iPhone, iPad, iCigs… Really?

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By: Shannon Lawson, Staff Member

At a time when almost everything can be purchased in an electronic form, should we really be surprised that there is such a thing as electronic cigarettes? Or should I say, e-cigs? For those who don’t know, electronic cigarettes are battery-powered devices that contain cartridges of liquid nicotine, which heats and vaporizes into the lungs as the smoker inhales.[1] However, unlike traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes are tobacco free, which makes them difficult for the FDA to regulate.[2] Since they are tobacco free, many of the FDA regulations on tobacco products do not apply.[3] For instance, commercials for electronic cigarettes are not regulated to the degree of traditional cigarettes.[4]

Since the U.S. government decided to abandon graphic warning labels on cigarette packages,[5] the regulation of electronic cigarettes is likely to be the FDA’s next big smoking related issue. Although the FDA has the authority to regulate electronic cigarettes if they are marketed as tobacco cessation aids,[6] healthcare professionals are concerned about the side effects of directly inhaling nicotine.[7] These professionals along with the FDA, are worried electronic cigarettes might “perpetuate the use of nicotine and tobacco products among smokers who might otherwise quit.”[8]

There are also questions on the second hand effects of electronic cigarettes. We have all heard of second-hand smoke, but what about second-hand vapor? While it might seem as though second-hand vapor might not be a problem, we should be aware that not all the micro particles found in the vapor are completely taken in by the smoker.[9] At this point, there is not enough evidence available to say that second-hand vapor is a health hazard.[10]

At any rate, it would probably be best to regulate the sale of e-cigarettes as vigorously as we regulate tobacco products, whether at the federal or state level, until we are well aware of the side effects.
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[1] See Electronic Cigarettes: How They Are – and Could Be – Regulated, Change Lab Solutions, http://changelabsolutions.org/sites/default/files/E-cigarette_FactSht_FINAL_%28CLS_20120530%29_October21_2011_0.pdf.
[2] Id.
[3] Id.
[4] See Mary Katherine Ham, Panic: Ads for e-cigs not banned by tobacco regulations…because they’re not made of tobacco, Hot Air, (June 12, 2013), http://hotair.com/archives/2013/06/12/panic-ads-for-e-cigs-not-banned-by-tobacco-regulations-because-theyre-not-made-of-tobacco/ (last visited June 13, 2013).
[5] See Michael Felberbaum, AP Newsbreak: US to Revise Cigarette Warning LablesAPNEWSBREAK:, The Big Story, (March 19, 2013), http://bigstory.ap.org/article/apnewsbreak-us-revise-cigarette-warning-labels.
[6] See Electronic Cigarettes at 1.
[7] See Susan Cassidy, 10 Little-known Facts About E-cigarettes, Discovery Fit & Health http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/smoking-cessation/10-facts-about-e-cigarettes2.htm (last visited June 13, 2013).
[8] Mathew L. Meyers, New Study Finds Increased Use of Electronic Cigarettes, Shows Need for FDA Regulation, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, (Feb. 23, 2013), http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/press_releases/post/2013_02_28_ecig
[9] E-Cigs And The Myth Of Second-Hand Vapor, Free ECigarettes Samples (May 1, 2013) http://freeecigarettesamples.com/e-cigs-and-the-myth-of-second-hand-vapor (last visited June 13, 2013).
[10] Id.

Water Aquifers: A Solution or Further Nuisance to the U.S. Drought Issue?

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By: Lauren Hart, Staff Member

Much of the United States has serious problems with maintaining a natural resource, which is crucial to anyone’s survival: water.[1] Many places in the U.S. are prone to droughts and some places out West even must have their water brought in so that those places, and their people, can survive.[2] Many of these cities, which have such distinct water problems, are growing significantly, and the water situation is not getting any better.[3]

Utilizing aquifers is a proposed solution to this ever-growing problem.[4] An aquifer is an under-ground water source that allows for water to be stored and drawn from there.[5] It is typically an extremely porous rock under the water-table where varying amounts of water can move fluidly through the rock-face.[6] Water can be added to an aquifer during times of plentiful water and then extracted when needed during times of drought.[7] Some places are using aquifers in this way instead of using reservoirs, as they are “natural” and cheaper as they are just “supplementing” the water already in the aquifer.[8]

The ultimate issue is whether or not this tactic is a good one. Ultimately, it is not. The point of using an aquifer is to store more useable water. However, one of the major issues with the artificial use of aquifers is the tendency to create contamination of the water, making it undrinkable and unusable.[9] For example, if there is pyrite in the rock used for the aquifer, there is a higher likelihood of arsenic poisoning…and we all know that is not good to drink.[10] Ultimately, the chemical make-up that causes this is not the important thing to understand,[11] but what is important to understand is the impact it has on the people drinking the water and that the impact on the environment is not positive.[12]

