I have observed a predictable uptick in advertising related to home weatherization goods and services. Not surprisingly, much of this advertising is targeted towards getting consumers to buy new energy efficient doors and windows. The thing is is that for most consumers replacing doors and windows WILL NOT result

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-81613779165236449922010-03-04T15:47:00.011-05:002010-03-05T10:02:14.012-05:00

Yesterday I attended a meet and greet for Pat McGowan who is one of seven candidates who are running for the Democratic nomination to be the next Governor of Maine. One of his key agenda items is to continue Maine on its path to energy self sufficiency within ten years. This would be accomplished through harnessing a diverse array of renewable energy sources.McGowan's stated that this is

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-59040340692219136882009-10-19T13:29:00.003-04:002009-10-19T13:35:33.105-04:00

At the Frankfurt Motor Show, Toyota unveiled a plug-in hybrid version of its popular Toyota Prius. This concept car is based on the third generation Prius and uses first generation lithium-ion batteries. Read more at http://behindthewheelnews.toyota.com/?id=252

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-14266676348971776612009-10-08T21:46:00.004-04:002009-10-24T17:53:44.916-04:00

Politically motivated fear mongering has become a routine part of the partisan discourse with some media outlets. This is an unfortunate part of the current political reality. There are occasions, however, when this fear mongering goes far beyond being just political hatchet jobs and become a true public menace. Tonight FOX News' Glen Beck crossed that line and became a true public health

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-86717169722880150452009-06-07T10:39:00.008-04:002009-09-07T09:55:12.477-04:00

For many Digg.com users, the removal of Digg's shout feature also meant they lost the ability to share articles and communicate privately with their Digg friends. While not an ideal solution, one work around to the loss of the Digg shout feature is to use Twitter.Create a Twitter profileTo effectively use Twitter, however, you first need to create a Twitter account that uses the same user name

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-20215076441858211392009-05-28T15:21:00.004-04:002009-05-28T15:46:40.500-04:00

In the past couple of years there have been a lot of product scares about lead in various products imported from China. But one product that normally contains lead that no one ever thinks about is garden hoses. Yes, for the most part the majority of garden hoses contain lead. The reason is that lead is used during the manufacturing process as a stabilizer for the PVC used to make the hose.

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-38222845080032442742009-05-22T13:44:00.000-04:002009-05-22T13:50:24.825-04:00

It is the season to start vegetable garden in the northern hemisphere and organic gardening is all the rage. As I've been planning and working on our garden I've been pondering the merits and limits of organic gardening. Something I've been thinking about is whether organic gardening is necessarily eco friendly gardening. To be an "orthodox" organic garden, one must use: certified organic

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-55293116220965268742009-05-17T08:48:00.003-04:002009-05-17T11:22:47.985-04:00

Like so many folks on the Internet I have been building up social networks on various social networking sites. One of my favorite haunts is Digg. I like Digg because it is oftentimes a good way to find news articles and blog posts on issues I am interested in (progressive politics and environmental issues). Many of the articles I read there are shouted to me by the "friends" I have built up in

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-27918090439769417202009-05-14T12:34:00.004-04:002009-05-14T19:11:13.428-04:00

Recently, I noticed my Senator, Susan Collins (Maine, Republican), had introduced a bill called the "Energy Assistance Fund Act" (S.855) whose purpose is to help make the U.S. more energy independent by improving the energy efficiency of homes via weatherization (a really big issue here in Maine) and providing tax credits for consumers to invest in renewable energy like solar, wind, geothermal,

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-89224418061070641802009-05-02T12:19:00.003-04:002009-05-02T12:36:43.328-04:00

For almost two years I have been working on starting a new section to EnvironmentalChemistry.com that would focus on building green homes and doing eco renovations. The challenge has been to find the right projects to document. Well after some false starts and frustrating delays I am happy to announce our first project and accompanying series of articles under our new "Go Green" section. At

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-56436945595771460712008-05-09T12:43:00.000-04:002008-05-09T12:46:08.759-04:00

Once again Apple ranked dead last on an environmental organization's survey of electronics manufacturers. One year ago (April 2007), Green Peace ranked Apple dead last on their survey of electronics companies because of Apple's secretiveness about their environmental practices and their failure to disclose measures they were taking to remove hazardous chemicals from their manufacturing processes

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-23700686181713929942008-05-03T00:15:00.003-04:002008-06-10T14:17:44.450-04:00

Fuel tax breaks are nothing but election year panderingPoliticians are nothing if not creative when it comes to political pandering without bringing real relief. The latest proposals to cut fuel taxes during this summer (e.g. before the election) is just such example. The claim is that this will save Americans eighteen cents per gallon or $3.60 per 20 gallon tank of gas. This makes for great

