Environment Report 30 Apr 2001 to 6 May 2001

TABLE OF CONTENTS

S/N

Title

Synopsis

I. Subject Area: Environmental Policy and Regulations

1

EPA to tighten controls on toxic emissions from vehicles

The United States Environmental Protection Agency is evaluating the need to tighten controls on emissions of hazardous air pollutants from cars and trucks.

2

The route to lower pollution from buses

The Israel Environment Minister decided to issue injunctions against the directors of bus companies to force them to limit the pollution emitted from buses.

II. Subject Area: Environmental Technology

3

Screen test to detect mercury in fish

Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute in California develop a fast and easy test to screen for the presence of mercury in fish.

4

Researchers target ultrasound for cleaning water

Researchers from the Purdue University in United States discover the sound frequencies that could degrade certain pollutants most efficiently. This discovery could help pave the way for water cleansing systems that use ultrasound.

III. Subject Area: General Environmental News

5

NO_x control drawbacks

Researchers in the United States and Japan warn that efforts to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides could increase the levels of methane in the atmosphere and exacerbate global warming.

6

Great Britain opens the door for green energy research

The UK Trade and Industry invests in a new partnership called Integration of New and Renewable Energy in Buildings which would look into ways of reducing carbon dioxide emissions and accelerating the growth of renewable energy products in UK.

7

Air quality of major Chinese cities

The China Environmental Monitoring Center has released a report on the air quality in 42 major Chinese cities.

SUMMARY REPORT

Period Covered : 30 Apr 2001 to 6 May 2001

Item 1	EPA to tighten controls on toxic emissions from vehicles
Summary	The United States Environmental Protection Agency had recently listed 21 chemicals as mobile-source air toxics. These substances which include volatile organic compounds such as benzene, 1,3-butadiene, and formaldehyde as well as metallic compounds and particulates are known or suspected to cause serious health effects including cancer. The agency is conducting a technical analysis of the emissions of these 21 chemicals from motor vehicles and to evaluate the need to tighten controls on their emissions by mid-2004. The controls would target at vehicle technology or the formulation of fuels.
Reference	Chemical &Engineering News, 9 Apr 2001, Page 21

Item 2

The route to lower pollution from buses

Summary

The Israel Environment Minister decided to issue injunctions against the directors of the Egged and Dan Bus cooperatives to force them to limit the pollution emitted from buses. These injunctions, which allow the Environment Ministry to charge the CEOs of the bus companies if they fail to meet the criteria set, are rooted in the law for the prevention of environmental hazards.

The buses are emitting particles and carbon monoxide in large quantities, which are unacceptable in most large cities of the developed world. Carbon monoxide and particulates are the main pollutants that are responsible for the thousands of deaths from respiratory diseases each year. The measures to lower pollution included the installation of particulate filters and catalytic converters on the fleets of buses belonging to the two companies, convert to the use of natural gas and the introduction of newer bus models. Although the implementation of these measures would cost several million shekels, it will help to lower emissions of carbon monoxide and particulates by tens of thousands of tonnes.

Reference

http://web.lexis-nexis.com/api.universe/snews/documentDisplay?-docnum=24&ansset=ge..

Item 3	Screen test to detect mercury in fish
Summary	Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute in California have developed a fast and easy test to screen for the presence of mercury in fish. Most of the mercury that enters lakes, streams, rivers and oceans come from power plants that burn coal and municipal and medical waste that contains mercury-tainted trash. Fish absorb mercury through their gills or through their digestive systems when they feed, and the poison builds up in their tissues. The screen test uses enzymes to separate mercury from the flesh of fish and a change in the colour of the solution will indicate the presence of mercury. The test only takes a few hours and is relatively non-invasive because a single fish scale can be used to test for the contamination. The detection limit of the test is 0.05ppm of mercury.
Reference	http://www.enn.com/news/enn-stories/2001/05/05042001/tunatest_43310.asp

Item 4	Researchers target ultrasound for cleaning water
Summary	Researchers from the Purdue University in United States have discovered the sound frequency that could degrade certain pollutants most efficiently. This discovery could help pave the way for water cleansing systems that use ultrasound. Ultrasound causes bubbles to form and collapse in water. When the bubbles collapse, gases inside the bubble are brought to high pressures and temperatures for a very short period of time and this short period of time is all that is needed to degrade organic contaminants. The reaction can be so energetic that it gives off light and this phenomenon, known as sonoluminescence, can be used as a way of measuring the pollution-destroying efficiency of different sound frequencies. The frequencies that produce the most intense flashes of light are the most efficient at destroying the pollutants. The advantage of the ultrasonic systems is that it can operate under a wide variety of conditions and can tolerate large ranges of temperature. The ultrasound techniques could provide better alternatives to conventional methods that add chemicals to get rid of the organic contaminants. Although the researchers had made headway into the use of ultrasound for cleaning water, the efficiency of the system needs to be improved before it could become a practical remediation technique.
Reference	http://www.gnet.org/news/newsdetail.cfm?NewsID=15921&image1=2

