Including Consumer Products Research Articles

Genotoxicity and cytotoxicity of ZnO and Al2O3 nanoparticles

Objectives: Metal oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs and Al2O3-NPs) are used in many fields, including consumer products and biomedical applications. As a result, exposure to these NPs is highly frequent, however, no conclusive information on their potential cytotoxicity and genotoxicity mechanisms are available. For this reason, we studied cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of ZnO-NPs and Al2O3-NPs on human peripheral blood lymphocytes.Materials and methods: We obtained our goals by using MTT assay, Annexin V-FITC flow cytometry, and alkaline, neural and pH 12.1 versions of comet assay.Results: Exposure of lymphocytes to both NPs for 24 h slightly decreased viability of lymphocytes at ≥0.5 mM. For the first time, we revealed using the comet assays that both ZnO-NPs and Al2O3-NPs caused a concentration-dependent increase of DNA single-strand breaks, but not alkali-labile sites. Treatment with DNA glycosylases showed that the NPs induced oxidative DNA damage. DNA damage caused by both nanoparticles at 0.05 mM was removed within 120 min, however lymphocytes did not repair DNA damage induced by 0.5 mM NPs. Studied nanoparticles did not induce apoptosis in lymphocytes.Conclusion: Our results suggest that ZnO-NPs and Al2O3-NPs at concentration up to 0.5 mM did not exhibit cytotoxic effect but may exert genotoxic effect on lymphocytes, at least partially by the generation of oxidative DNA damage and strand breaks.

Carcinogenic potential of metal nanoparticles in BALB/3T3 cell transformation assay.

Metal-based nanoparticles (NPs), are currently used in many application fields including consumer products, pharmaceuticals, and biomedical treatments. In spite to their wide applications, an in-depth study of their potential toxic effects is still lacking. The aim of the present research was to investigate the potential initiator or promoter-like activity of different metallic NPs such as gold, iron, cobalt, and cerium using the Balb/3T3 two-stage transformation assay. The results indicated that all the selected metallic NPs, except for cobalt, when used as initiators did not induce any transformation in Balb/3T3 cell line. Moreover, Au and Fe3 O4 NPs, when used in place of the tumor promoter treatment TPA, increased significantly the number of Foci/dish as compared to the MCA treatment alone. The number of Foci/dish was 2.6 for Au NPs and 2.13 for Fe3 O4 ones, similar to those obtained by the positive control treatment (MCA + TPA), whereas 1.27 for MCA treatment alone. On the contrary, CeO2 NPs did not show any difference in the number of Foci/dish, as compared to MCA alone, but it decreased the number of foci by 65% in comparison to the positive control (MCA + TPA). As expected, cobalt NPs showed an increased cytotoxicity and only a few surviving cells were found at the time of analysis showing a number of Foci/dish of 0.13. For the first time, our data clearly showed that Au and Fe3 O4 NPs act as promoters in the two stage transformational assay, suggesting the importance to fully investigate the NPs carcinogenic potential with different models.

Perspectives on Permanent Magnetic Materials for Energy Conversion and Power Generation

Permanent magnet development has historically been driven by the need to supply larger magnetic energy in ever smaller volumes for incorporation in an enormous variety of applications that include consumer products, transportation components, military hardware, and clean energy technologies such as wind turbine generators and hybrid vehicle regenerative motors. Since the 1960s, the so-called rare-earth “supermagnets,” composed of iron, cobalt, and rare-earth elements such as Nd, Pr, and Sm, have accounted for the majority of global sales of high-energy–product permanent magnets for advanced applications. In rare-earth magnets, the transition-metal components provide high magnetization, and the rare-earth components contribute a very large magnetocrystalline anisotropy that donates high resistance to demagnetization. However, at the end of 2009, geopolitical influences created a worldwide strategic shortage of rare-earth elements that may be addressed, among other actions, through the development of rare-earth-free magnetic materials harnessing sources of magnetic anisotropy other than that provided by the rare-earth components. Materials engineering at the micron scale, nanoscale, and Angstrom scales, accompanied by improvements in the understanding and characterization of nanoscale magnetic phenomena, is anticipated to result in new types of permanent magnetic materials with superior performance.

Missing links in the regulatory chain controlling life cycle emissions of hazardous chemicals from articles

It is widely acknowledged that the management of risks associated with chemicals in articles, including consumer products, needs to be improved. The purpose of the present study is to empirically analyze to what extent European legislations that control emissions of hazardous chemicals from articles during different life cycle phases are coherent or not. To illustrate this, the regulation of a number of case-study chemicals, used in various consumer products and in high volumes, is scrutinized. This analysis identifies missing regulatory links between the rules that are relevant for the use phase and the rules applicable to the waste phase. With the exception of the RoHS directive, a clear connection to the rules for waste is missing in the regulatory system. Clear links are also missing between the rules regulating chemical emissions during the articles’ life cycle and maximum environmental concentration limits set for sludge, soil and surface water. The Waste Directive, the WEEE Directive, and the Water Framework Directive refer to EU environmental and waste policies. These policies state that environmental damage should be rectified at source. The lack of connection between the rules regulating different phases of an article's life cycle makes these objectives difficult to fulfill. These legislative gaps will encourage end-of-pipe solutions, rather than actions to manage the source of the problem. We argue that it is necessary to minimize the input of hazardous chemicals into articles, so that waste and other end-products can be recovered and used without harming human health or the environment.

