We are about to bring a new feature to the Banner Chemical blog called Product Spotlight. We hope that this feature will make you aware of some great Banner Chemical products that you may not have heard about before.
Each time a product is featured in the Spotlight, all orders will be 10% off for that product for 3 business days from the date of the post.
Check back frequently. We'll try and feature at least one product a week. Stay tuned - our first Product Spotlight is coming in the next few days!!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
With Soap and Water or Sanitizer, a Cleaning That Can Stave Off the Flu Stuart Bradford
From the New York Times:
Article Tools Sponsored By
By TARA PARKER-POPE
Published: September 14, 2009
It sounds so simple as to be innocuous, a throwaway line in public-health warnings about swine flu. But one of the most powerful weapons against the new H1N1 virus is summed up in a three-word phrase you first heard from your mother: wash your hands.
A host of recent studies have highlighted the importance and the scientific underpinning of this most basic hygiene measure. One of the most graphic was done at the University of California, Berkeley, where researchers focused video cameras on 10 college students as they read and typed on their laptops.
The scientists counted the times the students touched their faces, documenting every lip scratch, eye rub and nose pick. On average, the students touched their eyes, noses and lips 47 times during a three-hour period, once every four minutes.
Hand-to-face contact has a surprising impact on health. Germs can enter the body through breaks in the skin or through the membranes of the eyes, mouth and nose.
The eyes appear to be a particularly vulnerable port of entry for viral infections, said Mark Nicas, a professor of environmental health sciences at Berkeley. Using mathematical models, Dr. Nicas and colleagues estimated that in homes, schools and dorms, hand-to-face contact appears to account for about one-third of the risk of flu infection, according to a report this month in the journal Risk Analysis.
In one study of four residence halls at the University of Colorado, two of the dorms had hand sanitizer dispensers installed in every dorm room, bathroom and dining area, and students were given educational materials about the importance of hand hygiene. The remaining two dorms were used as controls, and researchers simply monitored illness rates.
During the eight-week study period, students in the dorms with ready access to hand sanitizers had a third fewer complaints of coughs, chest congestion and fever. Over all, the risk of getting sick was 20 percent lower in the dorms where hand hygiene was emphasized, and those students missed 43 percent fewer days of school.
Young children benefit, too. In a study of 6,000 elementary school students in California, Delaware, Ohio and Tennessee, students in classrooms with hand sanitizers had 20 percent fewer absences due to illness. Teacher absenteeism in those schools dropped 10 percent.
Better hand hygiene also appears to make a difference in the home, lowering the risk to other family members when one child is sick. Harvard researchers studied nearly 300 families who had children 5 or younger in day care. Half the families were given a supply of hand sanitizer and educational materials; the other half were left to practice their normal hand washing habits.
In homes with hand sanitizers, the risk of catching a gastrointestinal illness from a sick child dropped 60 percent compared with the control families. The two groups did not differ in rates of respiratory illness rates, but families with the highest rates of sanitizer use had a 20 percent lower risk of catching such an illness from a sick child.
Regular soap and water and alcohol-based hand sanitizers are both effective in eliminating the H1N1 virus from the hands. In February, researchers in Australia coated the hands of 20 volunteers with copious amounts of a seasonal H1N1 flu virus. The concentration of virus was equivalent to the amount that would occur when an infected person used a hand to wipe a runny nose.
When the subjects did not wash their hands, large amounts of live virus remained even after an hour, said the lead author, Dr. M. Lindsay Grayson, a professor of medicine at the University of Melbourne. But using soap and water or a sanitizer virtually eliminated the presence of the virus.
Frequent hand washing will not eliminate risk. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, a bystander might be splattered by large droplets or may inhale airborne particles. In a recent Harvard study of hand sanitizer use in schools, hand hygiene practices lowered risk for gastrointestinal illness but not upper respiratory infections.
Still, it is a good idea to wash your hands regularly even if you’re not in contact people who are obviously ill. In a troubling finding, a recent study of 404 British commuters found that 28 percent had fecal bacteria on their hands. In one city, 57 percent of the men sampled had contaminated hands, according to the study, which was published this month in the journal Epidemiology and Infection.
“We were surprised by the high level of contamination,” said Gaby Judah, a researcher at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Ms. Judah added that many of the contaminated commuters reported that they had washed their hands that morning. They may have been embarrassed to admit they hadn’t washed, or they may have picked up the bacteria on their hands during their commute.
For all those reasons, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with other health organizations around the world, urge frequent hand washing with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizers. (They also repeat some advice you may not have heard from your mother: cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow, not your bare hands.)
And as hospitals put stricter hand hygiene programs in place, absentee rates during cold and flu season also drop.