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-21794203014213650372008-04-14T08:57:00.003-04:002008-04-14T09:08:13.146-04:00

Autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, developmental delays and intellectual retardation are among the neurodevelopmental disorders that extract an enormous emotional, mental and financial toll in terms of compromised quality of life and lifelong disability. Additionally, these require special education, psychological and medical support services that drain resources and contribute to further

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-40115472827380999122008-03-10T12:36:00.019-04:002011-04-13T22:42:25.584-04:00

Please help support Classic Compact developmentLike many users of EnvironmentalChemistry.com, we use Firefox as our primary web browser. I've been using Firefox since 2003 when it was known as Firebird and along the way I started customizing the default Firefox theme to reduce the amount of vertical space used by menus, toolbars, etc. When Firefox 2.0 was released in 2006 I had to rebuild my

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com300tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-49097829672957699652008-02-11T10:32:00.000-05:002008-02-11T10:36:54.548-05:00

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. U.S. President George Bush pledged up to $150 million for work on cellulosic ethanol in his 2006 State of the Union address, and as recently as March 2007 he visited Columbia to convince the Brazilian and Columbian

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-7305559806135320402007-12-28T16:26:00.000-05:002007-12-28T18:31:37.713-05:00

Yes it has been a long time since I posted a new blog article on our editor's blog and there is a reason for this. As some may recall I wrote a couple of articles about my participation in the Internet search for Steve Fossett, which was being hosted by Amazon's Mechanical Turk. After Amazon called off their Internet search effort there was a core group of us who did not want to see the

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-80296705135615320852007-10-31T16:04:00.000-04:002007-10-31T16:06:14.332-04:00

After eight weeks, the Internet search for Steve Fossett, which I have been participating in, via Amazon's Mechanical Turk has been called off (although other search efforts continue). Back on Sept. 18, 2007 I wrote with great enthusiasm how I thought this type of collaborative effort to review satellite photos via the Internet could revolutionize search and rescue (see: "Using the Internet to

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-19610401625111089842007-10-29T10:03:00.000-04:002007-10-29T10:06:13.957-04:00

When I embarked upon my recent trip to China, I was ready for the worst in terms of pollution. I had been told that tap water was not only not potable, but also not suitable for bathing because it was so murky that nobody would want to bathe in it. (Showers were considered to be ok). I guess they figured the impurities would just roll off. We were told to take dust masks with us so that we

Robertahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00139946521278729742noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-85446610956802082372007-10-22T21:00:00.000-04:002007-10-22T22:29:46.446-04:00

Twelve years ago today, on October 22, 1995, I started what would eventually become EnvironmentalChemistry.com. I remember the day quite well. I was attending the University of Alaska Fairbanks as a non-traditional student and after relentless badgering from one of my friends, I had been finally goaded into creating a website. This was before the heady days of the dot com bubble. It was also

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-22976706604416308462007-10-18T09:08:00.000-04:002007-10-18T09:10:04.069-04:00

I just returned from the World Special Olympics Summer Games in Shanghai, China, where one of my riding students was representing the U.S. Special Olympics Equestrian Team. In the coming weeks I will be writing about China's environmental accomplishments and shortcomings, but today I wanted to share my Olympic experiences. The Special Olympics Summer World Games in Shanghai took center stage in

Robertahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00139946521278729742noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-24744131915858900842007-10-16T14:24:00.000-04:002007-10-16T20:03:14.778-04:00

One of the things that always amazes me is how poorly non-profit environmental organizations understand Fair Use clauses of the copyright law and how frequently individuals (even leaders) of these organizations plagiarize from others when writing their own articles. In our case, articles we publish on EnvironmentalChemistry.com have been frequent victims of copyright infringement and/or

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-15040351348661388452007-10-15T09:43:00.000-04:002007-10-16T13:55:54.996-04:00

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a consortium of 13 counties in Western Pennsylvania will be hosting the nation’s foremost annual conference for first responders, counter-terrorism professionals, emergency managers, and medical, law enforcement and industry personnel in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania on December 2-5, 2007.According to the U.S. EPA's press release for this conference, more than

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-78135419635755945022007-10-10T15:32:00.000-04:002007-10-10T15:33:39.745-04:00

I just received in my email a notification that Floyd Landis plans to appeal his case that we have written so much about to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).In announcing his decision to appeal his case, Floyd Landis wrote:"Knowing that the accusations against me are simply wrong, and having risked all my energy and resources – including those of my family, friends and supporters – to

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-75210058927604818792007-09-24T07:10:00.000-04:002007-09-24T19:39:00.502-04:00

Too often the discussion of renewable energy development focuses on climate change (aka global warming) to the exclusion of other equally important environmental, national security and social justice concerns. While yes, climate change is a serious concern (in spite of what the skeptics try to portray), we need to invest in and not unduly burden the development of renewable energies like wind and

