Green Chemistry

Hi everyone! This post has to do with a reading I got from my environmental science class about chemical hazards and human health. The reading can be found here:

http://faculty.rcc.edu/huff/spring%202012/enviromental%20science/blog%20assignments/Regulating_Toxic_Chemicals.pdf

The reading talked about many issues, including, but not limited to: chemicals and the risks, how much we know about them, how stricter regulations can effect manufacturers as well as consumers, and so on. It's amazing just how many chemicals are out there, and how with some, although they may be eaten and pose no threat, can pose a threat when breathing them in, such as with certain chemicals found in butter substitutes. I found it funny that they put chemicals on pillows to keep them flame-retardent, yet those chemicals can mess with your head. This reading also had interesting ideas which I never would have thought of, such as how Terry Collins, a professor of chemistry and director of the Institute for Green Science at Carnegie Mellon University, mentioned, which was that BPA used on compact discs or car parts might not be of as much concern as it would be if it were found on baby toys and bottles. The article may have had too much to offer in my opinion so I will be focusing on one topic, green chemistry.

Green chemistry is the design of chemicals which have a reduced impact on the environment. One example which I learned about in the reading was the use of resins and toners for office copiers and printers made of soy and corn feedstocks. This made the inks easier to remove from the paper, which in turn made it easier to recycle the paper and reuse it. The EPA provides money in the form of grants, as well as awards to companies which are using this new way. I also found it that a dozen or so universities offer these programs, which could make it a new up and coming green career. Big companies such as General Electric are investing tons of money into making their products more green using green chemistry. Senator John Kerry stated that "It's time for Washington to respond by helping to build a whole, new chemistry industry that's on a mission to make American greener." Collins also mentioned that green chemistry would likely exist without all the focus on hazardous products, but would be better utilized if it were to deal with them. I personally think that this is a great idea. I mean there's so much I've learned in my environmental science class that we humans do to impact the environment, and there's so many ways in which we can approach and fix these mistakes, and green chemistry is just one new way I've learned about. I think it's awesome how people are doing this and finding new ways to make things which we need, but find nicer ways of making them so the environment won't be harmed as much.

I decided to look up on green chemistry and found these two websites:

http://www.epa.gov/sciencematters/june2011/principles.htm

http://www.beyondbenign.org/greenchemistry/greenchem.html

The first site provided describes the 12 principles of green chemistry, which include: prevention, meaning the prevention of waste, less hazardous chemical synthesis, designing for energy efficiency, design for degradation, and many more. All twelve steps are provided in the website above. The second deals with a bit more with describing green chemistry, as well as providing its own links on how companies use them and on getting training for green chemistry. The definition which they provide in the first sentence on the site provided is the best I was able to find. It reads "Green Chemistry is a revolutionary philosophy that seeks to unite government, academic and industrial communities by placing more focus on environmental impacts at the earliest stage of innovation". I loved learning about green chemistry because it is an "untapped opportunity for ingenuity" and will definitely benefit in the future of the environment.