“Statistically, you can’t determine a causal relationship, but it’s very suggestive,” said Dr. Neil O. Fishman, infectious disease specialist at the University of Pennsylvania. “Our vaccination rates remained relatively stable, so what else changed? The only thing different was that hand hygiene rates increased.”
Join the discussion at nytimes.com/well.
Article Tools Sponsored By
By TARA PARKER-POPE
Published: September 14, 2009
It sounds so simple as to be innocuous, a throwaway line in public-health warnings about swine flu. But one of the most powerful weapons against the new H1N1 virus is summed up in a three-word phrase you first heard from your mother: wash your hands.
A host of recent studies have highlighted the importance and the scientific underpinning of this most basic hygiene measure. One of the most graphic was done at the University of California, Berkeley, where researchers focused video cameras on 10 college students as they read and typed on their laptops.
The scientists counted the times the students touched their faces, documenting every lip scratch, eye rub and nose pick. On average, the students touched their eyes, noses and lips 47 times during a three-hour period, once every four minutes.
Hand-to-face contact has a surprising impact on health. Germs can enter the body through breaks in the skin or through the membranes of the eyes, mouth and nose.
The eyes appear to be a particularly vulnerable port of entry for viral infections, said Mark Nicas, a professor of environmental health sciences at Berkeley. Using mathematical models, Dr. Nicas and colleagues estimated that in homes, schools and dorms, hand-to-face contact appears to account for about one-third of the risk of flu infection, according to a report this month in the journal Risk Analysis.
In one study of four residence halls at the University of Colorado, two of the dorms had hand sanitizer dispensers installed in every dorm room, bathroom and dining area, and students were given educational materials about the importance of hand hygiene. The remaining two dorms were used as controls, and researchers simply monitored illness rates.
During the eight-week study period, students in the dorms with ready access to hand sanitizers had a third fewer complaints of coughs, chest congestion and fever. Over all, the risk of getting sick was 20 percent lower in the dorms where hand hygiene was emphasized, and those students missed 43 percent fewer days of school.
Young children benefit, too. In a study of 6,000 elementary school students in California, Delaware, Ohio and Tennessee, students in classrooms with hand sanitizers had 20 percent fewer absences due to illness. Teacher absenteeism in those schools dropped 10 percent.
Better hand hygiene also appears to make a difference in the home, lowering the risk to other family members when one child is sick. Harvard researchers studied nearly 300 families who had children 5 or younger in day care. Half the families were given a supply of hand sanitizer and educational materials; the other half were left to practice their normal hand washing habits.
In homes with hand sanitizers, the risk of catching a gastrointestinal illness from a sick child dropped 60 percent compared with the control families. The two groups did not differ in rates of respiratory illness rates, but families with the highest rates of sanitizer use had a 20 percent lower risk of catching such an illness from a sick child.
Regular soap and water and alcohol-based hand sanitizers are both effective in eliminating the H1N1 virus from the hands. In February, researchers in Australia coated the hands of 20 volunteers with copious amounts of a seasonal H1N1 flu virus. The concentration of virus was equivalent to the amount that would occur when an infected person used a hand to wipe a runny nose.
When the subjects did not wash their hands, large amounts of live virus remained even after an hour, said the lead author, Dr. M. Lindsay Grayson, a professor of medicine at the University of Melbourne. But using soap and water or a sanitizer virtually eliminated the presence of the virus.
Frequent hand washing will not eliminate risk. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, a bystander might be splattered by large droplets or may inhale airborne particles. In a recent Harvard study of hand sanitizer use in schools, hand hygiene practices lowered risk for gastrointestinal illness but not upper respiratory infections.
Still, it is a good idea to wash your hands regularly even if you’re not in contact people who are obviously ill. In a troubling finding, a recent study of 404 British commuters found that 28 percent had fecal bacteria on their hands. In one city, 57 percent of the men sampled had contaminated hands, according to the study, which was published this month in the journal Epidemiology and Infection.
“We were surprised by the high level of contamination,” said Gaby Judah, a researcher at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Ms. Judah added that many of the contaminated commuters reported that they had washed their hands that morning. They may have been embarrassed to admit they hadn’t washed, or they may have picked up the bacteria on their hands during their commute.
For all those reasons, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with other health organizations around the world, urge frequent hand washing with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizers. (They also repeat some advice you may not have heard from your mother: cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow, not your bare hands.)
And as hospitals put stricter hand hygiene programs in place, absentee rates during cold and flu season also drop.
“Statistically, you can’t determine a causal relationship, but it’s very suggestive,” said Dr. Neil O. Fishman, infectious disease specialist at the University of Pennsylvania. “Our vaccination rates remained relatively stable, so what else changed? The only thing different was that hand hygiene rates increased.”
Join the discussion at nytimes.com/well.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Banner Chemical Winter Bulletin
Winter is fast approaching and the time is now to start thinking about icemelters.
