World Population Awareness

Impacts
May 07, 2008

Impacts Overview
Global Warming
Methane
Air Pollution
Pollution
Water
Oceans
Species Extinction
Too Much Nitrogen
Desertification
Food & Water Shortages
Overcrowding
Genetically Modified Food
Disease & Health Hazards
News

The one process ongoing ... that will take millions of years
to correct is the loss of genetic and species diversity by the
destruction of natural habitats. This is the folly our
descendents are least likely to forgive us. . . . .E.O. Wilson

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The world has added PEOPLE (2.8 /sec. net)
and lost acres of WILD LANDS (1.6 acres/sec)

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The Earth's Life-support System is in Peril - a Global Crisis. Our planet is changing and many environmental indicators have moved outside their range of the past half-million years. If we cannot develop policies to cope with this, the consequences may be huge. We have made progress. Life expectancy and standards of living have increased for many, but the population has grown to six billion, and continues to grow. The global economy has increased 15-fold since 1950 and this progress has begun to affect the planet and how it functions. For example, the increase in CO2 is 100 PPM and growing. During the 1990's, the average area of tropical forest cleared each year was equivalent to half the area of England. The impacts of global change are complex, as they combine with regional environmental stresses. Coral reefs, which were under stress from fishing, tourism and pollutants, are now under pressure from carbonate chemistry in ocean surface waters from the increase in CO2. The wildfires that hit the world last year were a result of land management, ignition sources and extreme local weather probably linked to climate change. Poor access to fresh water is expected to nearly double with population growth. Biodiversity losses, will be exacerbated by climate change. Beyond 2050, regional climate change, could have huge consequences. The Earth has entered the Anthropocene Era in which humans are a dominating environmental force. Global environmental change challenges the political decision-making process and will have to be based on risks that events will happen, or scenarios will unfold. Global environmental change is often gradual until critical thresholds are passed. Some rapid changes such as the melting of the Greenland ice sheet would be irreversible in any meaningful timescale, while other changes may be unstoppable. We know that there are risks of rapid and irreversible changes to which it would be difficult to adapt. Incremental change will not prevent climate change, water depletion, deforestation or biodiversity loss. Breakthroughs in technologies and resource management that will affect economic sectors and lifestyles are required. International frameworks are essential for addressing global change. Never before has a multilateral system been more necessary. Will we accept the challenge or wait until a catastrophic, irreversible change is upon us?
No mention of the success that voluntary family planning has been, and how meeting the unmet need for contraception and reducing maternal and infant mortality is vitally important for reducing population growth fast enough. January 20, 2004 Herald, The (UK)

World Bank Says Vietnam's Environment is Rapidly Deteriorating. Over the past 10 years Vietnam's economy has doubled but its natural environment, including one of the world's most biologically diverse ecosystems, has deteriorated rapidly. 10% of the world's species are in Vietnam, but, of Vietnam's endemic species, 28% of mammals, 10% of birds and 21% of reptile and amphibian species are now endangered due to habitat loss and hunting. In 10 years Vietnam's cultivated land area has increased 38%, but 50% of the land has poor soils due to human activity. Even though the amount of forested land area has increased, their quality has decreased. 96% of the country's coral reefs are severely threatened, and over 80% of its mangrove forests are lost. Poverty has been reduced from 70% of the population to about 35% but only 0.85% of the national budget goes to environmental protection. September 18, 2002 Associated Press