Although aquifer use is a proposed solution, around the country, many states that have previously used aquifers to store water have been abandoning this course of action due to the enormous contamination issues associated with its practice. Georgia, which is currently in the process of bringing this aquifer issue to the forefront, should be wary of any proposals.
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[1] Environmental News Network staff, NWS forecast leaves drought-prone states high and dry, CNN, May 24, 2000, http://archives.cnn.com/2000/NATURE/05/24/drought.enn/.
[2] Mark T. Anderson and Lloyd H. Woosley, Jr., Water Availability for the Western United States--Key Scientific Challenges, U.S. Dept of the Interior, (Last modified: Friday, January 11 2013, 12:47:22 PM) http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2005/circ1261/.
[3] Id.
[4] Dave Williams, Georgia taking over water supply test project, Atlanta Business Chronicle, May 16, 2013, http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2013/05/16/georgia-taking-over-water-supply-test.html.
[5] Idaho Museum of Natural History, What is an Aquifer?, (last visited Jun. 3. 2013), http://imnh.isu.edu/digitalatlas/hydr/concepts/gwater/aquifer.htm.
[6] U.S. Dept. of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, (last modified Mar. 6, 2013), http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/earthgwaquifer.html.
[7] Dave Williams, supra note 4.
[8] See generally Dave Williams supra note 4.
[9] Aquifer Recharge (AR) and Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR), Environmental Protection Agency (2012) (available at: http://water.epa.gov/type/groundwater/uic/aquiferrecharge.cfm).
[10] Id.
[11] Id. Essentially, it involves redox potential (and by re-dox: reduction oxidation potential), which has to do with the electron make-up of the water, which then would react, with the stone. of the aquifer creating this contamination.
[12] See generally Dave Williams, supra note 4.

A Fresh Solution to a Rotten Problem: Combating Food Waste and Hunger in America

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By: Megan Pigman, Staff Member

Here are some statistics to chew on: 40% of food in the United States today goes uneaten.[1] This means, as a country, we waste more than 35 million tons of food each year.[2] To put it into dollar signs, we are throwing out the equivalent of $165 billion each year.[3] Meanwhile, one in six Americans are suffering from hunger each and every day.[4] Hard to swallow? Former Trader Joe’s President, Doug Rauch, thought so, which is why he decided to launch the Urban Food Initiative, a program that will use food past its sell-by date to prepare affordable and nutritious meals for low-income consumers in Boston.[5] Rauch’s idea is grounded in the belief that by reclaiming some of the roughly 47 billion dollars worth of food supermarkets throw out each year, both America’s food waste and hunger problems could see a positive impact.[6]

It sounds like a great plan, so whatß would prevent major grocery stores across America from getting edible, past the sell-by date foods in the hands of needy families instead of in methane-producing landfills? Legally speaking, very little. State laws generally do not prohibit the sale of “expired” food as long as it is safe and wholesome. Companies are not heavily burdened by liability concerns either, thanks to the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act that President Bill Clinton signed into law in 1996.[7] Known more commonly as the “Model Good Samaritan Food Donation Act,” the law promotes food recovery by limiting the liability of donors to instances of gross negligence or intentional misconduct.[8]

If donating or selling past sell-date food items is generally not prohibited by state law, surely these stores are not dumping such massive quantities of food due a broad corporate policy requiring such, right? As it turns out, this is usually not the case. When I questioned a Kroger corporate representative on the issue of their food waste policy, I was informed that decisions regarding what to do with past sell-by date food items is made on a store-by-store basis. If this is the case, then why are so many stores choosing to trash literally tons of still-edible food rather than establish an efficient food recovery system, which would benefit others on a local and national level? I’m sure there’s a good reason.

To give credit where credit is due, it is not the case that all grocery stores are completely failing us on the food waste and recovery front. There are many grocery stores across the nation that are making the effort to donate non-perishable goods as well items from their bakery to local food banks and homeless shelters. While their efforts should not be overlooked, there are still greater measures that can and should be taken by those in the food industry as a whole to create a less wasteful, less hungry America for future generations.
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[1] Dana Gunders, Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill?, National Resources Defense Council (last visited May 28, 2013), http://www.nrdc.org/food/wasted-food.asp#.UaUAR5OznnM.email.
[2] “The Problem,” Food Recovery Network (last visited May 28, 2013), http://www.foodrecoverynetwork.org/about-us/our-work/.
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
[5] Jenna Russell & Jenn Abelson, Putting Expired Foods to Healthy Use, The Boston Globe (Feb 26, 2013), http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/02/25/former-trader-joe-executive-wants-sell-inexpensive-prepared-meals-made-from-expired-food/Cyz1TwTAEFbQnWxn0teNsN/story.html?s_campaign=8315.
[6] Id.
[7] Waste Not, Want Not: Feeding the Hungry and Reducing Solid Waste Through Food Recovery, USDA, EPA, 21 http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/pubs/wastenot.htm.
[8] Id.