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-16194078299139300232007-09-22T10:43:00.000-04:002007-09-22T11:03:33.948-04:00

Jacquelyn Guiseley of Raymond Maine and our very own Roberta Barbalace are packing up and headed off to China to participate in the upcoming Special Olympics which will run from October 2 through October 11. Jacquelyn will be representing the United States as part of the U.S. Special Olympic equestrian team and is one of four members of the U.S. Special Olympic team who are from Maine. Roberta

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-77659402266148808782007-09-21T14:11:00.000-04:002007-09-21T20:49:36.637-04:00

Yesterday (9/20/2007), the National Park Service's Appalachian Trail Superintendent Pam Underhill of West Virginia, stated that global warming was "irrelevant" while testifying in opposing to the placement of Maine Mountain Power's proposed 18 wind turbines on Black Nubble Mountain near Sugarloaf Maine. Underhill, who was testifying in her official capacity as a NPS superintendent front of

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-70250682138698658092007-09-20T17:45:00.000-04:002007-09-21T08:29:47.323-04:00

"Whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. . . So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches . ." Luke 16:10.1. From the beginning, the Laboratoire National de Dépistage et du Dopage ("LNDD") has not been trustworthy. In this case, at every stage of testing it failed to comply with the procedures and methods for

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-66047475131101039612007-09-18T08:22:00.000-04:002007-09-19T15:23:59.534-04:00

For over a week now I have been participating in the Internet search for lost aviator Steve Fossett using Amazon.com's Mechanical Turk and Google Earth. The premise is simple. Via Mechanical Turk, anyone anywhere in the world who has an Internet connection can help in the search for Steve Fossett by joining Mechanical Turk and reviewing little squares of updated satellite photos which represent

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-39036767245280355372007-08-24T16:27:00.000-04:002007-08-24T16:45:44.662-04:00

I have been stewing all week on the dog fighting allegations against the NFL Quarterback Michael Vick. When I listen to the outcry in some quarters not to ban him from the NFL (after all, he didn't murder someone) and then look at our three month long wait for a decision from the arbiters in 2006 Tour de France winner Floyd Landis' drug doping hearings (see my post: " Floyd Landis verdict update

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-28068362264778445512007-08-20T09:42:00.000-04:002007-08-20T09:51:18.646-04:00

Every day it seems we learn of new products that were made in China being recalled because they contain lead and/or other harmful substances. From the food we eat or feed our pets to personal hygiene products like toothpaste to the toys we give our children, "made in China" is becoming the new "skull and crossbones" warning label. In May of 2006 we reported on a Russian ban on Norwegian salmon

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-13868373022956329982007-08-17T13:05:00.000-04:002007-08-20T09:48:25.140-04:00

At the end of May and beginning of June we wrote a series of three articles on the Floyd Landis vs. USADA arbitration hearings related to accusations that he had doped on his way to winning the 2006 Tour de France. Our first article was written by my mother Roberta Barbalace. It was an initial look at what we saw to be a seriously broken chain of custody and bad testing procedures by the French

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-74522369835291176742007-08-15T15:34:00.000-04:002007-08-15T15:36:37.749-04:00

What is nanotech, how can it help us bridge the gap to sustainability and what are its risks? Our second article by Wilma Pretorius, Ph.D. takes a closer look at the promises and risks of nanotechnologies, which are literally products, created at the atomic scale. The promises of nanotech are great, but there may be great risks and hidden dangers. Read more.

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-65655820986145986412007-08-07T11:07:00.000-04:002007-08-10T14:54:17.739-04:00

Three states recently announced ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse emissions because, in the words of New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine, "…In the absence of leadership on the federal level the burden has now fallen upon the state executives and legislatures to lead the way on this issue…". In addition to protecting the residents in their own states, proactive states are blazing the trail for

Robertahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00139946521278729742noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-55983235679855316442007-08-06T08:25:00.000-04:002007-08-10T14:53:51.930-04:00

Junk mail clogs our mailboxes, fills up our trash/recycle bins, wastes our natural resources and in the case of credit card applications, opens us up to the potential for identity theft. For years people have had to suffer this unwanted plague infesting our mail boxes, because the effort required to get off of these mailing lists was just too great.A couple of months ago I learned of a service

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-42973357409159564212007-07-23T12:41:00.000-04:002007-07-23T12:47:34.228-04:00

An acquaintance of mine set me a link to a webpage berating a plan in Santa Monica, California to build the nation's first sustainable parking garage. The project includes photovoltaic roof panels, a storm drain water treatment system, recycled construction materials, and energy efficient mechanical systems. It will also feature ground floor retail shops.So what was the writer's complaint?

