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These energy-efficient bulbs have come a long way since they were introduced, but misconceptions about them linger. We asked the experts to shed some light on the issue.
By Karen Aho, MSN Real Estate
This oft-cited statistic is irresistibly appealing: If every homeowner were to replace light bulbs in five fixtures with energy-efficient bulbs, greenhouse-gas emissions would be reduced by the equivalent of taking 10 million cars off the road.
But when MSN Real Estate ran a story on congressional efforts to ban the old incandescent bulbs within a decade, many readers were skeptical, questioning the safety and cost of the replacement du jour, the compact fluorescent bulb (CFL). And they’re not alone.
We turned to the experts to clear up some of the more common claims.
The claim: CFL bulbs are bad for the environment; they contain mercury, a neurotoxin, which is released into air and groundwater when the bulbs are thrown out.
CFL bulbs each contain up to 5 milligrams of mercury, about 1/100th the amount in a thermostat or dental amalgam, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (See this list for other products that contain mercury.) But with sales soaring, more bulbs could break in dump trucks or be crushed at landfills, releasing mercury vapor and raising exposure in those areas.
Nonetheless, the total amount of mercury released into the atmosphere would still be reduced, scientists say, because CFL bulbs use much less energy than incandescents. Less energy used means less coal burned at power plants. Coal, which accounts for more than half of America’s power supply, contains the natural element mercury, which is released into the atmosphere when the coal is burned.
While the federal government does not classify CFL bulbs as hazardous waste requiring special disposal, officials recommend the bulbs be recycled and environmentalists are trying to make it easier to do so.
In short, if you’re concerned about mercury in the environment, say the experts, work to reduce coal-fired power-plant emissions by converting to CFL bulbs. Then recycle those bulbs.
“We recognize mercury as a toxic pollutant, but this is not the amount of mercury or mercury in a form that we are really worried about,” says Julia Bovey, federal communications director for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
The claim: It is expensive and difficult to dispose of CFL bulbs safely.
Recycling is typically free for the consumer. How difficult it is to find a place to do it, however, depends on where you live and how easily you can change your habits. People are accustomed to throwing small objects like light bulbs into the trash. But CFL bulbs require special recycling, to remove and reuse the mercury, and can’t simply be tossed in with the glass recyclables.
Efforts are under way to encourage more stores to open recycling centers, as IKEA has done, so that recycling a bulb can be as easy as buying one. Ask your local retailers if they will accept the used bulbs now or in the future.
To find other recycling programs in your area, check this EPA map or visit Earth911.org. The bulbs should not be incinerated.
The claim: CFL bulbs are no better for the environment than incandescent bulbs: Mercury is still released into the environment during production.
The production of CFL bulbs does emit more mercury than that of incandescents. But even that amount is still offset by how much less energy — a.k.a. coal burning — the bulbs later use. An incandescent bulb will require an amount of electricity that results in a power-plant emission of 10 mg of mercury; by contrast, a CFL bulb will require electricity that results in the emission of just 2.4 mg of mercury, according to the EPA. So CFLs still come out well ahead.
“Overall they’re mercury negative,” says Bovey. “If you’re concerned about mercury, using highly efficient light bulbs is one of the cheapest, quickest ways to get mercury out of the environment.”
The claim: If a bulb breaks, mercury may be released and pose a health risk.
While the glass in CFL bulbs is sturdy, if it does break the mercury will vaporize inside the room, possibly taking an hour or so to completely clear. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends these clean-up steps, which on first glance can appear alarming: Open windows, leave the room for 15 minutes, don gloves to sweep, and dispose of the waste in two sealed plastic bags.
However, the amount of mercury that would be released from breaking a CFL does not exceed the recommended limits for safe exposure.
Helen Suh MacIntosh, an associate professor of environmental health at Harvard University’s School of Public Health, posted the math at treehugger.com: If one CFL bulb containing 5 mg of mercury broke in a 25-cubic-meter bedroom (medium size) then vaporized immediately, which is unlikely, the exposure would average .025 mg per cubic meter over an eight-hour period, below the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard of .05 mg per cubic meter averaged over eight hours.