Last season was a huge snow year in New Jersey and the Tri-State area. With record snows in the Midwest and New England as well, we experienced major shortages on most products. This year, we are again expecting most of our suppliers to run out of product mid-season, especially if we get early snow and ice.
Don't get caught short! Contact Dave, Stan, Charlie or Bill at Banner Chemical right now to take advantage of early season discounts on:
Magnesium Chloride pellets & flake
Calcium Chloride pellets & flake
Halite Rock Salt
Combotherm
Professional Grade Ice Melter (Calcium Blend)
Urea (environmentally preferable ice melt)
& many others
Banner Chemical
111 Hill Street
Orange, NJ 07050
ph-973-676-2900
fax-973-676-4564
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Senate extends Clunkers program
Banner chemical has Sodium Silicate needed for Cash For Clunkers program in stock now!!!
by Ken Thomas and Laurie Kellman (from the AP)
WASHINGTON — The Senate reached a deal on saving the dwindling "cash for clunkers" program late Wednesday, agreeing to vote on a plan that would add $2 billion to the popular rebate program and give car shoppers until Labor Day to trade in their gas-guzzlers for a new ride.
Following lengthy negotiations, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Democrats and Republicans had agreed to vote on the plan Thursday, along with a series of potential changes to the bill, which was passed by the House last week. Reid has said Democrats have enough votes to approve the measure and reject any changes that would cause an interruption in the rebates of up to $4,500.
Reid said the agreement "accomplishes what we need to accomplish."
Late Wednesday, it was not clear that any of the proposed amendments stood a chance of passing. Some of them included placing an income limit on those benefiting from the vouchers and requiring the government to sell off its stakes in General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC.
Any Senate changes to the bill would require another vote in the House, something that couldn't take place until the House returns in September from a monthlong recess.
The government said Wednesday that more than $775 million of the $1 billion fund had been spent, accounting for nearly 185,000 new vehicles sold. President Barack Obama has said the program would go broke by Friday if not replenished by Congress.
Administration officials have estimated the additional $2 billion could fund another 500,000 vehicle sales and last into Labor Day.
That's the same day the Senate was to follow the House into the August recess, a looming break that Senate leaders often use to prod their colleagues past standoffs.
"We all acknowledge there's a significant majority that want to move forward with this legislation," Reid, D-Nev., said earlier in the day, adding that he has the votes to approve the House-passed version as is.
His Republican counterpart, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, concurred that the matter would be settled soon. And objectors conceded they do not have the votes to force all of the changes they want, or to block the House version of the bill.
"My guess is, at the end of the day, it will pass," said Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., who called it an example of "Congress choosing winners and losers among industries."
The program offers car buyers rebates of between $3,500 and $4,500 for trading in their gas-guzzlers for new, higher-mileage models.
The new funding would triple the cost of $1 billion rebate program and give as many as a half-million more Americans the chance to grab the new car incentives through September.
Car companies have credited the clunkers program with driving up sales in late July. Most consumers are buying smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles under the program, according to a list of the top-10 selling cars released Wednesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Among manufacturers, General Motors Co. had the largest share, accounting for 18.7 percent of new sales, followed by Toyota Motor Corp. with 17.9 percent. Ford Motor Co. was third with 16 percent of the sales. Detroit automakers represented 45.3 percent of the total sales while Japan's Toyota, Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. accounted for 36.5 percent.
The Toyota Corolla is the top-selling vehicle on the list, followed by the Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Toyota Prius and the Toyota Camry. There is one SUV on the list, the Ford Escape, which also comes in a hybrid model that can get up to 32 miles per gallon. Six of the top-10 selling vehicles are built by foreign manufacturers, but most are built in North America.
If the Senate approves the additional money, it's likely to lead automakers to increase production and bring back laid-off workers. Many automakers reported low inventories due to increased sales from the program at the end of July. Already Hyundai Motor Co. has added a day of production to its Montgomery, Ala., plant, and Ford is considering increases.
Ford's chief financial officer, Lewis Booth, said Wednesday night the company would decide this month and make an announcement in early September.
Among states, Michigan has taken most advantage of the program, requesting more than $44 million in vehicle vouchers. California dealers had requested nearly $40 million in vouchers, and Ohio had sought nearly $38 million.
Senate passage would send the legislation to the White House for Obama's signature and assure consumers there will be no interruption in the program that has led to packed car dealerships nationwide.
The deals are aimed at boosting auto sales, which have been at their lowest levels in two decades.
AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher in Traverse City, Mich., contributed to this report.
___
On the Net:
Car Allowance Rebate System: http://www.cars.gov
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Banner Chemical has Sodium Silicate in stock now.
Sodium Silicate solution is needed for car dealers to participate in the new Cars for Clunkers program.
http://www.cashforclunkersfacts.com/car-dealers/engine-destruction
Sodium Silicate solution
FOB Orange NJ
Please call for pricing 973-676-2900.
