Month: March 2015

The chemical industry lobby is pushing congress to pass new legislation on the regulation of chemicals. The lobby feels the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA) is outdated and leaves too much authority to the states when determining regulation. A new federal bill would help to create a more standard set of rules throughout the country and help to regain the confidence of the public in the safety of common chemicals with more rigorous regulations. The leading Democrat in negotiations, Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico, is pushing for a deal to get done against the wishes of some of his Democratic counterparts. Critics of the bill cite the lack of input from health experts and state governments, with one sticking point being the pace at which the backlog of chemicals in question will be assessed. The current draft requires the start of testing on 10 high-risk chemicals, though the EPA acknowledges there are about 1,000 chemicals used in the United States that might represent health hazards. “It is not the bill I would have written from scratch,” says Richard Denison, a senior scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund and contributor to the drafting of the bill. “But it’s a solid compromise that would be much more protective of public health.”

For more information see NYtimes.

“It’s arguably one of the most important interactions between molecules, because it occurs in water where biology and so much technology happens,” says UW-Madison chemical and biological engineering professor Nicholas Abbott. A group of UW-Madison researchers, including Abbott and UW-Madison chemistry professor Sam Gellman have provided new insights on hydrophobic interactions within complex systems. The researchers have shown how the nearby presence of hydrophilic substances can change the way hydrophobic groups interact with each other. The group was able to measure the strength of interactions between hydrophobic, nonpolar groups with the nearby presence of hydrophilic, polar groups by using an atomic force microscope. They were able to find a correlation between the proximity of the hydrophilic groups and the strength of the interactions in the hydrophobic molecules. These interactions have been theorized and now demonstrated. The findings could have implications in industries where molecules need to perform useful functions in water; including ointments based on emulsions, food products, detergents and more. Due to the complex combinations of hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups in proteins, this research could also have implications in understanding the biological processes involved in protein structure modification.

For more information go to:  http://www.news.wisc.edu/23404

With OPEC estimating output to increase by 400,000 barrels per day this year and non-OPEC supplies likely to rise by twice that, the glut of world oil supply does not look to clear up any time soon. The fact that world oil storage is approaching capacity, rising by 265 million barrels last year, has only increased the likelihood of continued low oil prices. Baker Hughes reported the rig count in America in mid-February fell to its lowest since 2011, and 35% below its peak in October of last year, but many of these rigs were in marginal areas while the main shale-oil basins saw a 9% decline. Add into this the increased productivity of remaining wells and projected flat demand for the first half of this year and there is little reason to believe oil prices will rise based on supply and demand economics. What does this all mean for the chemical industry? Lower oil prices may lead to increased spending in the overall economy, increasing oil importing countries’ GDP, which in turn should help chemical manufacturers and those who depend on chemicals in their manufacturing process. Those in the plastics industry should see an additional benefit of lower cost raw materials. The one industry that may see hard times ahead are those selling into the oil industry. If prices continue to stay low, we may continue to see a reduction in capital devoted to oil exploration and acquisition.