Global Environment Reaches Dangerous Crossroads. Worldwatch Institute has released State of the World 2001. A loss of political momentum on environmental issues has coincided with signs of accelerated ecological decline; for example, the breakdown of global climate talks. The Arctic ice cap has already thinned by 42%, and 27% of the world's coral reefs have been lost. Natural disasters, due mostly to environmental degradation, have cost the world $608 billion over the last decade - as much as in the preceeding 40 years combined. Climate models show the Earth's temperature rising by as much as 6 degrees above the 1990 level by 2100. The impacts would be acute water shortages, declining food production, and the spread of deadly diseases like malaria and dengue fever. Due to population growth, people have had to settle in flood-prone valleys and on unstable hillsides, where deforestation and climate change have increased their vulnerability to disasters such as Hurricane Mitch. More clean, renewable energy is needed. For example, Iceland is pioneering an effort to harness geothermal and hydropower to produce hydrogen fuel for automobiles and fishing boats. And three oil companies are moving "beyond petroleum" to alternative energy investments. There needs to be stronger enforcement of treaties, and for increased North-South cooperation` with the help of environmentally and economically influential E9 countries: China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Russia, Japan, South Africa, and the European Union, together which account for nearly three-quarters of global greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. alone uses more than one third of the world's transport energy. While on the good side, global production of CFCs dropped by 85% between 1986 and 1997, on the other hand, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 100,000 underground storage tanks in the United States are leaking and that nearly 60% of wells sampled in agricultural areas in the US in the 1990s contained synthetic pesticides. World meat consumption has climbed from 44 million tons in 1950 to 217 million tons in 1999, an increase of nearly fivefold. This growth is roughly double that of population growth, and raised meat intake per person has increased worldwide from 17 kilograms in 1950 to 36 kilograms in 1999. February 16, 2001 World Watch Institute

Nearly Half of Earth's Land Has Been Transformed by Humans. Humans have gravely altered the chemistry, biology and physical structure of the Earth's land and water, according to the latest findings on the "human footprint on Earth."

Half of the mangrove forests, which serve as estuaries in the tropics, have been lost to a combination of coastal development and conversion to aquaculture.
Global aquaculture now accounts for more than one-quarter of all fish consumed by humans. In the case of shrimp and salmon -- the fastest growing segment of aquaculture -- two to three pounds of fish are needed to grow one pound of the raised seafood. Thus this practice is depleting the oceans of food for wild fish, birds, and marine mammals.
About 3000 species of marine life are in transit in ballast water of ships around the world, resulting in a serious invasion of non-native species in our waterways. A minor but increasing contributor to the problem is escape of non-native fish and plants from aquariums.
There are now some 50 'dead zones' in the world's coastal areas, she reported. The largest in the Western Hemisphere is in the Gulf of Mexico, caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus flowing down the Mississippi River

July 30, 1999 Eureka Alert

People and Ecosystems, the Fraying Web of Life.

Half of the world's wetlands were lost last century.
Logging and conversion have shrunk the world's forests by as much as half.
Some 9 percent of the world's tree species are at risk of extinction; tropical deforestation may exceed 130,000 square kilometers per year.
Fishing fleets are 40 percent larger than the ocean can sustain.
Nearly 70 percent of the world's major marine fish stocks are overfished or are being fished at their biological limit.
Soil degradation has affected two-thirds of the world's agricultural lands in the last 50 years.
Some 30 percent of the world's original forests have been converted to agriculture.
Since 1980, the global economy has tripled in size and population has grown by 30 percent to 6 billion people.
Dams, diversions or canals fragment almost 60 percent of the world's largest rivers.
Twenty percent of the world's freshwater fish are extinct, threatened or endangered.

March 2000 United Nations Development Programme

Widespread Decline in the World's Ecosystems. The human impact on natural ecosystems has reached dangerous levels, even significantly altering the Earth's basic chemical cycles, says a new report, World Resources 2000-2001: People and Ecosystems, The Fraying Web of Life. The report paints a dismal picture of over-fished oceans, over-pumping of water for farming, destruction of coral reefs and forests, even too much tourism, with human population growth and increasing consumption as the two principal drivers of the decline. The report was released by the the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UNEP, the World Bank and the Washington DC-based World Resources Institute (WRI). Over 175 scientists contributed to this global research effort, which took more than two years to complete. The report grades the health of coastal, forest, grassland, and freshwater and agricultural ecosystems on the basis of their ability to produce the goods and services that the world currently relies on. "For too long we have focused on how much we can take from our ecosystems, with little attention to the services that they provide," said Thomas Johansson, Director of UNDP's Energy and Atmosphere Programme. "Ecosystems provide essential services like climate control and nutrient recycling that we cannot replace at any reasonable price." The world's population has tripled since 1980, to the current 6 billion people, and is expected to grow to 9 billion by 2050. By then, economists predict that the global economy may expand by a factor of five. Consumption of everything from rice to paper to refrigerators to oil has risen in tandem with the population -- all at a cost to ecosystems. Demand for rice, wheat, and maize is expected to grow 40% by 2020, pushing water demand for irrigation up 50% or more. By 2050, demand for wood could double. The sponsors of the report said that the study faced limitations and called for a larger, more comprehensive effort to monitor and compile information on current ecosystem conditions, and to analyze the effects of future changes in ecosystems. This larger effort is called the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and hopes to bring the best available information and knowledge on ecosystem goods and services to bear on policy and management decisions. September 15, 2000 BBC/World Resources Institute