Get involved while its HOT!!!!!!
http://www.cashforclunkersfacts.com/car-dealers/engine-destruction
Sodium Silicate solution
FOB Orange NJ
Please call for pricing 973-676-2900.
Get involved while its HOT!!!!!!
The Cash for Clunkers Executioner
On Friday July 24, 2009 the NHTSA published their “Final Rule” document which outlines a number of new ideas surrounding the Cash for Clunker bill and the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS).
One of the of the most interesting items was the detail in which the NHTSA describes how dealers have to “kill” the engine of the clunker being traded in. This is the first time dealers were told that they would have to drain a few quarts of oil from each clunker and inject a Sodium Silicate solution which would render the engine inoperable.
Introducing the role of “Doctor Death”
Here is the wording from the NHTSA Final Rule document:
The agency has determined that a quick, inexpensive, and environmentally safe process exists to disable the engine of the trade-in vehicle while in the dealer’s possession. Removing the engine oil from the crankcase, replacing it with a 40 percent solution of sodium silicate (a substance used in similar concentrations in many common vehicle applications, including patching mufflers and radiators), and running the engine for a short period of time at low speeds renders the engine inoperable.
Generally, this will require just two quarts of the sodium silicate solution. The retail price for two quarts of this solution (enough to disable the largest engine under the program) is under $7, and the time involved should not substantially exceed that of a typical oil change.
The agency has tested this method at its Vehicle Research and Test Center and found it safe, quick, and effective. As with many materials used in the vehicle service area of a dealership, certain common precautions need to be taken when using sodium silicate.
The same is true with regard to workers who may come in contact with the substance during the crushing or shredding of the engine block. We have discussed the matter with the EPA and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and are aware of no detrimental effects related to the disposal of the engine block with this material in it.
The agency considered several possible methods of rendering the engine inoperable. The agency was looking for a method that was safe for workers involved, completely effective, environmentally sound, and relatively inexpensive for a dealer to
use. NHTSA’s Vehicle Research and Test Center (VRTC) tested various methods and prepared a report (placed in the docket) summarizing the tests. VRTC evaluated four options:
(1) the use of sodium silicate solution in the manner the agency has now adopted;
(2) destroying the oil filter sealing land and threaded fastener boss;
(3) drilling a hole in the engine block; and
(4) running the engine without oil.
VRTC concluded that the sodium silicate method was the best option. The other methods all had significant problems related to their effectiveness, practical limitations based on vehicle variations, and/or safety risks for workers involved. Sodium Silicate solution is a mixture of water and sodium silicate solids.
When, after draining the oil, it is introduced into the engine oil system, the oil pump is able to distribute the solution throughout the engine oiling system. The heat of the operating engine then dehydrates the solution leaving solid sodium silicate distributed throughout the engine’s oiled surfaces and moving parts. These solids quickly abrade the bearings causing the engine to seize while damaging the moving parts of the engine and coating all of the oil passages.
Only a small amount of sodium silicate remains in solution after completion of the process. Many of the engine parts will be unaffected by this process such as: intake and exhaust manifolds, bolt-on components, and fuel system components.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
SPECIAL BLOWOUT PRICE ON LOW ACID BOWL CLEANER
Banner Chemical has in stock right now 23 cases, 4 gallons to the case of a 9% acid toilet bowl cleaner. We accidentally manufactured the product blue in color. Since the product is called, Snowhite, I'm looking to move it at drastically reduced price.
Normally, distributor cost of Snowhite gallons is $19.95/case
But, while supplies last, on a first come first serve basis we will sell the cases for $9.00, FOB Orange, NJ.
This is an excellent quality bowl cleaner. The only thing wrong with it is that it's blue, which can also be a selling point for a bowl cleaner.
Call now to take advantage of this special offer.
Normally, distributor cost of Snowhite gallons is $19.95/case
But, while supplies last, on a first come first serve basis we will sell the cases for $9.00, FOB Orange, NJ.
This is an excellent quality bowl cleaner. The only thing wrong with it is that it's blue, which can also be a selling point for a bowl cleaner.
Call now to take advantage of this special offer.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
OilMaster 7X-The new "Green" alternative to Speedy-Dry
Developed by scientists at Cornell University, Oilmaster is 7 times more absorbent than traditional clay absorbents and its totally green. No need for that dusty harmful silica contained in traditional clay absorbent. Check out this video to see Oilmaster in action.
Do you think your customers would be interested in such a powerful absorbent? What If I told you it was more economical than clay as well? Please call Dave at Banner Chemical to discuss Oilmaster today. Samples are available.
Do you think your customers would be interested in such a powerful absorbent? What If I told you it was more economical than clay as well? Please call Dave at Banner Chemical to discuss Oilmaster today. Samples are available.
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