Environmental groups say they would not promote the bulbs if they thought they posed a health risk.
“I’ve discussed this at length with our doctors and scientists on staff here and they would say the same,” Bovey says. “They want people to worry about what happens if there’s lead in the toys they buy for their children, not what happens if a light bulb breaks.”
The claim: CFL bulbs produce a harsh, narrow, cold light that is difficult to read by. They cause headaches, nausea and eye irritation in some people.
This was once more true than it is today, users say.
Incandescent lights have a filament that heats up and emits a steady stream of light. Fluorescent lights, on the other hand, have a separate unit that manages electrical current to trigger chemical changes that produce light.
Poor-quality or older-model bulbs that don’t have an optimal current-management system will flicker, says Stephanie J. Anderson, of Osram Sylvania, a bulb manufacturer. This flicker might not be consciously perceived by the human eye, but it can cause eyestrain, leading to headaches and discomfort.
However, the technology has improved to a surprising degree. Some who couldn’t read by CFL bulbs are able to now. And CFLs now come in different color options. A recent review by Popular Mechanics found that people actually preferred the glow of new CFLs to incandescents.
The claim: CFL bulbs make noise and emit an odor.
CFLs have been guilty of these in the past, but experts attribute both to poor-quality or fading ballasts.
CFL ballasts contain a small electrical transformer, which can emit an odor when it fails, says Vestal Tutterow, a senior program manager at the Alliance to Save Energy, a Washington nonprofit that promotes energy efficiency.
A poorly working transformer could also hum. High-quality bulbs do not make noise. “Hear your light? That’s not something that you want it to do,” says Sylvania’s Anderson.
Any electrical unit that smells or sounds odd could be a fire hazard and should be checked out if the problem continues with different bulbs.
The claim: CFL bulbs are not safe to use in an enclosed space because they contain mercury.
The mercury used in CFL bulbs — about the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen — is encased and is not released during the bulb’s use.
“If there was a crack in the glass of a CFL, then the gas would escape from it and it wouldn’t function,” Tutterow says. “So there’s no risk of mercury exposure during the normal operation of a CFL.”
Tests by the Consumers Union and Underwriters Laboratories Inc. found no mercury release even in bulbs where the transformers had burned and released an odor, says Donald Mays, senior director of product safety planning for the Consumers Union.
“The mercury was still contained in those bulbs,” Mays says.
The claim: CFL bulbs are too expensive.
Ever wondered why businesses almost all use fluorescent lights? Because for years they have known this fact: They save money.
In the 1980s, fluorescents went compact, and the price has come down dramatically, from $15 just five years ago to $3 today and dropping. That’s still more than a 75-cent incandescent, though, right?
Wrong. CFL bulbs last seven to 10 times longer, so they pay for themselves in one or two years. In addition, they use a quarter of the electricity. Depending on the wattage, one CFL bulb can represent $30 to $60 in savings over its lifetime. (For a fun explanation of how this works, check out this video on the Alliance to Save Energy’s site.)
To save more money, keep an eye out for store promotions (often secretly subsidized by utility companies) offering CFL bulbs for a dollar or less.
The claim: CFL bulbs don’t cost that much more to produce than standard bulbs; customers are simply being overcharged.
Incandescent technology is simple and old — a metal filament is heated to the point where it emits light. Fluorescent technology is more complicated, and therefore more expensive to produce.
First, the bulbs have two parts. In addition to the lighting tube, there is an electronic ballast, which contains an electric chip and other components to regulate the electrical current. Making small ballasts is what allowed fluorescents to go compact.
The second innovation was to twist the long tubing into the shape of a small bulb for use in home fixtures. At present, each of those twisty tubes is blown by hand, says Anderson. (Machines shape the glass for incandescent bulbs.) A mechanical process has yet to be developed.
“There’s a race to achieve that, believe me,” Anderson says. “Whoever comes up with that technology first will be in a very attractive position.”
Mark Kohorst, a senior manager at the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, points out that competition also prevents any price inflation. “It is about as competitive a market as you can get,” he says. “If these guys up their price a couple cents, there’s another guy who’s going to undercut them in a minute.”
The claim: CFL bulbs burn out more quickly than advertised.
