Why do some people get the flu even though they got a flu shot? A research study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicates that exposure to common environmental toxins may be reducing the effectiveness of some vaccinations and potentially damaging immune systems. Deborah Kotz reports for The Boston Globe: The researchers [...]
New Process for Recycling Diapers
January 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment
TerraCycle, a New Jersey-based company that recovers useful materials from used chewing gum and cigarette butts, plans to launch its disposable diaper recycling program in September. Chrissy Kadleck of Waste & Recycling News reports that the company’s recycling process would yield “material suitable for plastic lumber, pallets and outdoor furniture.” In 2009, more than 3.8 [...]
Fall River Prepares for Biotech Park
January 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Fall River, Massachusetts, is nestled about 45 miles south of Boston and next to Rhode Island. With a history of being a textile center, Fall River is also known for Portuguese cuisine. But Fall River is taking steps to court biotech and medical device manufacturing companies to get them into a new biotechnology park with [...]
Kaiser Permanente, P&G Cut Out PVC
January 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment
PlasticsToday reports that a health care giant and a well-known household and personal care products company that will no longer use polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in their products. Why? The companies are trying to be more environmentally friendly and also trying to eliminate potential health risks associated with PVC. Doug Smock reports that Kaiser Permanente, a [...]
PFCs in Office Air Enter the Blood
January 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Polyfluorinated compounds (PFCs) have been found in air, water, animals, and humans around the globe. PFC compounds and their metabolites may have adverse health effects. Diet is considered to be the main human exposure pathway, but the link between concentrations in air and blood serum had not been studied before. A new study of office [...]
Organ Printing Could Be a Boon for Plastics
January 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment
On November 17, 2011, surgeons at a hospital in Sweden performed the second successful transplant of an artificial organ into a human patient. Christopher Lyles, a 30 year-old U.S. citizen cancer patient, received a synthetic trachea. It was grown in a laboratory from his own stem cells so there was no rejection and he doesn’t [...]
Using Ionic Polymers to Make Safer Explosives
January 23, 2012 By 1 Comment
Texas Tech University chemist Louisa Hope-Weeks and her research group wanted to make an optically active explosive material. Such a material could be used, for example, by a bomb squad to blow up a car that they suspect contains a terrorist device. The squad could remotely put the explosive under the car and then activate [...]
Strengthening Polymer Composites With Magnetic Particles
January 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Scientists in Switzerland have used extremely low magnetic fields to align particles within composite polymers, thus reinforcing the structure in three dimensions. Though these materials probably won’t ever be used to hold up buildings, the researchers’ tests demonstrate that they are stronger and more resistant to wear than plain polymers so they could find use [...]
Spectrometer in Pharmacy Battles Counterfeit Drugs and Dispensing Errors
January 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment
To fill a pill prescription at a pharmacy generally requires two people: a technician and a pharmacist. The technician gets the bottle with the prescribed dosage of a medication off the shelf, counts out the pills, and leaves the bottle and the pills for the pharmacist, who performs a supervisory check and verifies that the [...]
Polymer Material Could Revolutionize Pharmaceutical Testing
January 18, 2012 By 1 Comment
A team of scientists in Australia have created a novel porous polymer material for blood tests that could advance pharmaceutical testing and other areas. Michelle Paine reports for The Mercury in Tasmania: University of Tasmania Professor Emily Hilder’s MilliSpot paper means a spot of blood can be used in place of vials of blood to [...]
