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Shine and Color Matter: Paint Tints, Sheens and Human Health

Julie Silas | June 02, 2010 | Materials

There are thousands of paint products on the market today.  For interior paint products, manufacturers offer a variety of sheens: flat, eggshell, gloss, semi-gloss.  And, for each sheen, the product is offered in a whole host of base tint options: neutral, white tint, pastel tint, dark tint, etc.

In Pharos, we started the standard paint...


California Girls’ Body Burden of Dangerous Flame Retardants

Julie Silas | March 12, 2010 | Policies

A study recently released in Environmental Research shows high levels of brominated flame retardants (PBDEs) in 6-8 year-old girls from California. The study authors speculated that "the higher PBDE levels in girls from California may reflect differences in fire regulation and safety codes." Living and working in California, I have had th...


Catholic Healthcare West – A Role Model for Chemicals Policy

Julie Silas | March 04, 2010 | Policies

Catholic Healthcare West's (CHW) recent report, "An Enduring Mission: Social Responsibility Report 2009," shows what innovative leaders can do to move toward a healthier and just society, even in these difficult economic times.

For more than ten years, CHW has been an environmental leader in the health care sector. As one of the larg...


To Paint or Procreate – That is the Question

Julie Silas | February 08, 2010 | Materials

Bisphenol A (BPA) is the notorious chemical that water bottle manufacturers like Nalgene and SIGG have had to phase out because it leaches into liquids. The science is strong that BPA can affect the hormone and reproductive system. Yet, time and again when regulators or legislators try to propose legislation or establish regulations to limit the us...


New Report: High Costs to Health Care from Chemical Exposures

Julie Silas | January 21, 2010 | Policies

Today, the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families www.saferchemicals.org campaign released a new report, "Health Case for Reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act," that shows the high costs to our health care system associated with chemical exposure.

Pharos Project subscribers need to read this report. It provides a sobering realization th...


Cancer in the Kitchen...

Julie Silas | December 07, 2009 | Policies

Until I read "Cancer from the Kitchen," Nicholas Kristof's opinion piece in this Sunday's New York Times, I actually thought I would take an entire weekend for my family, putting work aside for two days. But, Kristof's article was a reminder that there is little that separates my home from my work these days.Kristof posed the "What i...


Did You Know...

Julie Silas | July 08, 2009 | Materials

...that some chemicals used for stain or water repellency in building products last longer than nuclear waste? In fact, as far as can be determined, the most studied of these perfluorinated chemicals, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) - formerly the key chemical in Scotchgard™ - never breaks down in the environment.[1] Perfluorinated compounds...