Month: August 2001

Vinyl flooring, vinyl wallpaper and PVC gloves contain large quantities of the biocide tributyltin (TBT)

A new investigation by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) means that yet another source of the total environmental loading from TBT has been identified in the form of vinyl flooring, vinyl wallpaper and PVC gloves.

Small to medium-sized companies have poor perception of environmentally-friendly vehicles

Only 14% of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are considering using so-called environmentally-friendly vehicles as part of their fleet over the next three years, and a mere 3% have any now, according to a new survey.

The Environment Agency has decided to approve waste disposal from nine nuclear facilities

Following public consultation, the Environment Agency has published its recommendations to largely approve British Nuclear Fuel’s (BNFL’s) application for permission to dispose of waste from eight Magnox nuclear power stations around the UK, and from the research and technology facility at Berkeley Centre.

US and Canadian leaders commit to Kyoto obligations

The governors of the six US New England states, which include two Republicans, have committed alongside the premiers of five eastern Canadian provinces to achieve 1990 levels of greenhouse gases within 10 years, in effect shunning President Bush’s rejection of the global treaty.

More than one hundred innovative new environmental projects get the green light

The European Commission has decided to co-fund 103 new projects across the Community, providing one third of the total €180 million (£112 million) budget which are all targeted at priority environmental areas.

Conservative leadership candidates spare a thought for the environment

Both of the final candidates in the Conservative party leadership election have announced that they believe in the importance of environmental issues, with Kenneth Clarke promising a commission designed to produce new and radical solutions to environmental problems, and Iain Duncan Smith calling for greater encouragement of public participation in environmental protection.

EU’s waste water directive could threaten coastal wildlife

The European Union’s stringent Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive is rapidly reducing nutrients being deposited into coastal areas, cutting the numbers of molluscs and worms in these areas, which could result in starvation for coastal birds, reports The Economist magazine.

Archaeologists call for protection of peat bog as ancient record of past environments

British archaeologists are calling on the Government to speed up the protection of the UK’s most important peat bogs and designate them as Special Areas of Conservation due to the significance of the archaeological and environmental evidence that they contain.

New Government oil storage regulations could cut pollution incidents by 2,500

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is claiming that new oil storage regulations to be introduced over four years will cut pollution incidents by up to 2,500 by the year 2005.

Outbreaks of cholera and hepatitis A in Ukraine blamed on poor water quality.

Local authorities in a Ukrainian resort have tried to hush up a cholera outbreak, news sources say, while 20 people have been hospitalised with hepatitis A in a separate case of water contamination.

Paris’ anti-car measures create traffic chaos

The mayor of Paris’ decision to promote public transport and bicycle use at the expense of private cars has caused massive traffic congestion in a month when the city’s roads are at their emptiest.

Landfill gets protection

A landfill site has won protection in the United States as a National Historic Landmark.

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