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-58249560711817623552007-07-20T10:29:00.000-04:002007-07-20T10:32:53.977-04:00

Last spring a rumor circulating on the Internet claimed that cell phone towers were responsible for the sudden disappearance of the worker bees and total collapse of 25% of the nations 2.4 million bee colonies (New York Times April 23, 2007). I have never traced the rumor directly but it appears to be related to a dubious report from a scientist in Germany who linked the death of bees to the use

Robertahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00139946521278729742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-46905264192955139032007-07-02T09:09:00.000-04:002007-07-02T09:12:11.722-04:00

This Independence Day the United States has another reason to celebrate. The population of American Bald Eagles, the majestic symbol of this great nation, has made such a recovery that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced last week that it will be removed from both the Endangered Species list and Threatened Species List.According to the USFWS in 1963 there were barely 400 nesting

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-17164509511137875112007-06-26T07:48:00.000-04:002007-06-26T09:12:50.900-04:00

One month ago the closing arguments in drug doping hearings for 2006 Tour de France winner Floyd Landis concluded. During the Landis' Hearings we did two "heat of the moment" write ups on the science issues surrounding this case. Afterwords, the folks at Trust but Verify, which is the unoffical clearinghouse for everything related to this case, suggested we do a follow up on "chain of custody"

Robertahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00139946521278729742noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-62936369073813268422007-06-21T09:57:00.000-04:002007-06-21T09:58:17.119-04:00

Google through its philanthropic arm Google.org is giving away tens of millions of dollars in grants to research and develop plug-in hybrid technologies for cars. This includes a Google test fleet of Toyota Prius and Ford Escape Hybrids which have been modified with larger battery packs and plugs so that they can be plugged into electrical outlets.As most people drive no more than 35 miles on a

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-35613735305836596422007-06-18T08:44:00.000-04:002007-06-18T08:45:17.395-04:00

In a mere 100 years we have consumed the equivalent of millions of years' of years’ worth of solar energy captured by ancient microorganisms and plants, and locked up in vast oil, gas and coal reserves which are being rapidly depleted. Inevitably, we must solve our energy problems in ways that are both profitable and environmentally aware."Global Trends in Energy Technology Innovation -An

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-26170390254328871072007-06-14T16:04:00.000-04:002007-06-15T10:57:00.771-04:00

Today the New York Times has a new article on the coal-to-liquids (CTL) subsidies and loan guarantees that are working their way through Congress. The more I look at this issue the more I see that CTL is not about getting the best value out of our energy investments, but rather it is another big industry trying to get as much pork out of the federal treasury as is possible.For just a moment, let

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-71694095971941830522007-06-13T13:19:00.001-04:002007-06-15T10:56:26.156-04:00

Google and Intel have founded the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, which stated goal is to reduce computer energy consumption 50% by 2010. According to the initiative, this would reduce computer caused greenhouse gas emissions by 54 million tons annually by 2010. If successful, this is the equivalent of removing 11 million cars from the road or shutting down twenty 500 megawatt coal fired

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-72501277449026056032007-06-07T08:22:00.000-04:002007-06-15T10:56:06.092-04:00

As a result of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule changes to the enforcement of the Clean Water Act, it now only automatically applies to permanent navigable waters and the wetlands attached to these waters. Intermittent and non-navigable waters and their wetlands may or may not be protected depending upon other criteria including whether or not they are attached to navigable waterways.

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-29502246798507859742007-06-04T08:30:00.000-04:002007-06-15T09:55:03.255-04:00

Bills in Congress to provide tens of billions of dollars in subsidies tax credits and loan guarantees for coal to liquids production (see my last blog entry) got me wondering just how much money the United States spends each year on energy research and development. Fortunately, my curiosity was easily satisfied as the International Energy Agency (IEA) tracks such things and makes their data

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-51434052856948501352007-05-31T08:16:00.000-04:002007-06-14T19:49:21.685-04:00

Key congressional lawmakers with the support of intense lobbying by the coal industry are pushing legislation through both the House of Representatives and the Senate that could potentially provide tens of billions of dollars in subsidies, low interest loans and tax breaks to the coal industry to produce diesel fuel, jet fuel and fuel oil from coal. According to the International Herald Tribune,

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-70803422941482491432007-05-28T08:43:00.000-04:002007-06-14T19:48:03.573-04:00

As I detox from two weeks of intensely following the Floyd Landis hearings and shift my reporting back to my normal topics, I want to know why the mainstream media outlets can not do good science reporting? This question is not new to me, but the coverage of the Floyd Landis hearings did really highlight how little the traditional media cares about science. If there was ever a story that needed

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-69451323468303988332007-05-24T08:31:00.000-04:002007-06-14T19:45:49.435-04:00