New Analysis of World's Ecosystems Reveals Widespread Decline. A pioneering analysis of the world's ecosystems reveals a widespread decline in the condition of the world's ecosystems due to increasing resource demands. The analsysis, by the World Resources Institute (WRI) warns that if the decline continues it could have devastating implications for human development and the welfare of all species. The analysis examined coastal, forest, grassland, and freshwater and agricultural ecosystems. The health of the each ecosystem was measured, as based on its ability to produce the goods and services that the world currently relies on. These goods/services include production of food, provision of pure and sufficient water, storage of atmospheric carbon, maintenance of biodiversity and provision of recreation and tourism opportunities. The analysis shows that there are considerable signs that the capacity of Earth's ecosystems to produce many of the goods and services we depend on is rapidly declining. To make matters worse, as our ecosystems decline, we are also racing against time since scientists lack baseline knowledge needed to properly determine the conditions of such systems. ENN

What Estate Will Our Century Leave? . Will our great- grandchildren inherit a desiccated husk of a once shimmering planet, and curse us for a legacy of droughts, plagues,storms and hardscrabble moonscapes? The four-fold increase in humans and the advent of the consumer society - have made the end of the millennium a cusp of history. Affluent consumers in Hong Kong want exotic fish and presto! Poachers in the Philippines destroy vital reefs to meet that demand. In 1998 the Yangtze floods, which resulted in damage of 3,000 dead and $80 billion, were exaggerated by deforestation of the watershed. Millions of workers in China and Russia are plagued with pollution-related ailments. U.S. policy makers seem to be negotiating with nature and debate how much warming might be averted for how much economic pain. In a Scripps Howard poll in 1998, 61% of those questioned agreed: global warming is happening. New threats: the release of synthetic estrogens, compounds that appear in everything from plastics to pesticides, is messing up the endocrine systems of innumerable species, including humans. MSNBC.com

Impacts for the New Millenium
World energy needs are projected to double in the next several decades, but no credible geologist foresees a doubling of world oil production, which is projected to peak within the next few decades.

* While protein demands are projected to also double in the century ahead, no respected marine biologist expects the oceanic fish catch, which has plateaued over the last decade, to double. The world's oceans are being pushed beyond the breaking point, due to a lethal combination of pollution and over-exploitation. Eleven of the 15 most important oceanic fisheries and 70 percent of the major fish species are now fully or over-exploited, according to experts. And more than half the world's coral reefs are now sick or dying.

* Growing stress can also be seen in the world's woodlands, where the clearing of tropical forests has contributed recently to unprecedented fires across large areas of Southeast Asia, the Amazon, and Central America. In Indonesia alone, 1,100 airline flights were canceled, and billions of dollars of income were lost.

* Environmental deterioration is taking a growing toll on a wide range of living organisms. Of the 242,000 plant species surveyed by the World Conservation Union in 1997, some 33,000, or 14 percent, are threatened with extinction-mainly as a result of massive land clearing for housing, roads, and industries. This mass extinction is projected to disrupt nature's ability to provide essential ecosystem services, ranging from pollination to flood control.