Energy Star bulbs typically come with a guaranteed life span. Sylvania’s, for example, come with a seven- to 10-year warranty. A bulb could burn out early for several reasons:
* It was used in the wrong fixture. Putting a standard bulb where a specialty bulb needs to go — a dimmer or vibrating ceiling fan, for example — can shorten its life.
* The wattage was too high. Read the label, as the wattage differs from that of an incandescent. For comparisons and more, see the EPA’s Energy Star site.
* Bad luck. Millions are made; a few might be faulty. Return the bulb for a refund.
The claim: CFL bulbs are too bulky for use in some fixtures and can’t be used on dimmer circuits.
This used to be true, but CFL technology and design is improving by the year. Specialty bulbs are available for dimmers, three-way lights, chandeliers, recessed enclosures, vibrating fans and more. It’s important, however, to use the right bulb. For pictures, information and a cost calculator, see this page at GE Lighting.
The claim: Removing incandescent bulbs will make the room colder; the traditional bulbs create and use heat, which helps provide warmth.
This is true! Incandescents generate so much heat that only 10% of their energy is used to produce light. But the location and timing of light use doesn’t often coordinate with when and where heat is desired, so it’s generally wasted energy.
Source: http://realestate.msn.com/Improve/Article2.aspx?cp-documentid=6022543
updated 8:49 p.m. CT, Wed., Oct. 8, 2008
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says Puerto Rico’s agriculture department faces more than US$260,000 in fines for allegedly violating federal pesticide and worker protection regulations.
EPA regional administrator Alan Steinberg says the agency inspected field offices throughout the U.S. Caribbean territory in 2007 and 2008 and found several violations. He said in a statement Wednesday that pesticides were used inappropriately and workers were put in potential danger.
The EPA said workers are supposed to receive training and equipment to protect them from harmful chemicals.
Officials with the Puerto Rican agriculture department could not be immediately reached for comment.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27093208/
Scientists and engineers are getting some wild ideas from the wild kingdom
Introduction: Gecko glue and other natural wonders
Courtesy of Kellar Autumn and Steve Scherf
Introduction: Gecko glue and other natural wonders
By John Roach, contributor
Vacationers have gazed in wonder as a gecko, shown here, scurries across the wall of their beachside cabana. Several years ago, scientists learned that the attractive force of millions of tiny branching bristles on the gecko’s footpads is the factor behind the lizard’s superb grip and equally stunning zippy-clean release. Now those scientists are making a variety of adhesives that mimic the technique, raising the possibility of wall-climbing robots, hair-friendly bandages and, yes, even gloves that could someday allow vacationers to scurry after their four-footed friends.
Plastic as hard (or as soft) as a sea cucumber
Fred Carpenter file
Plastic as hard (or as soft) as a sea cucumber
When normally soft and pliable sea cucumbers are alarmed, they secrete chemicals that stiffen their skin in a matter of seconds, acting as a sort of body armor. Scientists borrowed the basic idea and used their own ingredients to make a plastic material that goes hard to soft when exposed to water. The material is being developed for biomedical implants such as microelectrodes for the brain. Other potential applications might one day give Viagra some competition.
Speedy swimsuit takes its cue from shark skin
Swimmer Michael Phelps won a record-breaking eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, a feat primarily chalked up to his years of training and physical gifts. But his Speedo swimsuit, fashioned with fabric inspired by the shape and texture of sharkskin, may have provided an edge. The skin of a shark varies in roughness that corresponds with variations in the flow of water over its body. Speedo started incorporating the design into their swimsuits in 2000. The most recent iteration, the Fastskin FZR Racer, was worn by 89 percent of all medal winners in the Beijing swimming competitions, including Phelps.
Spitting beetles inspire jet sprayers
Courtesy of Andy McIntosh/Leeds University
Spitting beetles inspire jet sprayers
The bombardier beetle wards off ants, frogs, birds and other enemies with powerful jets of hot, toxic fluid. The trickery lies in the mixing together of a chemical concoction in a sort of combustion chamber in the insect’s abdomen, with inlet and exit valves determining the precise blend. Scientists at Leeds University in England have built an experimental contraption, shown here, that mimics the process and shoots a spray 13 feet. They are now working with a company that funds biomimetics-related research to build devices such as pharmaceutical inhalers and fire extinguishers.