Chain of Custody (COC) is a paper trail that describes events from a beginning point to an end point. As a hazardous waste chemist, I used a manifest to document the passage of the waste from “the cradle to grave”, which means from the point that the waste was generated to the time that it was properly disposed of and a “certificate of destruction” was issued. When cleaning up the hazardous

Robertahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00139946521278729742noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-59515268164056889392007-05-22T08:17:00.000-04:002007-06-14T19:42:04.170-04:00

After my blog a couple weeks ago about who is funding climate change experts, I'm sure this title leads one to anticipate another look into the issue of corporate funded research, but alas, this week I'm looking at your tax dollars at work (whether you are in the U.S., Canada, France Germany, etc.). For the past week my routine of scouring the Internet, reading articles and papers on

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1585369705919960412007-05-18T08:58:00.000-04:002007-06-14T19:29:47.964-04:00

Yesterday (May 17, 2007) Microsoft and the Clinton Foundation announced a partnership with the C40 Large Cities Climate Leadership Group, a consortium of 40 of the world's largest cities committed to fighting global warming, whereby Microsoft will develop tools to enable cities to accurately monitor, compare and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.According to the Clinton Foundation website, "

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-23753235510778085112007-05-16T08:42:00.000-04:002007-06-14T19:28:32.117-04:00

Rupert Murdoch, the media mogul at the helm of News Corporation, whose conservative leaning newspapers and Fox News channel have long sided with climate change skeptics, has announced that he and News Corp. are going carbon neutral by 2010. In addition, Murdoch plans to use his media empire to encourage readers and viewers to do the same. Australia's The Age quoted Rupert Murdoch as saying last

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-12520260722371600402007-05-14T08:25:00.002-04:002009-10-08T08:00:12.243-04:00

Recently a friend told me that drinking milk greatly increased one's risk of getting cancer and was insistent that drinking milk was it was a very serious health risk. I should note that my friend is a vegan (a vegetarian that eats NO animal products whatsoever - not even honey) and I am a practicing omnivore (one who eats both plants and animals) like most people. As one could guess, we had a

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-70467004509064946802007-05-11T09:45:00.000-04:002007-05-11T09:54:25.877-04:00

What will be done with the debris of the information age? The European Union (EU) member states are taking action and holding manufacturers responsible for the hazardous materials in their products. While these regulations are focused on electronic goods sold in the EU, they will also impact goods sold here in the U.S. and rest of the world as in many instances it is easier and cheaper to

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-82589526645748822802007-05-09T14:08:00.000-04:002007-06-14T19:21:58.340-04:00

I have a habit of relating the essay "No man is an Island" by John Donne (1572 - 1631) to nature and man's interaction with nature. In the final exam I give to my environmental science students, I often make his essay the subject of one of the exam's questions. This year I edited poor John's essay to replace "man" with "species", "me" with "us", "mankind" with "nature", etc. (square brackets in

Robertahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00139946521278729742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-32750661318293423862007-05-07T09:31:00.000-04:002007-06-14T19:20:48.402-04:00

It is often said that to find someone's true agenda or motivations all one needs to do is follow the money. So, the question is where does the money trail lead when it comes to the skeptics of climate change? This was a question I asked as the result of a discussion I was having with some others on the topic of climate change. The answer is a disturbing page from the tobacco industry's playbook

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-90876226083663558752007-05-05T00:11:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:32:42.174-04:00

Near the end of last year we partnered with CareerBuilder to bring our readers free career listings for environmental, chemistry and hazardous materials related careers. This partnership has been very well received by our readers and those I have personally talked to have absolutely loved our career listings pages.What people may not realize is that each of the career listings pages on

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-82508439946610152282007-05-02T18:50:00.000-04:002007-06-14T19:16:55.417-04:00

Apple can be secretive to an extreme and when Greenpeace questioned major electronics companies about their environmental initiatives, Apple's secretiveness included what measures they are taking and have taken to remove hazardous chemicals from their manufacturing processes and products. It was a classic "we don't need to tell you" attitude. While the other companies were tripping over each

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-68667622575643979862007-04-26T13:54:00.000-04:002007-06-14T18:53:41.530-04:00

When we think of China and the environment, we often think of choking haze, belching smokestacks and mountains of coal. Yes, China's environmental record leaves a great deal to desired. Last year EnvironmentalChemistry.com even reported about China's lack of environmental controls resulting in toxins making it into European and American food supplies via Norwegian farm raised salmon. Even the

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-57674181644131170292007-04-24T15:15:00.000-04:002007-06-14T18:52:56.222-04:00

Today we published the third article in our four part series on prairie dogs. This article, which covers various control measures that are fatal to prairie dogs is the second half of our look at various types of prairie dog control measures. The forth article in this series will be published in May and will look at the issue of prairie dogs being a keystone species and if prairie dog over