* The atmosphere is also under assault. The billions of tons of carbon that have been released since the Industrial Revolution have pushed atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide to their highest level in 160,000 years-a level that continues to rise each year. As scientists predicted, temperatures are rising along with the concentration of carbon dioxide. The latest jump in 1998 left the global temperature at its highest level since record-keeping began in the mid-19th century. Higher temperatures are projected to threaten food supplies in the next century, while more severe storms cause economic damage, and rising seas inundate coastal cities. January 22, 1999 World Watch Institute

Global Warming

"Today, for every one of the more than 5.8 billion people on Earth nearly six tons of carbon dioxide are spewed into the air annually. As a result of our activities, the atmospheric concentration of this heat-trapping gas has risen by more than 30 percent." 2000 Environmental Defense Fund

Global Warming is a big subject with a page of it's own. Please click here for Global Warming

Pollution, Toxins

The pressures of growing populations on natural resources and corporate greed combine, leading to unhealthy consequences

Africa: Nature's Answers to the Sanitation Challenge. At a prison on the East coast of Africa, inmates are pioneering a sanitation project, working with nature to neutralize human wastes. The initiative, involving the development of a wetland to purify sewage, is expected to cost a fraction of the price of high-tech treatments. The project is to assess using the wetland- filtered water for irrigation and fish farming. Part of the wastewater with high concentrations of human waste will be used for the production of biogas, that can be used as a fuel, cutting electricity bills, saving money and cutting emissions from the 4,000-strong jail. The project, financed by Norway with support from partners including Kenya, Tanzania and the University of Amsterdam. The day and the year are aimed at raising awareness to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals by 2015, that include halving the proportion of people with no access to sanitation from the current 40% of the global population or an estimated 2.6 billion people. Sewage pollution is estimated to cause four million lost ‘man-years' annually in terms of human ill-health, an economic loss of $16 billion a year. The new project in Mombasa highlights there are less costly ways of addressing the problem with important spin-offs. The sewerage collection and wetland purification system costs, including upgrading of sanitary facilities inside the prison, amount to $25 per person served -- a bargain. This does not include reductions of solids that can choke coral reefs and nutrients that can increase de-oxygenated ‘dead zones', cuts in bacterial pollution that can contaminate shellfish and a locale where tourism is important to the local economy. The project is likely to benefit wildlife. Thus, it can assist to achieve the target of reducing the rate of loss of biodiversity by 2010. This is among projects being undertaken under the activities in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO-LaB) initiative. It is others in South Africa using ponds of natural algae to treat wastewaters including sewage. The algae assists in de-toxifying the pollutants and is then harvested as a commercial fertilizer and protein-rich animal feed. The total project cost here is around $188,000 with economic benefits offsetting the price by $50,000 a year. Working with nature it is part of that intelligent decision-making that may prove a faster, more cost effective way of achieving health and poverty goals. March 19, 2008 Africa Science News Service

UAE Development - Skyscrapers Built on Sand. Gulf leaders should wake up to the environmental costs of their rush to attract wealthy visitors. News about urban developments in the UAE has been greeted with a mixture of awe and uncertainty across the world. Growth rates of 16% in the resource-poor emirate of Dubai reinforce optimism, the question remains: who is taking ownership of the sustainability agenda in the UAE? Demand for new developments is ever increasing. In Dubai, hotel occupancy levels are at over 80% and rates are at record highs. Dubai's population is a measly 1.4 million people. And the entire UAE is home to 4.1 million, 80% of whom are foreigners. Are Dubai's plans for 15 million visitors to contribute 20% of GDP are realistic? The strategy of Dubai authorities is "build it and they will come". But with neighbouring emirates also planning expansion, what happens if demand wanes? What is most troubling is the damage they are causing the environment. Palm Islands has clouded Gulf waters with silt. Construction has buried coral reefs, oyster beds and subterranean sea grass, while the disruption of natural currents is leading to the erosion of beaches. March 11, 2008 Ethical Corporation Magazine

