Brominated Flame Retardants

by | Jul 30, 2000 | Green Terms "B"

brominated flame retardants: chemicals added to plastics, textiles, furniture foam and padding, and other products to prevent them from catching fire. BFRs, as they are also known, are long-lived poisons that build up in fat. In animal studies, they have been linked...

British thermal unit (Btu)

by | Jul 30, 2000 | Green Terms "B"

British thermal unit (Btu): the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 pound of liquid 1 ºF. A single gallon of propane contains 91,600 Btu. A cord of wood contains 12 million to 33 million Btu, depending on the type of wood.

bisphenol-a (BPA)

by | Jul 30, 2000 | Green Terms "B"

bisphenol-a (BPA): an industrial chemical best known for making polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. Found in hard plastic water bottles and baby bottles, in coatings inside metal food and drink cans, and in paints, adhesives, dental sealants, computers, and other...

Biodiversity

by | Jul 30, 2000 | Green Terms "B"

biodiversity: the degree of variation of  lifeforms within a given ecosystem, biome, or entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of an ecosystem.