Under the proposed draft legislation, which is aimed at reducing EU's emissions of carbon dioxide, new buildings throughout the European Union would have to comply with minimum EU energy efficiency standards.

Builders would be obliged to follow the standards when constructing new buildings and when renovating existing ones of over 1,500 square metres. All houses, flats and offices would be required to have certificates explaining their energy efficiency to potential buyers or renters. Heating and cooling equipment would be subject to regular inspections to ensure they are maintaining their efficiency standards.

The European Parliament wants amendments to be made to the noise management directive proposed by the European Commission (EC), which sets no numerical bounds on noise levels and mandates no abatement action.

The Parliament wants the Commission to propose specific directives with binding noise emission standards for commercial vehicles (taking into account their engines, tyres, and bodywork), motorcycles, trains and aircraft when they land and takeoff.

THE National Toxicology Program (NTP; Research Triangle Park, NC) has released draft toxicity reports showing "clear evidence" of carcinogenicity associated with exposure to acrylonitrile and ortho-nitrotoluene.

Tests by NTP show that acrylonitrile is carcinogenic to both male and female mice exposed to doses of 10-20 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, while ortho-nitrotoluene was found to be carcinogenic in male and female rats which were exposed to 25, 50, and 90 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.

Acrylonitrile was chosen for testing because of the potential for human exposure and its classification as a probable human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

The regional air quality agency has decided that the Southern California school districts, as well as private companies that provide school bus services, will have to phase out old, diesel-soot spewing buses and replace them with natural gas buses. The move is aimed at protecting the health of the children.

Many school transportation providers, however, warned that the decision would hurt school districts as the natural gas buses cost US$24,000 to $30,000 more than diesel buses.

The rule will apply to fleets of at least 15 buses, and will take effect in Jul 2001.

Researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have developed a new catalyst that could reduce harmful nitrogen oxides from diesel engine emissions by half. These reductions are critical to meeting emission requirements and fuel economy goals in diesel vehicles.

The researchers found that zeolite catalyst, combined with an electrically charged gas or plasma, was effective in reducing nitrogen oxides from vehicle exhaust emissions. Their lab studies showed that the process could reduce NOx by more than 90 percent. Laboratory tests have also shown the potential for soot reduction by the catalyst.

CSIRO, Australia has developed a new energy-saving technique to clean up or recycle effluent produced by industrial processes more efficiently and cheaply.

This new technique, which makes use of an environmentally benign catalyst, cleans up process and effluent streams by breaking down substances into smaller, less harmful and biodegradable substances through an oxidation reaction.

The catalytic process does not require extreme conditions such as high temperatures and pressures, unlike other catalytic cleanup systems, and is adaptable to a range of industrial process and effluent streams, including those produced by pulp mills, tanneries, alumina refineries, dairies and textile industries.

The magazine, New Scientist has warned that the repair in the ozone layer could hamper the world's ability to cleanse itself of deadly pollutants, which in turn could result in potential suffocation of the human race in a deadly smog.

Mr Jeremy Webb, the New Scientist's editor said that unless the amount of pollution is cut, we could end up facing a horrendous dilemma: mend the ozone layer and suffocate in smog, or leave the ozone layer damaged and let hydroxyl radicals in the air clean up our atmosphere.

Hydroxyl radicals oxidise pollutants, making them water-soluble so that they are washed down by the rain. Ironically, hydroxyl radical formation is enhanced by UV radiation and if the ozone layer is repaired, hydroxyl radical levels will decrease, leaving loads of smog pollutants in the atmosphere.

UN weather experts announced that the protective ozone layer over the North Pole appears to have stabilized after years of thinning. However, they cautioned that the gain might be temporary.

Scientists from the UN's World Meteorological Organization say the recovery may be attributed to a warmer than usual winter and the current peak in the 11-year cycle of the sun, and not to global cuts in the use of harmful chemicals.

The sun is now moving back into an 11-year period of declining radiation, meaning the production of ozone will be at its lowest in 2006. Also, a return to colder winters would likely cause Arctic ozone levels to fall faster.