Visit CleanGredients® at Interclean®
The ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America 2008 trade show is right around the corner, and we are busily preparing. This year, the show will be held 08-11 September at the Las Vegas Convention Center. CleanGredients will be located in booth number 4075, immediately adjacent to EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE) Program. NSF International will also be there, just a stone’s throw away, in booth 4148. We are looking forward to seeing many familiar faces and to meeting many of you in person for the first time. This is a great opportunity to ask questions, provide feedback, and learn more about CleanGredients, so please stop and say hello.
EPA Finalizes the DfE Screen for Solvents
We recently received some great news: DfE has finalized and is ready to release the first phase of the DfE Screen for solvents. Congratulations and thanks to everyone at DfE who has worked so hard for many months to bring this to fruition. The CleanGredients Solvents TAC is meeting again to consider possible modifications to the draft CleanGredients listing criteria for solvents, in light of the EPA’s revised DfE Screen. We will begin listing solvents in CleanGredients as quickly as possible, and we expect to have several listed by ISSA/INTERCLEAN in a few weeks. If your company is interested in listing solvents in CleanGredients or if you have questions about the solvents module, please contact us at info at cleangredients dot org.
GreenBlue® and CleanGredients Welcome Heather Martin
Heather Martin recently joined GreenBlue as our new CleanGredients Project Associate. Heather, who previously conducted prostate cancer research at the University of Virginia, will be contributing to all facets of CleanGredients, including providing general and technical support to subscribers. Please join me in welcoming Heather to CleanGredients.
Additional Modules Development
We continue to develop the CleanGredients fragrances and chelants modules. Our colleagues at DfE have completed a pilot fragrance review, which informs the refinement of the DfE Screen and the review process for fragrances. A Fragrances TAC subcommittee will begin meeting in the fall to guide the development and implementation of the module itself. The full TAC will reconvene on an as-needed basis to address significant topics that arise. In addition, DfE continues to work on a draft DfE Screen for chelating agents and sequestrants. Feel free to contact us with any questions or comments or if you would like to volunteer to sit on a future TAC.
News and Outreach
This week’s issue of Chemical & Engineering News features a cover story on the chemical industry’s sustainability efforts, and the article prominently highlights the work of GreenBlue and CleanGredients. Read the article.
The first issue of Green Chemistry Letters and Reviews, edited by John Warner, was published in March 2007. This is a peer-reviewed journal focused on innovations that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous materials. It will also feature reviews of state-of-the-art green chemistry technologies. You can read the first issue for free and subscribe online.
McMorrow Report.com’s Sustainable Facilities Management Trends and News recently published an article on "Whole Systems Green Cleaning". The article describes green cleaning techniques that can be used throughout the entire life cycle of the building cleaning process. Read the article to hear their perspective that "green cleaning" still has room for improvement.
On 24 July, the EPA published in the Federal Register (73 FR 43314) a proposed rule concerning 19 high production volume (HPV) chemicals. The proposed rule is intended to address unmet data needs by requiring manufacturers, importers, and processors of these chemicals to conduct testing for health and environmental effects and chemical fate. This is the second TSCA Section 4 HPV rule proposed since the initiation of the HPV Challenge Program. Read the proposed rule and submit comments through the Federal eRulemaking Portal. The comment period ends on 22 October 2008.
On 14 July, the Los Angeles Times published an editorial on California’s effort to create a database of toxic chemicals as one facet of that state’s Green Chemistry Initiative. The Times feels this project is of great importance and should be addressed with haste. Read the article.
Upcoming Events of Interest
- ISSA/INTERCLEAN® North America 2008
Las Vegas, NV
08-11 September 2008 - What's New on the 'Clean Green' Green Scene: Cleaning Products 2008
Alexandria, VA
17-19 November 2008