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Synopsis

Item 1

UN Seeks To Cut Risks From Pesticides In Poor Nations

The World Health Organisation estimates that each year there are 25 million cases of pesticide poisoning and as many as 20,000 unintentional deaths, primarily in poorer countries. Long-term regular exposure to pesticides often causes chronic illnesses.

In many of the poorest countries, storage of farming chemicals does not meet minimal standards. Highly toxic products are easily available while protective clothing is often too expensive for poor farmers or impossible to wear in humid and hot environments.

The revised code outlines practices that will minimise potential risks from pesticides and urges strict standards during the whole life cycle of a product, including development, regulation, production, use and disposal.

Item 2

UK Green Power Boost Will Raise Costs Sharply

A report to the government last year recommended Britain raise its renewables target to 20% by 2020 as part of its strategy to cut emissions of greenhouse gases which many scientists blame for causing climate change.

The main factor pushing up the costs is the unreliability of renewable energy, especially wind power, which means more investment will be needed in short-term balancing and in gas-fired power stations to ensure security of supply.

Other costs include extending the grid if wind farms are built in remote locations off north-west Scotland and Wales.

Item 3

Scientists Warn Of Environment Danger Of Wildfires

The Indonesian fires started mainly as timber and plantation companies tried to clear land and then spread due to a prolonged drought blamed on the El Nino weather phenomenon - a swell of warm water in the Pacific Ocean that affects global weather patterns. Scientists warned that more fires would lead to higher emissions of carbon dioxide unless policies are changed to control land clearance by fire.

Item 4

Ford Launches "Close-Loop" Aluminum Recycling Programme

Previously, the recovered aluminum was sold to the general scrap market in combination with other metals, thus diminishing both its quality and value and making it unsuitable for reuse in autobody applications.

Ford invested nearly $400,000 in modifications to the existing separation system to produce "clean" aluminum scrap. It is remelted and rolled once again into automotive sheet. This loop can be repeated virtually indefinitely because aluminum does not degrade when recycled.

The recycling of aluminum requires only 5 percent of the energy used to produce the primary metal. Recycling also eliminates 95 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with primary production.

Item 5

Researchers On The Trail Of A Bioremediation Solution For PCBs

PCBs stick around because bacteria and fungi cannot digest the PCB molecules. The research group has adopted a twofold strategy to identify what aspect of PCB breakdown the bacteria are having trouble accomplishing and then breed the bacteria to improve their talent to fully digest PCBs.

The findings are a breakthrough for the first aspect and their work could eventually create a bioremediation system to breakdown PCBs into ecologically safe molecules.

Item 6

Impacts Of Particulates On Health Assessed

Summary

It was reported that meeting an EU legislative target to cut ambient concentrations of particles under ten microns in diameter (PM10) to
20m g/m³ by 2012 would prevent almost 12,000 premature deaths annually in the cities. This equates to 43 per 100,000 of population. Current average PM10 concentrations range from 14 to 73m g/m³ in the study cities.

The particulates target was also set in a 1999 directive that imposes an intermediate PM10 limit of 40m g/m³ by 2005. Meeting this earlier goal would prevent 9 premature deaths per 100,000 population annually. The European Commission released figures translating the health impacts of particulates into economic terms.

Reference

Item 7

EPA Releases Butadiene Health Assessment

The major environmental source of butadiene is incomplete combustion of gasoline and diesel fuels. EPA said it is substantially reducing emissions of butadiene through mobile and stationary source standards. For motor vehicles, the largest contributors to butadiene, EPA projects that emissions will be reduced by more than 50 percent from 1996 to 2020 through efforts such as the reformulated gasoline programme, the mobile source air toxics rule, and motor vehicle emissions standards and gasoline sulfur control requirements.

Item 8

Control Phthalates In Older Kids' Toys

Phthalates are used to make plastics flexible without sacrificing strength or durability. Animal studies have shown that phthalates can damage the liver, kidneys, lungs and reproductive system. In Western Europe, about one million metric tons of phthalates are produced each year and about 90% of which are used to plasticise polyvinyl chloride. The phthalates can leach into children's saliva if toys are sucked.

The industry has been slow to develop alternatives because few countries have introduced bans going wider than items designed to be sucked or chewed. The Danish importers and retailers have promised solutions within one year.