New Zealand: Clean and Green? Well, Yes and No. Clean and green isn't the full story, as a new report issued by the Ministry for the Environment on Thursday points out. Environment New Zealand 2007 comes a decade after the first report on the state of the environment. To be produced every five years, it is a measuring tool that will help in decision-making as New Zealand moves towards sustainability. It shows that there is no room for complacency if clean and green is going to be permanently secured. New Zealand is a long way from losing its claim to a special environmental image, and progress has been made in greater use of public transport, protection for some land and waters, better pest management, improvements to waste management and a higher level of recycling. Since 1995 the amount of solid waste disposed of at landfills has fallen from 3.18 to 3.16 million tonnes, but converted to tonnes of waste per thousand dollars of GDP, there has been a 26% drop. The number of landfills has fallen from 327 to 60, most with better environmental controls. The report notes that part of the cause is the introduction of user charges to dispose of waste. Greenhouse gas emissions are up 25% since 1990, partly due to a growing population and economy but the emissions represent less than 1% of the global total; New Zealand is 12th per head of population. There has been a 39% increase in total household consumption expenditure between 1997 and 2006, compared with a population increase of around 11%. About 61% of vehicles are more than 10 years old in 2006, 4% higher than in 2001. Poor air quality, mostly from particulates from wood and coal burned for home heating, affects 53% of New Zealanders. The expanding dairy herd went up 24% to 5.22 million cows between 1996 and 2006 and has brought a reduction in fresh water quality, affected soil health and increased some greenhouse gas emissions. There is no room for complacency if New Zealand is to continue to profit from primary production and tourism and, more importantly to protect for future generations what has for so long been taken for granted. Staying clean and green will require effort and change. February 01, 2008 The Nelson Mail

Increased Corn Production is Damaging Gulf of Mexico, Scientists Say. American farmers are growing more corn and sea life in the Gulf of Mexico is paying the price. The corn crop is fertilized with nitrogen-based fertilizer. And when that nitrogen runs off fields in Corn Belt states, it makes its way to the Mississippi River and eventually pours into the Gulf, where it contributes to a growing 7,900-square-mile patch so depleted of oxygen that fish, crabs and shrimp suffocate. The dead zone was discovered in 1985 and has grown steadily since then. With demand for corn booming, some researchers fear the dead zone will expand rapidly and the ecosystem might change or collapse. Environmentalists had hoped to cut nitrogen runoff by encouraging farmers to apply less fertilizer and establish buffers along waterways. But the demand for ethanol has driven up the price for corn. American farmers, mostly in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota planted more than 93 million acres of corn in 2007, the most since 1933. Corn absorbs less nitrogen per acre. The prime reasons are the drainage systems used in corn fields and the timing of when the fertilizer is applied. The EPA estimates that 210 million pounds of nitrogen fertilizer enter the Gulf of Mexico each year. Farmers realize the connection between their crop and problems but with the price of corn soaring, it doesn't make sense to grow anything else. And growing corn isn't profitable without nitrogen-based fertilizer. The dead zone begins in the spring and persists into the summer. Its size and location vary each year. It was larger in 2002 and 2001, when it covered 8,500 and 8,006 square miles respectively. Soil erosion, sewage and industrial pollution contribute to the dead zone, but fertilizer is the chief factor. Fertilizer causes growth of algae, which dies and sucks up oxygen as it decays. This creates a deep layer of oxygen-depleted ocean. Bottom-dwelling species are most at risk, they can't swim away. Crabbers complained in early 2007 that they pulled up bucket upon bucket of dead crabs. People's livelihood depends on the shrimp, fish and crabs in these waters. The nation needs a comprehensive, federal approach to the problem. Among the ideas: rules to force farmers to use fertilizers with more care, and the establishment of buffer zones to contain runoff.
Karen Gaia says: More people means more demand for corn for food and fuel, which means more poisoning of our own environment. 2008 The Albuquerque Tribune