Know your corporate IQ

PurposeMost business executives understand the importance of developing new products to support future growth. But they often fail to actively monitor their performance on this metric relative to their peers. Furthermore, many executives do not understand how innovation is critical to driving margins as well as growth. Tracking a company's Innovation Quotientsm, enables executives to assess how they are doing versus competitors in successfully developing new products and services. Examining a company's development pipeline enables executives to forecast their future Innovation Quotient and provides insights into the future performance of the business.Design/methodology/approachIn this article, Jackson considers a number of case examples of businesses that actively monitor their innovation performance and use it as an indicator of future success and value creation. Examples industries cited in the article include consumer products, electronics, industrial products and investment banking. The author then draws lessons that can be applied broadly across any business seeking to improve future growth and profitability through greater innovation.FindingsCompanies should proactively monitor their relative innovation performance compared to competitors using the Innovation Quotient metric. Measuring and monitoring a company's innovation rate and Corporate IQ can help management teams to take the tough choices, and build value for the long term when faced with the pressures of day to day performance. The companies that do the best job of building innovation capabilities and a strong development pipeline in tough times will be rewarded by even higher growth and margins when economic conditions improve.Originality/valueBusiness managers have always recognized that innovation is important to growth. This article extends that thinking to reinforce how a company's innovation performance relative to peers can drive not just future growth but higher future profitability as well.

Environmental Pollutants and Breast Cancer: The Evidence from Animal and Human Studies

Clinicians are often called on by patients and the news media to comment on the environmental and preventable causes of breast cancer. Thoughtful, evidence-based comments must take into account animal and cell studies of biological mechanisms that may link chemicals from consumer products, workplace exposures, and pollution to the disease. They should also report the small but increasingly sophisticated body of epidemiologic results in humans that provide evidence of risks associated with some chemicals. Likewise, clinicians must state what we do not know. The majority of chemicals in use today have never been assessed for their roles in breast cancer, so the common statement that there is “no evidence” of a link between this disease and unstudied exposures can lead people to mistake a lack of evidence of harm for evidence of safety. A review volume, “Environmental Factors in Breast Cancer,” published by Cancer this year and 2 online databases (the Mammary Carcinogens Review Database and the Epidemiology Reviews Database, accessible at www.silentspring.org/ sciencereview) provide new resources for clarifying the status of scientific evidence in several key topic areas: animal studies that identify chemicals as mammary gland carcinogens1 and epidemiologic studies of environmental pollutants,2 diet (assessed prospectively),3 body size, and physical activity.4 This volume and the databases, both developed with support from Susan G. Komen for the Cure, include critical reviews of approximately 450 primary epidemiology research articles and information on 216 chemicals that increased the number of mammary gland tumors in animal studies. Substantial evidence shows that increasing physical activity, avoiding weight gain and obesity after menopause, and reducing alcohol consumption contribute to lowering risk of breast cancer, and these factors are now used to support clear public health messages to reduce incidence. Less familiar are laboratory findings suggesting that environmental chemicals may influence breast cancer risk by acting as classic carcinogens that damage DNA,5 by hormonal mechanisms that signal tumor cells to proliferate,6,7 or by altering mammary gland development in early life to increase susceptibility.8 Epidemiologic studies have also shown evidence of increased vulnerability to the effects of these chemicals when exposure occurs early in life and of interactions between exposure and susceptibility.2,9 Chemicals of concern include certain banned organochlorine compounds, air and water pollutants, organic solvents, and other ubiquitous agents, including consumer products and pharmaceuticals. These chemicals are discussed here and reviewed at length in the Cancer articles.1-4

A consideration of e‐business modeling value evaluation

AbstractBusiness is being reformed into e‐business via e‐business modeling. The value obtained by implementing e‐business is referred to as e‐business modeling value, and in this paper the authors discuss a framework for such an evaluation. Based on examples of changes in business value due to e‐business modeling in three industries, including consumer products manufacturing, the authors identify value targets for major business processes by closely investigating the differences between them and conventional business value evaluation targets. The authors offer their framework as one cause of the reduction in investor interest resulting from the currently weak frameworks to measure the effects of e‐business investment. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 35(7): 85–97, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10561

Ergonomics in product testing

Products tested at TUV Rheinland are awarded the GS mark if they match up to specified safety standards. This mark indicates that the product fulfils the legal requirements, and signals to potential buyers that a product may be used without reservation. For some products, ergonomic criteria are included in the GS testing. A good example is the visual display unit (VDU). Here, the GS mark confirms that basic ergonomic requirements are fulfilled. It is not necessarily a mark of good ergonomic design. A number of other products are amenable to ergonomics testing, including consumer products and medical equipment. An important aspect of testing concerns the operating instructions which should adequately describe the product and inform the consumer how to use it. Product testing is significant because of new liability laws being introduced throughout the European Community. Testing provides a feedback loop in the marketing process by which it can be checked whether the products developed and brought on to the ...