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-68347387720584115252007-04-22T12:46:00.001-04:002007-06-14T18:52:21.593-04:00

Today, Earth Day, like Saint Patrick's Day is when everyone is "green" for a day. Being green for a day might be just fine on Saint Patrick's Day for those of us who are not Irish, but being environmentally "green" only on Earth Day is shallow and shortsighted. If for no other reason than one's own economic self-interest, one should at least be "light green" every day of the year. There are

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-29594057164150503842007-04-20T13:11:00.000-04:002007-06-14T18:51:43.815-04:00

Never to be ones that let any "holiday" pass without special programing, TV networks are piling on the special programing for Earth Day on Sunday April 22nd. Some notable mentions are (verify with your local listings):PBS (Public TV)NOVA: Saved by the Sun Tuesday April 24th at 8 p.m. ET/PTThis program provides an introduction into solar energy investigating the efficiency and practicality of

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-54942846201238818552007-04-19T09:07:00.000-04:002007-06-14T18:50:46.219-04:00

To celebrate Earth Day and kick off their new "ECO Options" program, Home Depot has announced that they will be giving away 1,000,000 free n:vision compact florescent lights (CFLs) while supplies last at all of their Home Depot locations in the contiguous 48 states on Sunday April 22, 2007. For more details, please see Home Depot's "ECO Options" webpage.What better way to see how much you can

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-28781478003866055802007-04-18T23:22:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:29:40.973-04:00

At first glance, compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) seem like they might be too expensive to justify their energy savings, and bad fluorescent lights in offices and schools have turned many of us off to them. Just over a month ago, however, I thought I'd give them a try when I needed to replace the 150 watt bulb in my primary floor lamp. I was very pleasantly surprised by the performance of CFLs

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-3911354738952191702007-04-18T09:41:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:29:09.303-04:00

As part of the expansion of our partnership with CareerBuilder, we have added India to our list of countries that we provide career listings for. The list of countries we currently provide job listings for includes: Canada, India, United Kingdom, and of course United States.If you are looking for a career that doesn't fall into one of our predefined listings, you can use our careers search box

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-19255681820449335342007-04-17T13:31:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:28:40.276-04:00

Over the past few weeks I have been working with some freelance writers to formulate my publishing schedule for EnvironmentalChemistry.com over the next few months. If things go as planned (like that ever happens) we are hoping to publish articles more frequently than we have in the past.This week we will be publishing the third article in our four series on prairie dogs. This article is in its

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-62923763339494000642007-04-13T13:41:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:28:22.457-04:00

It was a tough battle, but in the end, resistance was futile and this blog was fully assimilated into our main site. I even moved the blog from the domain name EnvironmentalChemistry.blogspot.com to blog.EnvironmentalChemistry.com to further strengthen the tie between the this blog and our main site. Figuring out how to code a template using the new Blogger template tools did prove to be a

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-51129583182504391102007-04-08T14:09:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:27:58.518-04:00

It has taken several days of work, but I have just about completed updating the layout of my blog and am now down to final details, like fixing the RSS feed. Once these last details are taken care of, I will update the top menu to link the main site and this blog together as well as begin to link all of the articles to their relevant blog post.

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-88309441700047296382007-04-05T00:30:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:27:33.551-04:00

After over a year of toying with this blog, but not really doing anything with it, I've decided it is time to bring it up to the standards of my main site starting with implementing my main site's template here. I'm sure there will be a few bugs and glitches for a few days while I work out the kinks, but once this has been completed, I will be able to fully integrate this blog into the rest of

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-91347888171832866942007-04-04T19:19:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:26:53.961-04:00

This week I published the second article in our series on prairie dogs. Originally we were planning to cover lethal and non-lethal control techniques in one article but as the article was being researched and written it became obvious that prairie dog control techniques was too big of a topic to cover in one article. As such the decision was made to break it into two parts with non-lethal (and

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-3899424355770270522007-03-21T21:22:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:26:09.674-04:00

In the Midwest of the United States 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.This article is the first in a series of articles that we will publish on EnvironmentalChemistry.com on the subject of Prairie dogs over the coming month or so. On a personal note, if you have

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-18088049711102278862007-03-21T21:19:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:25:46.105-04:00

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. Read full article: Plastics - From Recycling Bin to New Product

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-5875100525185713852007-01-04T22:30:00.000-05:002007-05-10T09:25:21.090-04:00

Due to the practice of adding fluoride to municipal water supplies many infants who are fed powdered or reconstituted baby formula are getting too much fluoride in their diet, which may lead to health problems. Among other recommendations parents or caregivers who are on municipal water supplies that are or may be fluoridated should consider using bottle water to reconstitute baby formula.

