Chemrisk.Com Area of Expertise

Sustainable business practices and life cycle analysis have been the most significant new emerging areas in the environmental arena over the past ten years. Although still evolving, sustainability has drawn the attention of virtually every large company in the world, and will soon be formalized in various regulatory initiatives, both in the United States and elsewhere.

Over the years, our team has tackled many aspects of sustainability and the science to support it. Sustainability can mean different things to different organizations, but sustainable products are designed so that they can remain safely on the market for their entire lifespan. We have helped many clients evaluate environmental, toxicological, and safety and health risk issues associated with product life cycle. In addition, we have more than a decade of experience assisting firms in identifying proper techniques for disposing of various waste products. More recently, we have conducted evaluations of facilities to identify activities that would yield the greatest reduction of energy consumption and material use and waste.

Our experience with sustainability issues includes:

overseeing a 5-year research program designed to assess the human and ecological risks associated with tire wear particles;
evaluating the environmental impacts caused by the use of steel slag in roadbeds; and
assessing potential risks associated with the use of nanoparticles in consumer products.

ChemRisk^® routinely teams with Synergetics, Inc., an Australian-based environmental engineering firm. Because Australia has been actively involved in sustainable development and carbon foot printing for a decade or more, Synergetics has a wealth of experience that is readily transferable to the United States and Europe. Both ChemRisk^® and Synergetics have assembled guidance documents, and both monitor the evolving regulatory guidelines in order to provide a foundation for preparing comprehensive sustainable development programs for both domestic and multi-national firms.

ChemRisk^® Publications

Madl, A.K., Pinkerton, K.E. (2009). Health effects of inhaled engineered and incidental nanoparticles. Crit Rev Tox 39: 629-658.

Aylward, L., S. Hays, and B.L. Finley. 2002. Temporal trends in intake of dioxins from foods in the U.S. and Western Europe: Issues with intake estimates and parallel trends in human body burden. Organohalogen Compounds. 55:235-8.

Finley, B.L. and K.T. Connor. 2003. Naturally occurring Ah-receptor agonists in foods: Implications regarding dietary dioxin exposure and health risk. Human Ecol Risk Assess. 9:1747-63.

Finley, B.L., D.R. Ownby, and S.M. Hays. 2003. Airborne tire particulates in the environment: A possible asthma risk from latex proteins? Human Ecol Risk Assess. 9:1505-1518.

Fries, G.F., D.J. Paustenbach, and W.J. Luksemburg. 2002. Complete mass balance of dietary polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in dairy cattle and characterization of the apparent synthesis of hepta- and octachlorodioxins. J Agric Food Chem. 50(15):4226-31.

Gaffney SH, KM Unice, MH Le, and ML Kreider. Formaldehyde emissions from wood products and concerns about the cancer hazard: Compliance with California’s Proposition 65 and Airborne Toxic Control Measure. Abstract #904. International Society for Environmental Epidemiology & International Society of Exposure Analysis 2008 Joint Annual Conference, Exposure and Health in a Global Environment, October 12–16, 2008. Pasadena, CA.

Haws, L.C., M.A. Harris, L.L.F. Scott, E.S. Williams, and D.J. Paustenbach.2008. Assessment of the Potential Human Health Risks Posed by Benzene in a Commercial Beverage. Journal of Food Science.73(4):T33-41.

Hays, S.M., C. Cushing, H.W. Leung, D. Pyatt, K. Holicky, and D.J. Paustenbach. 2003. Exposure of infants and children in the U.S. to the flame retardant decabromodiphenyl oxide (DBDPO). J Children’s Health. 1(4):449-75.

Kreider M.L., McAtee B., Sweet L., Panko J., Finley B. 2008. Physical and Chemical Characterization of Tire-Related Particles: Comparison of Particles Generated Using Different Methodologies (On-Road Collection, Laboratory Collection, and Cyrogenic Breading of Tread Rubber). Presented at the Fall 174th Technical Meeting of the Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society, Inc., Louisville, KY. October 15, 2008

McAtee B., Kreider M.L., Panko J., Sweet L., Finley B. 2008. Evaluation of Chemical Leaching Potential from Roadway Particles. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry North America 29th Annual Meeting, Tampa, FL. November 18, 2008.

Panko J., Kreider M.L., McAtee B., Sweet L., Finley B. 2008. Methods for Collecting Tire Wear Particles under Realistic Driving Conditions – Implications for Future Research Regarding Environmental Impacts. Presented at the Fall 174th Technical Meeting of the Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society, Inc., Louisville, KY. October 15, 2008

Panko J.M., K.M. Unice and J.L. Brown. 2005. Comparison of Toluene Exposures during Spray Painting Using Various Exposure Models. Poster at the 15th Annual Conference of the International Society of Exposure Analysis in Tucson, AZ. October 30th to November 3rd, 2005

Proctor D.M, E.C. Shay, K.A. Fehling and B.L. Finley. 2002. Assessment of human health and ecological risks posed by the uses of steel-industry slags in the environment. Human Ecol. Risk Assess. 8(4):681-711.

Sahmel J, Scott P, Unice K, Paustenbach D. Potential Occupational Exposures of Hairdressers to Vinyl Chloride in Hairspray (1962-1973). International Society for Environmental Epidemiology & International Society of Exposure Analysis 2008 Joint Annual Conference, Exposure and Health in a Global Environment, October 12–16, 2008. Pasadena, CA

Scott, L.L.F., D.F. Staskal, E.S. Williams, W.J. Luksemburg, J.D. Urban, L.M. Nguyen, L.C. Haws, L.S. Birnbaum, D.J. Paustenbach, and M.A. Harris. 2008. Levels of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins, Dibenzofurans, and Biphenyls in Southern Mississippi Catfish and Estimation of Potential Health Risks. Chemosphere. Advance online publication December 23, 2008: doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2008.09.090.

Shay, E.C., K.M. Unice, and D.J. Paustenbach. Estimation of inhalation exposures to the OFF!® Mosquito Coil III following indoor use. 15th Annual International Society of Exposure Analysis Conference. October 30-November 3, 2005. #T-24p. Tucson, AZ.

Staskal, D.F., L.L.F. Scott, L.C. Haws, W.J. Luksemburg, L.S. Birnbaum, J.D. Urban, E.S. Williams, D.J. Paustenbach, and M.A. Harris. 2008. Assessment of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether Exposures and Health Risks Associated with Consumption of Southern Mississippi Catfish. Environ Sci Tech. 42(17):6755-6761.

Sweet L., McAtee B., Kreider M.L., Ogle S., Finely B., Panko J. 2008. Evaluating the Aquatic Toxicity of Tire Wear Particles to Algae, Daphnids, and Fish. Presented at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry North America 29th Annual Meeting, Tampa, FL. November 18, 2008.

Williams, P.R.D., J.S. Knutsen, C. Atkinson, A.K. Madl, and D.J. Paustenbach. 2007. Airborne concentrations of benzene associated with the historical use of some formulations of liquid wrench. J Occup Env Hyg. 4:547-561.

For Additional information, please contact Dallas Cowan at dcowan@chemrisk.com; (303) 417-1046 x 1004