Aerosol Items ARE Allowed on Airplanes

Over the past several years it has been a challenge to keep up with what is and what is not allowed in carry-on or checked bags. But, you don’t need to leave your favorite personal care aerosol products at home when you travel. If you are traveling with a carry-on bag (as many of us strive to, especially now that most airlines are charging to check luggage), your aerosol product must be 3.4oz or less and placed in a separate plastic bag with your other liquids. For more information about what is or is not permitted, visit: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm

Good Cleaning Tips??... Almost.

This post is in response to an interview on ABC News Now - Cleaning Mistakes

http://www.comcast.net/video/top-five-cleaning-mistakes/1541030352/Comcast/1546963550/

In this interview, Prevention Magazine Senior Health Editor Lauren Gelman gives some cleaning tips including:

1. Allowing a cleaning product to sit the appropriate amount of “dwell time” so that it is effective.
2. Not mixing 2 or more cleaning products together.
3. Wearing rubber gloves to avoid contact and absorption of cleaning products through skin.
4. Wash pillows, comforters, duvets monthly.
5. Spraying products onto a rag or sponge instead of spraying directly onto a surface.

For the most part, these seem to be sound recommendations; however her fifth recommendation to spray cleaners onto a rag in order to avoid inhalation of the product is questionable for two reasons: 1) you will likely be holding the rag/sponge closer to your face than just spraying the product directly onto the surface itself, and 2) most surface cleaners instruct you to spray the product directly onto the surface in order to achieve the proper “dwell time” –something that the author highlights the importance of in her first point.

She concludes the segment by cautioning consumers about the fact that there are no strict regulations in place about how a product can be marketed as “green.” Still, she says look for products that aren’t aerosols because “those are always greener than those that aren’t.” Not understanding why aerosol products (vs. non-aerosol) would influence how “green” a product is, I decided to do a bit of research.

I couldn’t find any facts that would y support why aerosol products are “less green” than non-aerosol products. This perception may still date back to more than 30 years ago when it was discovered that some of the chemicals used in spray cans may have been damaging our Earth’s atmosphere and ozone layer. Even though those chemicals, known as “CFCs” (chlorofluorocarbons), are no longer used to propel the contents out of the can, many people still falsely believe that aerosol products are bad for the environment. I also learned that the steel used to make the aerosol containers can actually be recycled at an increasing number of facilities across the U.S. For more information about recycling visit www.recycle-steel.org, and for information on recycling in your community visit www.earth911.org.

Dancing Can and Cool Frog Featured In Video Winners

What can you learn from a dancing can or an environmentally sensitive frog? Well ... lots if you watch the winning entries of the CAPCO video contest.

Tyler Short, a University of Oregon student submitted the winning 90 second video which features an animated aerosol can that prances and dances while providing interesting facts about aerosols. The dancing can describes the many uses of aerosol products, tells you how an aerosol can works, and provides environmental facts about aerosols.

Chris Wetzel of Cleveland, Ohio won second place with a 25 second video that uses a multiple choice quiz to deliver a single message about CFCs in aerosol. Here's a hint: there aren't any. Third place winner David Molina debunks an environmental myth about aerosols in his 40 second video in which a frog gives you the facts and proclaiming that today's aerosol products are toad...ily cool.

CAPCO sponsored the contest to tap into the creative talent of today's video-savvy young people to inform people about today's aerosol product. Entries were judged on creativity, humor, motivational effectiveness and production quality. The winners receive prizes of $1,000, $500 and $250. To learn more about aerosols visit www.AerosolProducts.org or www.EcoAerosols.com.

Earth Day: A Good Time to Dispel Environmental Myths

(Washington, DC (April 21, 2010) What better time to dispel environmental myths than Earth Day. Take aerosol products for instance. Data show that consumers still believe aerosols harm upper ozone despite CFCs being removed more than 30 years ago.

Here are a few more myths and facts about aerosol products and the environment:

Myth: Aerosol containers cannot be recycled.

Fact: Empty steel and aluminum cans are recyclable and are accepted by more than 5,300 municipal recycling programs in the United States. Aerosol cans are made of 25% recycled material and are recyclable. If the 3.5 billion+ aerosol products sold annually were recycled, enough steel would be produced for 160,000 automobiles.

Myth: Aerosol products are bad for the environment.

Fact: Aerosol products do not harm the Earth's ozone layer or contribute significantly to air pollution or global warming. Aerosol product manufacturers removed CFCs in the 1970s.

Myth: Use of aerosol products makes a significant contribution to the emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that contribute to ground level ozone formation, or "smog".

Fact: While aerosols and other consumer products often contain VOCs, they contribute very little to ozone formation due to their small quantity and low reactivity.

Atlanta Embraces Aerosol Recycling

The city of Atlanta recently joined virtually every other major municipality in the United States in accepting empty aerosol cans in its recycling program. More than 5,300 municipalities now include aerosol cans in their collection program. Earth 911, the popular web site dedicated to recycling information, now lists three recyclers in the city of Atlanta and seven in surrounding suburbs that accept aerosol cans.

Most aerosol cans are made of steel and contain 25% recycled material. Aluminum aerosol cans have seen an increase in popularity and are also totally recyclable. Learn more about the recycling aspects of aerosol cans and other interesting information about aerosols, visit www.AerosolProducts.org.

CAPCO Has a Booth at Science Teachers Conference

More than 1,000 teachers stopped by the CAPCO booth at the National Science Teachers Association's National Conference in Philadelphia to learn about aerosol products. The booth's theme invited teachers to "Use Aerosol Technology to Teach Scientific Principles," and CAPCO representatives explained how they could download a teacher's kit with 16 classroom activities and the popular educational video Another Awesome Aerosol Adventure from the CAPCO web site www.AerosolProducts.org.

Many of the teachers asked questions about the environmental and recycling aspects of aerosol products and were pleased with CAPCO's answers. The teachers also took advantage of fact sheets and pamphlets providing information about aerosol products, and more than 1,600 samples of travel sizes of Sprayway Glass Cleaner, WD40 Pens, and Spot Shot Carpet Stain Remover were given away.

The booth's graphics and handouts promoted CAPCO web sites www.AerosolProducts.org and www.EcoAerosols.com as sources of information about aerosol products that could be used to teach scientific principles. In addition to the teacher's kit and free video, www.AerosolProducts.org has numerous fact sheets about aerosol products and the environment. EcoAerosols.com is an interactive educational site that makes for entertaining homework assignments that help students learn environmental facts.

If you haven't already done so, check out the CAPCO web sites. You'll learn a lot and have fun doing it.

It's Not Too Late to Enter CAPCO Video Contest

It's not too late to show your creative side and help CAPCO tell the world about today's aerosol products, and you may collect a nice prize in doing so. Deadline for the CAPCO video contest is April 30th, and all you have to do to enter is visit www.AerosolProducts.org and follow the directions.

CAPCO is looking for 90 second videos to tell about aerosol products and the environmental and unique benefits of aerosol products. Prizes of $1,000, $500 and $250 will go to the winners, and all quality videos will be posted on You Tube and AerosolProducts.org with credit to the creators. You must be 18 or older to enter. Entries will be judged on creativity, humor, motivational effective and content accuracy and production quality.

So, what are you waiting for? Get those creative juices flowing, and prepare your wallet for a new arrival.

The Consumer Aerosol Products Council (CAPCO) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational foundation dedicated to providing information about aerosol products.