Drone flies like a seagull
Rick Lind, an engineer at the University of Florida, turned to scrappy seagulls for lessons on how to build remote-controlled spy planes equipped to find their way around tall buildings and swoop along the boulevards that make up many modern-day battlefields. The prototype that Lind holds in this image is based on the ability of the seabirds to flex their wings at the shoulders and elbows. Straight elbows provide maximum stability; the elbows-down position increases maneuverability for the dips, dives and rolls.
Materials repel dirt like a lotus leaf
The lotus leaf is a symbol of purity and cleanliness: Water drops bead up and roll off the leaf’s waxy, water-repellent surface, washing away specks of dirt in the process. The secret comes down to tiny bumps on the leaves’ surface, providing no room for droplets to accumulate. In recent years, scientists have translated the design into self-cleaning materials that range from clothes and windows to the insulators used on high-voltage power lines. This scanning electron microscope image shows the bumpy surface of a lotus leaf.
Bird designs help keep bullet train quiet
The Shinkansen Japanese bullet train is among the world’s fastest, capable of zipping between cities at nearly 200 miles per hour. It is also surprisingly quiet, thanks to noise-dampening designs inspired by the feathers of owls and beaks of kingfishers. Serrations similar to those that allow owls to fly stealthily through the night were incorporated into the device that connects the train to overhead electrical wires. The train’s nose resembles a kingfisher’s beak. The design permits the birds to dive from air to water with minimal energy loss, and allows the trains to exit tunnels without emitting low-level sonic booms.
Future armor could be fishy
Soldiers on future battlefields may wear a coat of armor like the one that has encased an African fish, shown here, for nearly 100 million years. The U.S. Army funded engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to tease apart exactly how the multiple material layers of each scale are arranged to protect the ancient fish, Polypterus senegalus, from predators. They reported the results in the summer of 2008 and plan to transfer the design to structural materials such as armor.
A beetle’s ‘White Album’
The cover to the Beatles collection known as the “White Album” has nothing on the brightness of scales covering the Cyphochilus beetle, shown here. The scales are 10 times thinner than a human hair and whiter than most substances found in nature. Scientists discovered that each long and flat scale has three-dimensional structures that scatter all colors of light simultaneously, thus appearing a brilliant white. By mimicking the structure, engineers envision new materials ranging from brighter paper to whiter teeth.
Boxfish styling makes car fuel efficient
Chrysler admits that the boxfish, a reef-dwelling amphibian, looks anything but streamlined and agile at first sight. But upon closer inspection, scientists and engineers at the auto manufacturer had a change of heart. They copied the fish’s aerodynamic shape and the structure of its rigid, protective skin to produce a concept vehicle, shown here, that is stable, fuel-efficient and durable. Though a production model will never see the light of day, the company plans to incorporate many of the design elements into future cars.
Sometimes materials are not as environmentally friendly as you think
Concrete seems like an durable and all natural building material, but its “chief ingredient is Portland cement, which is heated to 5,000 degrees during manufacturing and lets off high carbon emissions,” says Corey Freed, the principal of organicARCHITECT, a green architecture firm in San Francisco.
By Matt Woolsey
updated 11:56 a.m. CT, Sun., Aug. 3, 2008
Gay Browne and her husband Tony have set out to build the greenest house in Montecito, Calif., in a small gated community near the ocean. They’ll find the task much simpler than when they pursued the same green goal, in 1994, in Pacific Palisades, outside of Los Angeles.
Back then, builders had no idea about which materials were truly sustainable or were start-to-finish green, as opposed to being “greenwashed” — materials and appliances that might purport environmental friendliness through advertising or a fancy seal, but are environmentally detrimental. When Gay needed countertops, she took a Geiger counter to a rock quarry to find the stones with the lowest radiation levels; she even found the one insulation maker in the country that used cotton batting instead of environmentally harmful fiberglass. In other words, she had to do everything herself.