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1165599567087324232006-12-08T12:31:00.000-05:002007-05-10T09:24:17.916-04:00

Why is carbon dioxide, a life sustaining, compound considered pollution and how do scientists know that humans are responsible for the increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere and global warming? When does carbon dioxide become a pollutant?There is so much debate surrounding CO2 and global warming and a tremendous amount of misinformation or basic misunderstanding of the issue and what the

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1164818462506310952006-11-29T11:34:00.000-05:002007-05-10T09:23:52.807-04:00

Adding fluoride to public water systems stirs up a great deal of debate and controversy and much of this controversy is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of what Fluorine and Fluoride are. Another fundamental misunderstanding is that whether something is harmful or helpful all depends upon the quantity consumed/ingested. For instance we have to drink water to survive, but drinking too much

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1157761623294620342006-09-08T19:04:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:23:26.522-04:00

As any long time Firefox user knows, Firefox has never handled the "TITLE" attribute that is supposed to be displayed in tooltips correctly and crops messages/notes webmasters place in the TITLE attribute after a limited number of characters.From a web development stance, this is a major issue as the TITLE attribute is supposed to be used to provide additional information about links, images,

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1157483820187703122006-09-05T15:14:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:22:17.171-04:00

President George W Bush believes that hydrogen is the fuel of the future. In 2003 he announced an initiative worth $1.2 billion over a period of five years to fund research into the use of hydrogen fuel cells. The EU and Member States agree and are estimated to have supported activities in this field to the tune of 600 million euros for the 2002-2006 period.The biggest driving force (no pun

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1157483477365648452006-09-05T15:04:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:21:56.444-04:00

A few weeks ago I came across a great chemistry forum with some really knowledgeable members who were able to dig up some really arcane information related to an element of the periodic table that I was researching. If you are looking for a place to discuss all things chemistry related go to: http://www.chemicalforums.com

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1157483040678749542006-09-05T15:00:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:21:28.451-04:00

Well, it seems I'm getting even further behind in my blogging. This time around it was because of a little glitch caused by Google updating Blogger. Everytime I tried to log in I was getting rerouted to Blogger Beta instead of the old Blogger and couldn't access my blog. Obviously I have finally accessed my account and will try to get caught up on posts that I need to make.

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1156219281223488172006-08-21T23:41:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:20:26.899-04:00

Wow, nothing like getting behind in blogging, but almost two weeks ago I published an article on junk science, but was so busy working on my site main, that I forgot to comment on the article here.Anyways, reading articles on the Internet and talking to people about various issues in forums and real life made me realize how many people really do not understand how to critically evaluate

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1154652239616304862006-08-03T20:09:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:20:00.750-04:00

It was delayed by my Google disaster on July 27th, however; I have completed one of my periodic updates to my Periodic Table of Elements. Every time I do one of these updates I wonder what I was thinking to put a periodic table on my site to begin with back in 1995. Updating and validating existing data on my periodic table takes a tremendous amount of work and over the years I've built up quite

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1154403536001001492006-07-31T22:46:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:19:19.946-04:00

On June 27th web publishers across the web woke up to discover their websites suddenly getting buried deep in Google's SERPs. Like so many others I was like come on, it?s the same old Google Dance vs. SEO (search engine optimization) arms race. SEO spammers try to game Google to get their lame MFA (made for AdSense) websites into top search pages for high advertising value search terms. Then

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1153408508466572682006-07-20T11:05:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:18:45.901-04:00

It is starting to look like I won't be able to publish a new article in July. I had what was potentially a really good article lined up, but the process of peer review and reference source validation is delaying the article and is threatening to sink it all together.This is one of the challenges with producing good science related content. It isn't enough to just publish a good sounding article

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1151675301067439212006-06-30T09:38:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:18:06.542-04:00

New Orleans communities were destroyed and lives uprooted as water came cascading onto the Bayou. Did the damage have to be so devastating? Some experts say no.Some experts are saying that the draining of the Louisiana Bayou to aid the oil industry and the extraction of oil increased subsidence in the Mississippi Delta and increased the damage caused by hurricane Katrina.Read full article

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1150314437480621622006-06-14T15:45:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:16:31.389-04:00

Each year consumers paint their lawns with various fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. These chemicals can be deadly and it is important to use them correctly.This article reminds consumers of important safety tips in regards to the safe handling, usage and storage of lawn chemicals.

