A case study on developing safer, effective chemicals by "innovating with intent" will be the focus of a presentation by Eastman associate toxicologist Dave Kossor at the American Chemical Society's 18th Annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference on June 19, 2014 in Bethesda, Maryland.
The discussion will center on the development of Eastman Omnia™ high-performance solvent.
Working together, Eastman technology and business teams identified a need in the cleaning industry for a solvent that's both effective at removing a wide range of soils and safe for humans and the environment. The team developed a list of desirable properties for such a solvent using third party standards such as the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry and the Safe Solvent Screen from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Design for the Environment (DfE) initiative.
"Our goal was to meet or exceed the Safe Solvent Screen standards. If a molecule fell short, we removed it from consideration because safety was always foremost in our minds, but we also knew it had to have exceptional performance to add value within the cleaning industry," said Kossor.
During his presentation, Kossor will outline the process Eastman scientists used to identify potential molecules and the toxicology tests that verified Omnia's safety attributes. He'll also review the toxicology findings and the third party certifications Omnia has received as a result.
"In the short-term, Omnia provides exceptional cleaning power while being safe for users and the environment. In time, these attributes will firmly establish the true value of green chemistry in our daily lives. It's my hope that Omnia will provide further justification and momentum for broad safety improvements among many product categories," said Kossor.
www.eastman.com