Today, Browne, as the founder of greenopia.com, a site that helps consumers distinguish between those products that are highly efficient and have a low footprint from those that are masquerading as environmentally conscious (likely to take advantage of the growing green-materials market), has a much better idea as to what home-building materials and procedures are the greenest. The site is now a go-to resource for truly green construction, as buying greenwashed materials isn’t just the slightly less environmentally friendly alternative; these products can increase your carbon footprint significantly.
Enthusiasm despite the downturn
The remodeling market has slid with the housing market. Starting at the end of 2005, activity in remodeling has been decreasing steadily, according to the National Association of Homebuilders’ Remodeling Market Index. David Seiders, the NAHB’s chief economist, estimates that the market will further weaken through 2008. However, research from the NAHB and the American Institute of Architects indicate that green building is a growing component of the overall sector, and that green contractors have longer backlogs.
As a result, an increasing number of products are being positioned as green to take advantage of one of the few growing segments of housing. The most common false claim involves hidden trade-offs, according to research from TerraChoice Environmental Marketing, an Ottawa-based firm that, in November 2007, tested 1,000 household products making green claims. A good example of a hidden trade-off is concrete, which seems green once you own it, but is environmentally harmful to produce.
“Concrete is very durable, all natural and technically recyclable,” says Eric Corey Freed, the principal of organicARCHITECT, a green architecture firm in San Francisco. “But its chief ingredient is Portland cement, which is heated to 5,000 degrees during manufacturing and lets off high carbon emissions.”
How a product uses energy over its life makes a big difference as well. Carpets, for instance, might be made from sustainable fibers or recycled soda bottles. Assuming it’s not backed with vinyl, which some are, think about the idea of the carpet itself. It requires cleaning, vacuuming and collects dust and pollen more than hardwood does. You need to amortize every extra watt it will require — and sneeze it will cause — over its life.
Supply-chain uncertainties
Another problem stems from how global supply chains work. Very few green operations are completely vertically integrated, meaning that it’s rare for a company to own and operate every phase of the manufacturing process. From the time a piece of bamboo is harvested in China to the time it’s installed as flooring in an Omaha living room, it’s often gone through the hands of multiple companies — some green, some not so much.
While the flooring company in Omaha can truthfully say that it’s using sustainably harvested wood (though bamboo is technically a grass), the shipping and trucking companies used to get the materials from China might not be green-oriented, and the factory where the bamboo is pressed might bond it with formaldehyde, or use a toxic finishing product.
“Consumers are looking for easy answers, and when I shop I prefer to see a logo on something and just buy it,” says Scot Case, vice president of TerraChoice. “But the biggest piece of advice I have is don’t buy a product because it has some green dot on it unless you understand exactly what that green dot means.”
If a company doesn’t chart all the materials used, makes claims on only one component of its sustainability, or makes no mention of manufacturing techniques, it’s important for consumers to call companies and demand a material safety data sheet, which details every material used in the product, its disposal instructions, what sorts of gasses it emits, its level of toxicity and disposal instructions.
But another important tactic is conservation. For example, PaperStone and Richlite make high-end, recycled countertops that will more than likely outlive you, but so will your current granite countertops. Another good example is linoleum floors, which don’t off-gas anything harmful, are easy to clean, aren’t toxic and will last 25 to 50 years. Neither granite nor linoleum is as green as post-consumer compressed paper countertops or bamboo floors, but if you throw away the old floor and countertop in a landfill just for the sake of switching to a greener material, you’re not doing a lot to reduce your footprint.
When a remodel is absolutely necessary, however, take the phone book out from under the short leg of the table, and look up salvage yards. In many cases, older is greener.
“Salvage companies are inherently green,” says Freed. “We have clients who buy a new house and want to remodel it, and will throw away a perfectly good toilet and bathtub because it’s the wrong color. If we can’t change their mind, we try to salvage it.”
Though if you’ve got a flair for design and carpentry, you might want to refashion what wood or metals you’re throwing away. As anyone who’s ever been to an artisanal furniture store can attest, old barn doors and rafters are converted into high-cost furniture.
“I really like the antique look of reclaimed stuff,” says Browne. “But they really do mark it up.”
