Dear Editors,
This is coming to you a little earlier than usual, as the E staff is off to the slopes of Killington, Vermont for a few days. Back Tuesday.
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Doug Moss
Publisher & Executive Editor
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***Week of 1/25/04 EARTH TALK installment***:
EARTH TALK
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine
Dear EarthTalk: Can the mercury contained in some seafood harm a developing fetus?
Midge Wilson, Utica, NY
Methyl mercury--emitted by smokestacks and released to the environment from common household products like old thermometers--is a persistent heavy metal that ends up in rivers, lakes and oceans and accumulates in the tissues of fish and animals, including people. “Just one seventieth of a teaspoon of atmospheric mercury can contaminate a 20-acre lake for a year,” says Michael Bender, executive director of the Vermont-based Mercury Policy Project.
According to a 2001 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study, one in 10 American women of childbearing age is at risk for having a baby born with neurological problems due to mercury exposure-- this means at least 375,000 babies a year are at risk.
Most states, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, have issued advisories about eating fish that may have high levels of mercury in their tissues. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that women can safely eat 12 ounces per week of cooked fish. A typical serving size of fish is from three to six ounces. However, the FDA advises pregnant and nursing women, and women of childbearing age who may become pregnant, to not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel or tilefish, which contain high levels of methyl mercury.
In December 2003, the FDA released test results showing that the Albacore “white” canned tuna has three times the mercury levels as the “light” tuna. “FDA's tests confirm earlier findings that white tuna has far more mercury than light,” says Bender. “Yet inexplicitly, the FDA still refuses to warn women and kids to limit canned tuna consumption--like 12 states have already done--even after their food advisory committee recommended this over a year ago.”
CONTACTS: Mercury Policy Project, 1420 North Street, Montpelier, VT 05602, (802) 223-9000, www.mercurypolicy.org; U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville MD 20857-0001, (888) 463-6332, www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/2001/ANS01065.html; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water Science and Technology (4301T), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460, www.epa.gov/ost/fish/, ost.comments@epa.gov.
GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit your question at www.emagazine.com; or e-mail us at earthtalk@emagazine.com.
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EARTH TALK
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine
Dear EarthTalk: What flooring materials reduce indoor air quality problems?
Allen R. Linoski, Royal Oak, MI
The National Audubon Society building in New York City was one of the nation’s first “green” office buildings, and is sustainable right down to flooring material, making it a U.S. Green Building Council favorite. The subflooring is made from 50 percent recycled newsprint, tiles in the elevator foyers are made from 60 percent post-industrial recycled light bulbs, and the carpeting is all natural, undyed, 100 percent wool. The carpet underlayer consists of jute, a plant fiber, and carpets were tacked down, avoiding the use of toxic glue except on the stairs.
The Canadian Wood Council recommends natural wood flooring as your most environmentally sustainable option, and argues that synthetic sheet flooring, such as cushion flooring, is made from non-renewable petroleum resources and cannot be recycled. When purchasing wood flooring look for the Forest Stewardship Council seal, which certifies that the wood was sustainably harvested, and avoid veneers or particle board, which are often held together with formaldehyde, a possible carcinogen.
Other green floorings to consider include ceramic tiles, which are made by firing clay, a plentiful resource, or linoleum, which is made with linseed oil, cork, and wood dust--all renewable resources.
A type of flooring known as vinyl cushion tufted textile (VCTT) is commonly used in commercial buildings, especially schools. It has a soft carpet top and fused vinyl underside. First developed in the 1960s, VCCT and other more environmentally friendly materials for flooring are gaining in popularity as more people are paying attention to indoor air quality. A 2001 report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concludes, “Poor indoor air quality can reduce a person’s ability to perform specific mental tasks requiring concentration, calculation or memory.”
According to the EPA, traditional tile and carpet materials tend to host potentially toxic molds in the cracks or on the undersides. But the seams of VCTT backing are fused to form a mold-blocking barrier. Potentially harmful chemicals in the air are trapped by the VCTT surface until they are removed during cleaning. Installation involves a dry, peel-and-stick adhesive, which limits harmful fumes.
CONTACTS: U.S. Green Building Council, 1015 18th Street, NW, Suite 805, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 828-7422, www.usgbs.org, info@usgbc.org; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Indoor Environments Division, (202) 564-9370, www.epa.gov/iaq.
GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit your question at www.emagazine.com; or e-mail us at earthtalk@emagazine.com.
EarthTalk
Questions and Answers About Our Environment
A Weekly Column
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c/o E/The Environmental Magazine
***A nonprofit publication***
28 Knight Street, Norwalk, CT 06851
PHONE: (203) 854-5559/(X106) - FAX: (203) 866-0602
E-mail: earthtalkcolumn@emagazine.com
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Mail: P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881 U.S.A.
A personal quest to promote the use of wind energy and hydrogen technology in the Great Lakes area of the United States. The Great Lakes area is in a unique position to become an energy exporting region through these and other renewable energy technologies. *Update 2014: Just do it everywhere - Dan*
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