A Study on Impact of Environment Friendly Product Attributes on Consumer Purchase Decisions

The study aims to find out the influence of environment friendly attributes on the willingness of consumers to purchase the product. It also aims to determine the type of emotions elicited by these kinds of consumer products. It was hypothesized that buying eco products can elicit different kinds of emotions in consumers. These emotions are usually positive that cause attraction to consumers and eventually the actual purchase of the product. An exploratory pre-purchase affect survey was conducted through field and online survey to determine what shoppers feel while looking for eco products to buy. Results revealed that participants significantly experience more positive feelings/emotions than negative feelings/ emotions when buying eco-products while participants are indifferent in experiencing positive and negative feelings/emotions when buying non-eco products. This study provided information on the importance of incorporating ecological attributes to the design of consumer products. As of now, not all companies offer eco-friendly products because it is not known if consumers are willing to pay more for the “environment friendly” attribute. This study hopes to shift the paradigm of companies as it will try to establish the emotional attachment of consumers to product attributes related to the environment.

Cooperative Learning With and About Internet Forums: A Case Study on a Unit on the Consumption and Chemistry of Mineral Water vs. Tap Water

In today’s society, digital media play an increasing role in gathering and exchanging information. A growing part of communication takes place in the Internet and many people are increasingly influenced by information provided via digital and social media. Development of critical media literacy is needed, if the general public is expected to effectively deal with this flood of information and to become able to distinguish between correct and false information sources. Thus, critical media education becomes an important aim of education in general, and of chemistry education in particular when considering questions directly related to chemistry and its associated consumer products or technologies. The article describes a curriculum development case study investigating the integration of media education with chemistry learning along the case of learning with and about Internet forums on the topic of water chemistry. A unit integrating theoretical and practical chemistry learning based on student communication is described, which is built around a digital forum operated by Moodle. The unit design and findings from the implementation are presented.

Recycling Plastics from WEEE: A Review of the Environmental and Human Health Challenges Associated with Brominated Flame Retardants

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) presents the dual characteristic of containing both hazardous substances and valuable recoverable materials. Mainly found in WEEE plastics, brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are a component of particular interest. Several actions have been taken worldwide to regulate their use and disposal, however, in countries where no regulation is in place, the recovery of highly valuable materials has promoted the development of informal treatment facilities, with serious consequences for the environment and the health of the workers and communities involved. Hence, in this review we examine a wide spectrum of aspects related to WEEE plastic management. A search of legislation and the literature was made to determine the current legal framework by region/country. Additionally, we focused on identifying the most relevant methods of existing industrial processes for determining BFRs and their challenges. BFR occurrence and substitution by novel BFRs (NBFRs) was reviewed. An emphasis was given to review the health and environmental impacts associated with BFR/NBFR presence in waste, consumer products, and WEEE recycling facilities. Knowledge and research gaps of this topic were highlighted. Finally, the discussion on current trends and proposals to attend to this relevant issue were outlined.

Microbial enzymes induce colitis by reactivating triclosan in the mouse gastrointestinal tract

Emerging research supports that triclosan (TCS), an antimicrobial agent found in thousands of consumer products, exacerbates colitis and colitis-associated colorectal tumorigenesis in animal models. While the intestinal toxicities of TCS require the presence of gut microbiota, the molecular mechanisms involved have not been defined. Here we show that intestinal commensal microbes mediate metabolic activation of TCS in the colon and drive its gut toxicology. Using a range of in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo approaches, we identify specific microbial β-glucuronidase (GUS) enzymes involved and pinpoint molecular motifs required to metabolically activate TCS in the gut. Finally, we show that targeted inhibition of bacterial GUS enzymes abolishes the colitis-promoting effects of TCS, supporting an essential role of specific microbial proteins in TCS toxicity. Together, our results define a mechanism by which intestinal microbes contribute to the metabolic activation and gut toxicity of TCS, and highlight the importance of considering the contributions of the gut microbiota in evaluating the toxic potential of environmental chemicals.

Nonlinear Tactile Estimation Model based on Perceptibility of Mechanoreceptors improves Quantitative Tactile Sensing

Tactile sensing has attracted significant attention as a tactile quantitative evaluation method because the tactile sensation is an important factor while evaluating consumer products. While the human tactile perception mechanism has nonlinearity, previous studies have often developed linear regression models. In contrast, this study proposes a nonlinear tactile estimation model that can estimate sensory evaluation scores from physical measurements. We extracted features from the vibration data obtained by a tactile sensor based on the perceptibility of mechanoreceptors. In parallel, a sensory evaluation test was conducted using 10 evaluation words. Then, the relationship between the extracted features and the tactile evaluation results was modeled using linear/nonlinear regressions. The best model was concluded by comparing the mean squared error between the model predictions and the actual values. The result implies that there are multiple evaluation words suitable for adopting nonlinear regression models, and the average error was 43.8% smaller than that of building only linear regression models.

Towards a paradigm shift in environmental health decision-making: a case study of oxybenzone

Background Technological advancements make lives safer and more convenient. Unfortunately, many of these advances come with costs to susceptible individuals and public health, the environment, and other species and ecosystems. Synthetic chemicals in consumer products represent a quintessential example of the complexity of both the benefits and burdens of modern living. How we navigate this complexity is a matter of a society’s values and corresponding principles. Objectives We aimed to develop a series of ethical principles to guide decision-making within the landscape of environmental health, and then apply these principles to a specific environmental chemical, oxybenzone. Oxybenzone is a widely used ultraviolet (UV) filter added to personal care products and other consumer goods to prevent UV damage, but potentially poses harm to humans, wildlife, and ecosystems. It provides an excellent example of a chemical that is widely used for the alleged purpose of protecting human health and product safety, but with costs to human health and the environment that are often ignored by stakeholders. Discussion We propose six ethical principles to guide environmental health decision-making: principles of sustainability, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, community, and precautionary substitution. We apply these principles to the case of oxybenzone to demonstrate the complex but imperative decision-making required if we are to address the limits of the biosphere’s regenerative rates. We conclude that both ethical and practical considerations should be included in decisions about the commercial, pervasive application of synthetic compounds and that the current flawed practice of cost-benefit analysis be recognized for what it is: a technocratic approach to support corporate interests.

Organophosphorus Flame Retardant TDCPP Displays Genotoxic and Carcinogenic Risks in Human Liver Cells

Tris(1,3-Dichloro-2-propyl)phosphate (TDCPP) is an organophosphorus flame retardant (OPFR) widely used in a variety of consumer products (plastics, furniture, paints, foams, and electronics). Scientific evidence has affirmed the toxicological effects of TDCPP in in vitro and in vivo test models; however, its genotoxicity and carcinogenic effects in human cells are still obscure. Herein, we present genotoxic and carcinogenic properties of TDCPP in human liver cells (HepG2). 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and neutral red uptake (NRU) assays demonstrated survival reduction in HepG2 cells after 3 days of exposure at higher concentrations (100–400 μM) of TDCPP. Comet assay and flow cytometric cell cycle experiments showed DNA damage and apoptosis in HepG2 cells after 3 days of TDCPP exposure. TDCPP treatment incremented the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), Ca2+ influx, and esterase level in exposed cells. HepG2 mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) significantly declined and cytoplasmic localization of P53, caspase 3, and caspase 9 increased after TDCPP exposure. qPCR array quantification of the human cancer pathway revealed the upregulation of 11 genes and downregulation of two genes in TDCPP-exposed HepG2 cells. Overall, this is the first study to explicitly validate the fact that TDCPP bears the genotoxic, hepatotoxic, and carcinogenic potential, which may jeopardize human health.