As China Roars, Pollution Reaches Deadly Extremes. China's rise as an economic power has no parallel in history, and environmental degradation is so severe, that it poses a long-term burden on the Chinese and a challenge to the Communist Party. Public health is reeling and cancer is China's leading cause of death. Air pollution is blamed for hundreds of thousands of deaths each year and 500 million people lack access to safe drinking water. Beijing is searching for a magic formula, to clear its skies for the 2008 Olympics. In industrial cities people rarely see the sun; children are killed by local pollution; and large sections of the ocean no longer sustain marine life. China is choking on its own success. The growth derives from an expansion that requires colossal inputs of energy, almost all from coal. There is pressure for change, but many refuse to accept that we need a new approach so soon. Emissions from China's coal-fired power plants fall as acid rain on Seoul, South Korea, and Tokyo. Particulate pollution over Los Angeles originates in China. The International Energy Agency has said China could become the emissions leader by the end of this year. For the Communist Party, the political outcome is daunting. Delivering prosperity placates the public, provides spoils for well-connected officials and forestalls demands for political change. A major slowdown could incite social unrest, and threaten the party's rule. But officials blame pollution for social unrest. Health care costs have climbed. Water shortages could turn farmland into desert. And the expansion of industries creates dependence on imported oil and dirty coal. China's leaders recognize that they must change course. The government has targets for reducing emissions and conserving energy. Export subsidies for polluting industries have been phased out. Campaigns have been started to close illegal coal mines and close polluting factories. Major initiatives are under way to develop solar and wind power. Environmental regulation have been tightened ahead of the 2008 Olympics. Yet most targets for energy efficiency, improving air and water quality, have gone unmet. Land, water, electricity, oil and bank loans remain relatively inexpensive, even for heavy polluters. Provincial officials often ignore environmental edicts. Enforcement is often tinged with corruption. Chinese leaders argue that the outside world is a partner in degrading the country's environment. Chinese manufacturers make the products that fill stores in the US and Europe. Beijing will accept no mandatory limits on its carbon dioxide emissions. It argues that rich countries caused global warming and should find a way to solve it without impinging on China's development. But the command-and-control political culture accustomed to issuing thundering directives is now under pressure to submit to oversight from the public, for which pollution has become a deadly reality. Industrialization has lifted millions of Chinese out of poverty. But growth came at the expense of the country's air, land and water. A major culprit is coal, on which China relies for about two-thirds of its energy needs. Many of its newest coal-fired plants operate inefficiently and use inadequate pollution controls. Traffic and low-grade gasoline have made autos the leading source of air pollution in major Chinese cities. Only Cairo, among world capitals, had worse air quality as measured by particulates. Emissions of sulfur dioxide are increasing faster than China's economic growth. Other major air pollutants are not widely monitored in China. An even more acute challenge is water. The north, home to about half of China's population, is an immense, parched region that threatens to become the world's biggest desert. Many aquifers have been so depleted that some wells in Beijing and Hebei must extend more than half a mile before they reach fresh water. Chinese leaders have undertaken one of the most ambitious engineering projects in world history, a $60 billion network of canals, rivers and lakes to transport water from the flood-prone Yangtze River to the silt-choked Yellow River. But that will still leave the north thirsty. Water remains inexpensive by global standards, and Chinese industry uses 4 to 10 times more water per unit of production than the average in industrialized nations. The toll water pollution has taken on human health remains a delicate topic. The leadership has banned publication of data for fear of inciting social unrest. An unpublicized report by the Chinese estimated that 300,000 people die each year from ambient air pollution. Annual premature deaths attributable to outdoor air pollution were likely to reach 380,000 in 2010 and 550,000 in 2020. China's environmental agency insisted that the health statistics be removed from the World Bank report, citing the possible impact on â€œsocial stability.â€ The WHO found that China suffered more deaths from water-related pollutants but agreed that the total had reached 750,000 a year. China's pollution is set to get significantly worse, because China has come to rely mainly on energy-intensive heavy industry to fuel economic growth. Today, collusion between government and business has made all but the most pro-growth government policies hard to enforce. The government last year mandated that the country use 20% less energy to achieve the same level of economic activity in 2010 as 2005 and required that emissions pollutants decline by 10%. Chinese leaders reject mandatory emissions caps, and say the energy efficiency plan will slow growth in emissions. But in the first year since the targets were set, emissions increased. Officials have rejected surcharges on electricity and coal to reflect the cost to the environment. The state controls the price of fuel oil, including gasoline, subsidizing the cost of driving. The environmental agency still has only about 200 full-time employees. Environmentalists expose pollution and press local government officials to enforce environmental laws. But private individuals cannot cross the line between advocacy and political agitation without risking arrest. At least two leading environmental organizers have been prosecuted in recent weeks, and several others have received sharp warnings. August 27, 2007 New York Times*

