Alkylphenol ethoxylates (APE)
APEs, which include nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) and octylphenol ethoxylates, are surfactants, or “surface active agents” that are key to detergents’ effectiveness. They are added to some laundry detergents,…

Ammonia
Ammonia is a naturally occurring substance often found in household and industrial cleaners. Exposure to high levels of ammonia in air may be irritating to skin, eyes, throat, and…

Bioaccumulation refers to the process of gradual buildup, in an organism, of a substance that is not easily metabolized and eliminated. Toxic chemicals such as dioxins can bioaccumulate in the…

As distinct from biodegradable, biocompatible refers to products that break down not simply into basic elements, but into elements that are actually beneficial or not harmful to the environment.

BPA is a chemical building block that has been used for forty years primarily to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. Polycarbonate plastic is a lightweight, high-performance plastic that possesses…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) designation for existing facilities or sites that have been abandoned or underused because of real or perceived environmental contamination. The EPA sponsors an initiative…

BHA and BHT are both used as antioxidants and preservatives in numerous products, including some foods, food packaging and cosmetics to stabilize flavors and increase shelf lives. They are also…

A carbon footprint is an estimate of how much carbon dioxide an entity (person, family or building) produces and releases into the atmosphere (the EPA has a personal calculator at…