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Toxipedia: L

Latex

Latex may be natural or synthetic. Natural Latex is found in nature as a milky sap-like fluid within many plants that coagulates on exposure to air. It is a complex emulsion in which proteins, alkaloids, starches, sugars, oils, tannins, resins, and gums are found. In most plants, latex is white, but some have yellow, orange, or scarlet latex. Natural Latex is biodegradable. It can also be made synthetically by polymerizing a monomer that has been emulsified with surfactants.

LDPE

Also referred to as PE. It comes in the form of high density PE (HDPE) or low density PE (LDPE). Examples of HDPE are milk and detergent bottles. LDPE may be found in the form of bags, film or wrapping.

lead

Lead is a one of the most hazardous heavy metals. It has numerous severely toxic effects. Lead poisoning is also cumulative. Ingestion and inhalation are the most dangerous ways for lead to enter the body. Lead has been outlawed in gasoline and house-paint, but it is often used in ointments and hair dyes.

Life Cycle Assessment

'LCA', also known as 'life cycle analysis', 'ecobalance', and 'cradle-to-grave analysis is the investigation and valuation of the environmental impacts of a given product or service caused or necessitated by its existence. The goal of LCA is to compare the full range of environmental and social damages assignable to products and services, to be able to choose the least burdensome one.

Light Emitting Diode (LED)

Light emitting diodes, commonly called LEDs, are real unsung heroes in the electronics world. Among other things, they form the numbers on digital clocks, transmit information from remote controls, light up watches and tell you when your appliances are turned on. LEDs have several advantages over conventional incandescent lamps. For one thing, they don't have a filament that will burn out, so they last much longer. Additionally, their small plastic bulb makes them a lot more durable. They also fit more easily into modern electronic circuits. But the main advantage is efficiency. In conventional incandescent bulbs, the light-production process involves generating a lot of heat (the filament must be warmed). This is completely wasted energy, unless you're using the lamp as a heater, because a huge portion of the available electricity isn't going toward producing visible light. LEDs generate very little heat, relatively speaking. A much higher percentage of the electrical power is going directly to generating light, which cuts down on the electricity demands considerably.

linear alcohol ethoxylate

linear alcohol sulfonate

linear alkyl sulfonate

low impact dyes

These dyes use a cold water process and a low fabric to water ratio. They are engineered to react twice with the fabric before bonding with water. This way, less dye is expelled in the water waste. These dyes save water and energy in the dying process.

Lumens

Lumens are a measure of light intensity.

Lux

unit of illumination in the International System of Units. One lux (Latin for "light") is the amount of illumination provided when one lumen is evenly distributed over an area of one square meter.