Day: 14 July 2000

Sale of mercury thermometers banned

Ann Arbor City Council, Michigan banned the sale, import and manufacture of mercury thermometers in the city this week. Ann Arbor's ban is consistent with national mercury elimination initiatives in healthcare.

US Government selects forty toxic waste sites to develop for community use

The Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Carol M. Browner, announced on Thursday that forty of the nation’s worst hazardous waste sites would be awarded $4 million to help put them into “productive, economically viable use."

European Commission takes action against Italy and Ireland

The European Commission is taking action against Italy and Ireland for failure to respond to Commission queries on environmental complaints. A second warning letter is being sent to these Member States, reflecting the Commission’s concern that it is not receiving the usual degree of co-operation it expects.

EPA left chromium hazard report unpublished for five years

A Washington pressure group has used the Freedom of Information Act to release a five year old Environmental Protection Agency & Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health report into the hazards of hexavalent chromium. The study showed lung cancer rates almost doubled in plant workers exposed to the chemical.

New environmental research company offers funding

A new research centre in Austria is offering funding to companies for environmental research and development, specifically concerning water and sludge treatment.

Twin study finds “environment has the principal role in causing sporadic cancer”

Data on nearly 50,000 pairs of Scandinavian twins has enabled a research team to learn more about the relative importance of inherited and environmental factors in causing cancer.

Desire for efficiency spells bright future for water treatment equipment

There is a growing desire amongst commercial-scale water treatment equipment customers to focus on factors such as the prevention of limescale formation and pipe corrosion. A new study by an international marketing consulting company, Frost and Sullivan, shows the increasing need of companies to maximise their efficiency.

Packaging waste has decreased by a third, says industry association

New statistics have revealed as false the commonly held notion of an increasing European mountain of packaging waste. According to the packaging industry association, The European Organisation for Packaging and the Environment (EUROPEN), the amount of packaging going to final disposal is decreasing sharply.

Adult asthma has more than doubled in 20 years

Asthma in adults has more than doubled in the last twenty years, says new research conducted in Scotland and published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ). The research suggests that the increase may be due reactions to environmental allergens.

BNFL agrees to take back reprocessed nuclear fuel from Japan

In the latest chapter in the saga of Sellafield’s falsified fuel data, British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) announced on Tuesday that it had agreed to compensate the Kansai Electric Power Company £40 million, and to return the reprocessed nuclear fuel to the UK. In return, Kansai Electric has decided to lift the suspension on new fuel and reprocessing business.

Wind Power faces bleak future under new electricity rules, experts say

The UK’s wind farms are expected to be severely hit by the new legislation, known as New Electricity Trading Arrangements, or NETA, which requires a guaranteed output from all electricity suppliers - which is not the case at present.

N&P launches world’s first “carbon neutral” mortgage

On Monday 17th July, Norwich and Peterborough Building Society (N&P) says it will become the world’s first mortgage lender to offer a "carbon neutral®" mortgage.

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