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Q: What is the difference between an ecosystem, biomass, and habitat?
Ask the Ecologist
Belle Bergner on local ecology.
Posted inAsk the Ecologist
Ask the Ecologist July 2008
READ IT HERE • WEB ONLY ARTICLE
Q: I’ve read about the chemical Bisphenol A being in some types of plastic. Is Bisphenol A hazardous to our health? What plastics should we avoid? Is this chemical still being put in plastics?
A: As with most chemical studies, Bisphenol A safety analyses are done using animals, so the results are not conclusive as to the human effect. But the results do raise some serious concerns. Potentially harmful effects include permanent changes to genitals, changes in breast tissue that predispose cells to hormones or cancer, and increased prostate weight and sensitivity to cancer.
Posted inAsk the Ecologist
Ask the Ecologist-May 2008
Q: I heard that walking behind a lawn mower for an hour is like hanging your head behind your car tailpipe for 100 miles. Could this be true? – Nick
A: According to the California Air Resources Board (CARB), 2006 lawn mower engines contribute 93 times more smog-forming emissions than 2006 cars. Why are lawn mowers so much worse than cars? Mowers use a single-stroke spark engine with no catalytic converter. That means these engines burn a lot more oil and gas and there is virtually no filter for their emissions.
Posted inAsk the Ecologist
Disposing of Pet Waste and CFLs
Q: Sometimes my dog’s poop gets lost in the snow before I can pick it up – especially when there are several feet of snow in the yard or next to the sidewalk. Is it OK to let this biodegrade into the grass when the snow melts?
Posted inAsk the Ecologist
Fluorescent Lightbulbs and Old Electronics
Q: You wrote about compact fluorescents previously, but what about the big, long fluorescent lightbulbs? Can we recycle those at our local hazardous waste drop off too?
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