Item 5	NO_x control drawbacks
Summary	Researchers from the University of California and the Frontier Research System for Global Change in Yokohama conducted a study of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) emissions from aircraft and cars. They found that although NO_x produce short-term warming by increasing short-life tropospheric ozone, in the longer term, they have a net cooling effect by reducing methane and even ozone. Thus controls on NO_x emissions will slightly increase long-term warming. The research was based on a new method of quantifying short-term chemical interactions based on expansion of a previously published research describing a tropospheric chemical transport model, which determined the effects of short-lived regional emissions on long-term global climate. They said that carbon monoxide (CO) emission is often associated with NO_x creation and combined emissions of CO and NO_x always result in global warming but decisions to control NOx alone would produce an unwanted effect on long-term warming.
Reference	Environment Business News Briefing, 26 Apr 2001, Page 6

Item 6	Great Britain opens the door for green energy research
Summary	The UK Trade and Industry Secretary has invested in a new industry partnership called Integration of New and Renewable Energy in Buildings (INREB), which would look into ways of reducing carbon dioxide emissions and accelerating the growth of renewable energy products in UK. With building heating systems exhaling 45 percent of all UK carbon dioxide emissions, the partnership should give UK a boost in meeting the ambitious targets set following the Kyoto agreement for the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 2010. The partnership should also help secure the UK's place as a world leader in renewables industry that could provide an estimated 500,000 additional European Union jobs in 2005. The UK Trade and Industry Secretary said that the investment in the partnership would have an impact on the future of UK manufacturing and industry and ensure that good ideas are properly developed and that researchers understand the potential that their work offers industry.
Reference	http://www.pollutiononline.com/content/news/articles.asp?DocID={D36CFAB-3D7F-11D5..

Item 7	Air quality of major Chinese cities
Summary	The China Environmental Monitoring Center released a report on the air quality in 42 major cities in China. The 42 cities monitored by the center included the four municipalities of Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Chongqing, provincial capitals, and major cities in economically developed coastal areas. The center classified the air quality in China's urban areas into five levels: Level I or excellent (pollution reading not exceeding 50) Level II or fairly good (pollution reading: 51 to 100) Level III or slightly polluted (pollution reading 101 to 200) Level IV or poor (pollution reading: 201 to 300) Level V or hazardous (pollution reading: over 301) Out of the 42 cities, 9 were classified as excellent, 16 classified as fairly good, 7 classified as slightly polluted, 7 classified as poor and 3 classified as hazardous.
Reference	http://web.lexis-nexis.com/api.universe/snews/documentDisplay?_docnum=9&_ansset=Ge..

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S/N	Title		Synopsis
I. Subject Area: Environmental Policy and Regulations
1		EPA to tighten controls on toxic emissions from vehicles	The United States Environmental Protection Agency is evaluating the need to tighten controls on emissions of hazardous air pollutants from cars and trucks.
2		The route to lower pollution from buses	The Israel Environment Minister decided to issue injunctions against the directors of bus companies to force them to limit the pollution emitted from buses.
II. Subject Area: Environmental Technology
3		Screen test to detect mercury in fish	Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute in California develop a fast and easy test to screen for the presence of mercury in fish.
4		Researchers target ultrasound for cleaning water	Researchers from the Purdue University in United States discover the sound frequencies that could degrade certain pollutants most efficiently. This discovery could help pave the way for water cleansing systems that use ultrasound.
III. Subject Area: General Environmental News
5		NO_x control drawbacks	Researchers in the United States and Japan warn that efforts to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides could increase the levels of methane in the atmosphere and exacerbate global warming.
6		Great Britain opens the door for green energy research	The UK Trade and Industry invests in a new partnership called Integration of New and Renewable Energy in Buildings which would look into ways of reducing carbon dioxide emissions and accelerating the growth of renewable energy products in UK.
7		Air quality of major Chinese cities	The China Environmental Monitoring Center has released a report on the air quality in 42 major Chinese cities.