© 2008 Forbes.com
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25740603/
In 2008, green building is expected to represent 6 percent of the industry
The SmartHome exhibit on the grounds of Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry was designed to show the public how easy it can be to incorporate environmental sustainability into their own houses.
updated 11:55 a.m. CT, Sun., Aug. 3, 2008
CHICAGO – The bathroom tiles are recycled wine bottles. The hardwood floors are sustainable bamboo. And the sprawling garden gets sprinkled with rainwater collected in 300-gallon barrels.
From its recycled plastic deck to its solar-paneled roof, everything in and about the 2,500-square-foot home on exhibit just outside of the Museum of Science and Industry has been designed to show the public how easy it can be to incorporate environmental sustainability into their own abodes.
“We tried to look for ideas in every choice that we make in our homes … hoping that everyone who goes through it will be inspired to make some change on some level,” said Michelle Kaufmann, the Oakland, Calif.-based architect who designed the SmartHome. “Some people will walk away and want to do an entire new home or some people will think when they go for their towels next and go for organic linens.”
In fact, green housing is growing even while the overall housing market is suffering, said Nate Kredich, the council’s vice president for residential market development.
This year, green building is expected to represent 6 percent of the residential construction industry, according to a survey conducted by McGraw-Hill Construction Research & Analytics for the U.S. Green Building Council. That’s up from just 2 percent in 2005.
“It is happening. But the industry needs to do a better job of getting information into people’s hands when they’re looking for it,” Kredich said.
Embracing conservation
The goal of the Chicago exhibit, which runs through January, is to show visitors that saving energy and conserving resources are within reach of everyone — whether it’s an entire house or a single feature, museum officials said.
The modular home, which Kaufmann said uses less than half the energy and a third of the water of traditional homes, includes a kitchen with a countertop composter and a sink made from concrete and fly ash — a byproduct of burning coal. Water from the bathroom sink is diverted to the toilet, where it is used for flushing. A bicycle in the children’s bedroom must be pedaled for 30 minutes to charge a battery to power video games.
Visitors receive a resource guide that tells about the function of each feature, how they’re assembled and where they can be purchased. The bicycle system, for example, was homemade from parts bought on an electronics Web site.
Jasmine Davis, 23, of Park Forest, who visited the home with her mother said the exhibit gave her tips for her own apartment. “I like not making a negative impact on the Earth,” Davis said.
“It’s got so much to be said for it because it uses nature and natural materials,” said Robert Richards, 70, of Santa Monica, Calif., who visited with friends. “It’s open. You bring the outside in and you can even bring the inside out. It’s a house built for humans. It’s plausible in real life.”
David Johnston, who owns an international green building consulting firm in Boulder, Colo., said the exhibit is a great way to educate the public about green possibilities, but he hopes that the home’s ultramodern architecture doesn’t leave visitors with “the impression that green building has to be modern, weird, solar, ugly.”
“One of the things that’s fundamental to green building is that it can look like anything. It can be a regular Craftsman house or a Cape Cod house in New England or an adobe house in Santa Fe. You don’t have to change what the home looks like to make it green.”
Informed decisions
Anne Rashford, the museum’s SmartHome project manager, said nobody expects that people will try to recreate the exhibit home.
“But we hope people will make informed decisions when they’re building, when they’re renovating,” Rashford said.
While it can be tough for homeowners to figure out where they’re going to get the most green payback for their money, Kaufmann and Johnston agree overall energy usage and building materials will attract homeowners to a green house.
Johnston suggests rolling the costs of energy-saving features into the mortgage by choosing quality insulation and solar panels during the building phase. Kaufmann says homeowners could spend $1,000 on an energy-metering system that provides a dashboard for power usage.
“Once I can see in real time how my behavior translates to my usage, I can make changes,” she said. “These homes will actually cost less.”
Johnston, who has written a book on green building, said being energy efficient beyond existing building codes, conserving resources, recycling and improving indoor air quality truly make homes green.
“If you’re very clever, if you’re a do-it-yourself kind of person, you can do one room at a time and achieve your ultimate goal,” he said.
Kaufmann said homeowners are ready.
“It’s no longer a question if people want to go green or not. They do,” Kaufmann said. “People are wanting an alternative.”
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25973344/
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