Other Environmental Concerns

Polyvinyl alcohol is a synthetic poiymer manufactured hy Air Products, ChrisCraft, Nippon Gohsei, and italway, among others. It is biodegradable once it is dissolved in water. A major limitation to its use is that it is generally not melt processable unless modified. It is also relatively high in cost. 

Polyoxyethylene is another water-soluble plastic that has been known for a number of years but has seen little use. There are conflicting reports about its biodegradability. Mitsubishi is the major supplier. 

As an eerie grayish cloud settled over Los Angeles and surrounding communities last week, residents were advised not to exercise and to stay at home. Motorists were asked to stay off the highways, and polluting industries were told to reduce their emissions (HoUie 1978). 

Could the United States meet the Kyoto targets  

These everyday pollutants include carbon monoxide (CO), nitrous oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, and ozone. Like CO2, these emissions are measured in terms of parts per million. 

Carbon monoxide, often referred to as the silent, deadly killer, is a colorless, odorless gas. The CO is the byproduct of the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels. When people are exposed to high concentrations of the gas, they suffer from decreased oxygen in the blood due to CO out-competing oxygen for hemoglobin. This causes side effects such as visual impairment, dizziness, and headaches. The American Red Cross (ARC) (2004) reports that several thousand people in the United States each year go to the hospital with CO poisoning. At very high levels it can result in death. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports 

Volatile organic compounds (VOQ consist of hydrocarbon emissions, most of which occur naturally. However, some VOC emissions are a result of the evaporation of hydrocarbons such as gasoline. VOCs react with sunlight, in much the same fashion as nitrous oxides (NO ), to create ground-level ozone (EPA 1995). 

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The ozone issue, as well as the possibly related issue of global warming and other environmental concerns, is often replete with invectives due to a lack of understanding of both the science and the pohtical arguments involved. 

Poppy cultivation and opium processing also have consequences for the environment. Waste from morphine extraction can cause environmental damage when dumped by processors. In addition to water pollution from this chemical dumping, other environmental concerns include the deforestation that may occur when clearing land for poppy cultivation, soil erosion, and dangers to wildlife in the area where these chemicals are dumped. 

The term environment in sterile product manufacture means more than air quality and surface cleanliness. Other environmental concerns include water systems, compressed air and gas systems, temperature and humidity control, and the monitoring of personnel. 

We will first discuss solid waste-related environmental concerns, including recycling, and then turn briefly to other environmental concerns with impacts on plastics packaging. 

One example of feedstock replacement that has been applied commercially is the work of Stem and co-workers (19-21) at the Monsanto Corporation in the synthesis of a variety of aromatic amines. By using nucleophilic aromatic substitution for hydrogen. Stem was able to obviate the need for the use of a chlorinated aromatic in the synthetic pathway. Certain chlorinated aromatics are known to be persistent bioaccumulators and to possess other environmental concerns this research in feedstock replacement resulted in the removal of that concern. 

Biological systems are fragile and complex. They reqnire a very controlled environment both for handling and culture conditions. As this type of research is multidisciplinary, cooperation between groups is recommended. Adhesion properties of specific cells, special electrolyte reqnirements, temperature, humidity, and other environmental concerns important in the design of the SECM experiments are better addressed by specialists. 

Selecting appropriate substitutes for an industry that has developed over 50 years is no trivial task. Many factors must be considered and thoroughly evaluated. Foremost is environmental acceptability for the ozone and other environmental concerns such as global warming and acid rain, but economic factors are important as well. There is an estimated 135 billion worth of equipment in the U.S. which depends on CFCs, with an expected lifetime of 20-40 years. Therefore, it is very important that the physical properties of the alternatives closely match those of the CFCs they are replacing. 

The High-Density Packaging User Group (HD-PUG) is a nonprofit organization of users and suppliers in the telecommunications and computer industries. HD-PUG includes members from North America, Europe, and Japan. The group, which endorsed NEMI s recommended alloy, is involved in lead-free issues among other environmental concerns such as halogen-free electronic materials. 

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