Laboratory Equipment

Graphene Enables Less Toxic Way to Rust-Proof Steel

Univ. at Buffalo researchers are making significant progress on rust-proofing steel using a graphene-based composite that could serve as a nontoxic alternative to coatings that contain hexavalent chromium, a probable carcinogen.

In the scientists’ first experiments, pieces of steel coated with the high-tech varnish remained rust-free for only a few days when immersed continuously in saltwater, an environment that accelerates corrosion. By adjusting the concentration and dispersion of graphene within the composite, the researchers increased the time the treated steel can survive in brine to about a month. Because brine is an extremely harsh environment, the coated steel’s survival time in the real-world would be many times longer.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Graphene-Enables-Less-Toxic-Way-to-Rust-Proof-Steel-052112.aspx

Biosensor Warns of Toxicity in Real Time

From man-made toxic chemicals such as industrial by-products to poisons that occur naturally, a water or food supply can be easily contaminated. And for every level of toxic material ingested, there is some level of bodily response, ranging from minor illness to painful certain death.

Biosensors have long been used to safeguard against exposure to toxic chemicals. Food tasters employed by the ancients acted as early versions of biosensors, determining if a meal had been poisoned. More modern examples include the use of fish, which may alter their swimming characteristics if a toxic material is introduced into to the water. But although current warning systems are more sophisticated, they require equipment and time that a soldier in the field or an adventurer in the wilderness do not have.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Biosensor-Warns-of-Toxicity-in-Real-Time-051512.aspx

Selenium Negatively Impacts Bee Populations

Entomologists at the Univ. of California, Riverside have a “proof of concept” that selenium, a nonmetal chemical element, can disrupt the foraging behavior and survival of honey bees.

Selenium in very low concentrations is necessary for the normal development of insects — and humans — but becomes toxic at only slightly higher concentrations when it replaces sulfur in amino acids. In soils, particularly in Pacific Rim countries and near coal-fired power plants worldwide, it occurs most often in soluble forms, such as selenate.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Selenium-Negatively-Impacts-Bee-Populations-042612.aspx

Some Nontoxic Nail Polishes Aren’t

Some nail polishes commonly found in California salons and advertised as free of a so-called “toxic trio” of chemicals actually have high levels of agents linked to birth defects, state regulators says.

A Department of Toxic Substances Control report determined that the mislabeled nail products have the potential to harm thousands of workers in more than 48,000 nail salons in California, and their customers.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Nontoxic-Nail-Polishes-Arent-041112.aspx

Lab-on-a-Chip is Platform for Drug Discovery
A cheaper, faster and more efficient platform for preclinical drug discovery applications has been invented by scientists at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), the world’s first bioengineering and nanotechnology research institute. Called “Fish and Chips,” the novel multi-channel microfluidic perfusion platform can grow and monitor the development of various tissues and organs inside zebrafish embryos for drug toxicity testing. This research, published recently in Lab on a Chip, has been selected for feature on the journal’s back cover. This time-lapse movie shows a developing embryo in “Fish and Chips” till 72 hpf. Various organs were seen at different time points of development.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Cheap-Fast-Platform-for-Drug-Discovery-040612.aspx

New England Will See Moderate Red Tide

New England is expected to experience a “moderate” regional “red tide” this spring and summer, report NOAA-funded scientists working in the Gulf of Maine to study the toxic algae that causes the bloom. The algae in the water pose no direct threat to human beings, however the toxins they produce can accumulate in filter-feeding organisms such as mussels and clams — which can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) in humans who consume them. Under a newly developed rating system, a moderate bloom could cause the closure of shellfish beds along an estimated 126–250 miles of coastline.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-New-England-Will-See-Moderate-Red-Tide-040612.aspx

Materials Use Light/Dark to Purify Air

Removing the smell of new carpet from a room may eventually be a matter of turning the lights on or off. Manindu Weerasinghe, a Kansas State Univ. doctoral candidate in chemistry, Sri Lanka, is studying materials that use light or darkness to purify air filled with toxins that are harmful to human health and the environment. Her research could one day lead to filters, humidifiers and other devices that can detoxify air in windowless rooms, manufacturing facilities and other indoor areas.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Materials-Use-Light-Dark-to-Purify-Air-012712.aspx

Office Air May Contain Toxic Substances

In a first-of-its-kind study, scientists are reporting that the indoor air in offices is an important source of worker exposure to potentially toxic substances released by carpeting, furniture, paint and other items. Their report, which documents a link between levels of these so-called polyfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in office air and in the blood of workers, appears in ACS’ journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Office-Air-May-Contain-Potentially-Toxic-Substances-011912.aspx

Environmental Toxins Sicken Polar Bears

A new doctoral thesis documents that industrial chemicals are transported from the industrialized world to the Arctic via air and sea currents. Here, the cocktail of environmental toxins is absorbed by the sea’s food chains which are so rich in fats and of which the polar bear is the top predator.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Environmental-Toxins-Sicken-Polar-Bears-101411.aspx

Nature Cleans Arsenic from Water

Many people in Bangladesh and other parts of Asia have been poisoned by drinking groundwater laced with arsenic—not introduced by humans, but leached naturally from sediments, and now being tapped by shallow drinking wells. In recent years, to avoid the problem, deeper wells have been sunk 500 feet or more to purer waters—but fears have remained that when deep water is pumped out, contaminated water might filter down to replace it. Now, a study has shown that deep sediments can grab the arsenic and take it out of circulation—a finding that may help to keep wells safe elsewhere, including in the United States.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Nature-Cleans-Arsenic-from-Water-101211.aspx