Video: River Street Metal Finishing Reduces
Use of Sulfuric Acid
In this two-minute video, Maintenance Manager Lee Reeves of River Street Metal Finishing shares how the new acid purification system reduces the use of sulfuric acid during the anodizing process.
River Street Metal Finishing, located in Braintree, Massachusetts, received a TURI grant to purchase a new acid purification system that filters dissolved aluminum out of the tanks and returns the filtered solution back to the tank. As a result, the reduction of sulfuric acid use is improving worker safety and reducing hazardous waste generation.

The company expects to save approximately $1,200 in chemical purchases and $3,800 in hazardous waste disposal annually. Learn more on our website.

Attend the Morgan Advanced Materials Demo
1 Continuing Education Credit
You're invited to attend a virtual demonstration of how Morgan Advanced Materials eliminated TCE used to clean parts at their facility in New Bedford.

Thursday, September 10
1 to 2 p.m. EDT
Morgan Advanced Materials, a manufacturer of ceramic feedthroughs for medical and aerospace industries, received a TURI grant to purchase a water-based cleaning system to remove wax from parts.

Morgan will share their decision-making process, return on investment (with and without the TURI grant) and expected improvements in health and safety and regulatory obligations.
Save the Dates for the Continuing Education Conference
We're planning to hold the CE Conference online on Tuesday, October 27 and Thursday, November 5.

Please mark these dates on your calendar and we'll share more details soon.

If you have any questions, contact Pam Eliason.
Schools: Safer Cleaning and Disinfection Webinar
TURI hosted a webinar on August 14 to provide guidance to schools as they plan to re-open amid the pandemic. View the two-hour webinar, slides and other resources on our website. The featured experts included:

  • Ken Wertz, Executive Director, Mass Facilities Administrators Assoc.
  • Carol Westinghouse, President, Informed Green Solutions
  • Lynn Rose, Environmental, Health & Safety Consultant to Schools
  • Jason Marshall, Laboratory Director, Toxics Use Reduction Institute
TURA Administrative Council Meeting on Sept. 10
The TURA Administrative Council will meet virtually on Sep. 10 at noon to vote on adopting the EPA TRI listing of 172 PFAS chemicals, and to hear updates from the program agencies. 

The Toxics Use Reduction Act stipulates that the TURA list of Toxic or Hazardous Substances shall be adjusted each year consistent with changes in the TRI list. After the Council’s vote, there will be a regulatory process to officially add the new TRI chemicals to the TURA list.  Massachusetts facilities should note that these chemicals are already reportable federally under TRI for reporting year 2020 (Form R’s are due by July 1, 2021).

Visit the TURI website for the agenda and Zoom link.

If you have any questions, contact Liz Harriman.
Virtual Events on Green Chemistry and Alternatives Assessment
Starting on September 22, the Green Chemistry & Commerce Council (GC3) is hosting a Fall Virtual Roundtable event. The program includes presentation and discussion sessions focused on three themes central to advancing green chemistry: Innovation, Collaboration, and Commercialization. Learn more and register.
The professional society for the field of alternatives assessment – the Association for the Advancement of Alternatives Assessment (A4) is hosting its virtual symposium entitled “Current Practices and Future Prospects” October 27 to 29. The goal is to strengthen and grow both the practice of alternatives assessment and the community of practitioners in the field. Learn more.
Artificial Turf Fact Sheet Includes Ways to Prevent Heat Hazards
This updated TURI fact sheet on artificial turf includes best practices for protecting young athletes from heat hazards. Research indicates that outdoor synthetic turf reaches higher temperatures than natural grass, regardless of the infill materials or carpet fiber type.
TURI and Lowell Center for Sustainable Production Receive DoD Grant
The Lowell Center for Sustainable Production and TURI have received a $250,000 grant from the Department of Defense's (DoD) Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program to help the DoD to make informed, efficient choices about alternatives to aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF), a fluorinated product used in firefighting.

Increasing concerns about the build up of AFFF and its byproducts in the environment and their potential health impacts has led to legislation and action on the part of the DoD to find safer non-fluorinated substitutes to these high performing foams. 

For more information, contact Joel Tickner, TURI co-director and Professor of Public Health at UMass Lowell.
End Notes
Reminder: TURI staff are available via email, phone or Zoom to talk about TUR planning, training, research, grants, lab testing plans or other issues.