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1149952329016070242006-06-10T11:00:00.001-04:002007-05-10T09:16:03.666-04:00

Any American who uses the Internet or makes a living from the Internet needs to lobby the U.S. Congress to support "Network Neutrality" and ensure that the public can view the smallest blog just as easily as the largest corporate Web site by preventing Internet companies like AT&T from rigging the playing field for only the highest-paying sites.Internet providers like AT&T, Verizon, Time Warner

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1149216504371850342006-06-01T22:34:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:15:20.741-04:00

Well the article I published on the Russian ban on Norwegian salmon on EnvironmentalChemistry.com on Wed, May 31st and by Thurs, June 1st somebody had already stolen my article and copied it to their site. The sheer audacity of the way people steal content like this really pops my cork.Look people if you want good content for your site, do what I do pay people an honest rate to write articles for

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1149182785662073532006-06-01T13:17:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:14:30.628-04:00

As an experiment, I am now linking select articles on EnvironmentalChemistry.com to their respective blog postings here. For a long time I have been interested in giving readers of EnvironmentalChemistry.com the ability to provide feedback on various articles I publish, but have been concerned that such comments would quickly degrade to the lowest common denominator of trolling and rude posts as

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1149083791490643682006-05-31T09:53:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:13:51.390-04:00

The quality of Norwegian farmed salmon has recently come into question with the Russian ban, illegal nitrate use, and a building body of evidence that consumers should limit their consumption.This article was a serious coup for EnvironmentalChemistry.com as its writer was actually a senior scientist in seafood safety for the Norwegian government at the National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1148963179193252192006-05-29T17:20:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:13:29.854-04:00

Out of the "truth is stranger than fiction" department comes the most unbelievable ads I have seen in a very long time. The "Competitive Enterprise Institute" or CEI has created an ad campaign that attempts to dismiss the scientific community's warnings about global warming and the greenhouse gas CO2. See http://streams.cei.org/ it would be good for a real laugh as a Saturday Night Live skit.

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1148569000480239702006-05-25T10:42:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:12:07.829-04:00

Recently my recruiting of new writers (http://environmentalchemistry.com/writerswanted.html) was picked up by several freelance writing web sites including WritersMarket.com. Writers Market is most known for their book "Writers Market", which is the bible of freelance writing. As a result of these sites listing my search for quality writers, I have been receiving lots of inquires from highly

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1147407271752931032006-05-12T00:04:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:11:40.837-04:00

Perc has been shown to be a potential human carcinogen and to have other human health risks, yet 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. Are there Realistic Dry-Cleaning Alternatives to Perc?

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1145479540396345522006-04-19T16:39:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:10:51.397-04:00

I came across an interesting blog today that focuses on safety and exposure related issues. The blog is http://legis.com/exposureblog/. There is plenty of very interesting stuff on the blog and it would be good reading for any safety or environmental professional. I should add that not only is this blog very informative, but it has a very humorous writing style which helps make the blog so very

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1145477908619701802006-04-19T16:08:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:10:29.203-04:00

Just like anything else, the recycled paper you buy may not always be what it seems. There is a lot of marketing hype out there that tries to blur the lines between different types of paper and what recycled paper is to try and make some papers look "greener" than they really are. This article is intended to help arm the consumer with knowledge so that they can become a more informed consumer.

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1143079185843967582006-03-22T20:57:00.000-05:002007-05-10T09:10:03.880-04:00

Teflon® is in household products we use every day, from the coatings on our non-stick pots and pans to the stain resistant coating on the clothes we wear, but evidence is coming to light that this miracle chemical is not as safe as DuPont has lead us to believe. Court records and internal documents have shown that DuPont® has been covering up the true dangers of Teflon for decades.

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1141753531614808082006-03-07T12:41:00.000-05:002007-05-10T09:09:43.453-04:00

Putting on your fresh, dry-cleaned clothes, have you ever noticed that sweet odor? It is not enough to bother many people, and after a few minutes as you rush off to work you likely will forget about it, but it's not something that should be forgotten: it is a toxic chemical called "percholorethylene" or "perc" for short, and you are wearing it next to one of your body's most sensitive organs:

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1141315737170680652006-03-02T10:59:00.000-05:002007-05-10T09:08:46.854-04:00

This is well off the topic of environmental chemistry, but I feel like mentioning it anyways. A lot of my success at being able to make my site http://EnvironmentalChemistry.com commercially viable has to be attributed to what I have learned from a man named Chris Beasley who is a real genius when it comes to web publishing. I've known him for a couple of years now through a forum we both

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1141106910919379692006-02-28T01:05:00.000-05:002007-05-10T09:07:55.356-04:00

In the news, we hear about air pollution and its effect on a global scale. With our growing population becoming ever the more reliant on automobiles, chemicals, and other potentially hazardous substances, air pollutants can cause major health problems to your health. Some obvious causes of air pollution would be your car, but there are many not so obvious products that you may use everyday that

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22971475.post-1140814410954942312006-02-24T15:52:00.000-05:002007-05-10T09:07:29.973-04:00

Emissions from outdoor wood burning stoves drift across property lines raising health concerns for neighbors who inadvertently breathe the smoke filled air. The Heat facing Outdoor Wood Furnaces and Boilers

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07434682840236999820noreply@blogger.com26