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Super-Strong, High-Tech Material Found to be Toxic to Aquatic Animals by Researchers at MU and USGS

By Guest PostAugust 27, 2012Scienceaquatic animal, baolin deng, carbon nanotube, chironomus dilutes, chromium, cnts, crustaceans, earth, Environment, epa, flies larvae, hao li, hyalella azteca, joseph mwangi, lumbriculus variegatus, mass production, metal, mussels, nickel, pure carbon, strongest material, tennis racket, toxic, united states, university of missouri, villosa iris, waste management, worms

Carbon nanotubes hold promise for industry but need monitoring, say researchers

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are some of the strongest materials on Earth and are used to strengthen composite materials, such as those used in high-performance tennis rackets. CNTs have potential uses in everything from medicine to electronics to construction. However, CNTs are not without risks. A joint study by the University of Missouri and United States Geological Survey found that they can be toxic to aquatic animals. The researchers urge that care be taken to prevent the release of CNTs into the environment as the materials enter mass production.

“The great promise of carbon nanotubes must be balanced with caution and preparation,” said Baolin Deng, professor and chair of chemical engineering at the University of Missouri. “We don’t know enough about their effects on the environment and human health. The EPA and other regulatory groups need more studies like ours to provide information on the safety of CNTs.” (more…)

First Independent Review of Provincial-Level Environmental Data in China

By Guest PostDecember 28, 2011Environmentair quality, air quality data, angel hsu, Beijing, biodiversity conservation, China, chinese government, chinese policymakers, chinese provinces, city university of hong kong, climate change, columbia university, davos, douglas kysar, energy efficiency, environmental data, environmental management, environmental performance, environmental performance index, epi, fine particulate matter, greenhouse gas emissions, hazardous air quality, marc levy, methodologies for statistics, pm 2.5, provincial level, second largest economy, toxic metals, toxics exposure, waste management, water quality, world economic forum, yale university

A team of researchers jointly led by Yale University and Columbia University has released a report that introduces a framework for assessing China’s environmental management and performance. This analysis offers the first independent review of Chinese provincial-level environmental performance by international researchers.

The report, “Towards a China Environmental Performance Index,” introduces a model framework for environmental performance indicators to assist the Chinese government in tracking progress toward policy goals, as well as recommendations for how the Chinese government can apply more aggressive performance metrics to environmental decision-making. (more…)

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Super-Strong, High-Tech Material Found to be Toxic to Aquatic Animals by Researchers at MU and USGS

First Independent Review of Provincial-Level Environmental Data in China