Environmental management systems: Opportunities for improved environmental and business strategy?

Less than four years after publication of ISO 14001, thousands of organizations worldwide have adopted the standard. In this article, researchers working with the National Database on Environmental Management Systems (NDEMS) review some preliminary data on organizations' experiences with EMS adoption and implementation. Their findings indicate that, although organizations may face hurdles in implementing EMSs, the majority believes the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Cross-sensitivities of electrochemical detectors used to monitor worker exposures to airborne contaminants: false positive responses in the absence of target analytes

Ideally, the response of electrochemical detectors is proportional to the concentration of targeted airborne chemicals and is not be affected by concomitantly present substances. Manufacturers provide a limited list of cross-sensitivities but end-users have anecdotally reported unexpected interferences by other substances. Electrochemical detectors designed to measure airborne levels of CO, H(2)S, NO, NO(2), or SO(2), were challenged with potentially interfering substances in the absence of target analytes. Cross-sensitivities undocumented by the manufacturers were observed and were found to vary between different models of instruments for the same challenge chemical.