Stricter US Refinery Emission Rules Not Needed-EPA. The EPA has reviewed its policy on refinery pollutants in a settlement with environmental groups, and has susequently declined to update emission rules because the risks to health and environment are low enough. Environmental groups said the rules would put the 90 million Americans who live within 30 miles of an oil refinery at increased risk due to higher exposure to chemicals. The cancer risk from exposure to refinery emissions from the proposal is 70 times higher than federal limits. The Sierra Club said that the evidence shows these standards are not protective of public health. The EPA said the 1995 standards have reduced emissions from refineries by about 53,000 tons per year. The agency could require reductions from storage vessels and wastewater treatment plants at refineries. At the end of a risk-analysis process the EPA must conduct on refinery emissions every eight years, separate but related rules are being ewighed to expand pollution controls on the nation's aging oil refineries. The EPA has issued rules governing the amount of cancer-causing benzene in gasoline. August 23, 2007 U.S. EPA press release

Ozone Hampering Plants' Absorption of Carbon Dioxide. Rising levels of ozone near the ground are damaging the ability of plants to take up carbon dioxide. When affected by high levels of ozone, plants can absorb up to one-third less carbon dioxide. Ozone forms when nitrogen oxides and volatile hydrocarbons meet in sunlight. They come primarily from the burning of fossil fuels, although plants also emit carbon compounds that can participate in the reaction. In the stratosphere, ozone shields Earth from harmful radiation. In the atmosphere, it is an air pollutant that can make it hard for people to breathe. Ozone pollution is high downwind of industrial areas and attacks plants by breaking down their cells, reducing growth and causing premature aging. Ozone levels are creeping upward because of continued burning of fossil fuels. In some areas, ozone levels are above 40 parts per billion. It is projected that 40 parts per billion will be the global norm by 2100 and exceed 70 parts per billion in some areas. The largest reduction in carbon absorption would take place over North America, Europe, China and India but in those areas ozone at higher levels and the capability of trees planted to sequester carbon is going to be limited. July 26, 2007 Los Angeles Times

Challenge to Farm Emissions Rejected. Farms can't be sued over the pollution or odors they emit if they have an agreement with the EPA. The ruling rebuked environmental groups, which sued to change an EPA policy that allows animal operations to skirt environmental laws. Petitioners maintained these operations pollute the air, emit odors that attract flies. They argued that the EPA did not follow proper procedures in crafting an agreement to allow farms to avoid legal punishment for violating emissions requirements. The agreements requires the farms to pay a civil penalty and give the government permission to monitor the facility. Nearly 2,600 animal operations have entered into agreement with the EPA. July 19, 2007 San Francisco Chronicle

U.S.;: Gulf Dead Zone to Be Biggest Ever. This year could see the biggest "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico. Conditions are right for the zone to exceed last summer's 6,662 sq miles (17,255 sq km). It is caused by nutrients such as fertilisers flowing into the Gulf, stimulating the growth of algae. The volume of nutrients flowing down rivers into the Gulf has tripled over the last 50 years. The relatively high nitrate loading may be due to more intensive farming including crops used for biofuels. u An active storm season could change that forecast, as storms mix the seas, dispersing nutrients and algae. July 18, 2007 BBC News

BP Allowed to Increase Waste Discharges Into Lake Michigan. BP received permission from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the U.S. EPA to be exempt from laws that cap the amount of toxins discharged into Lake Michigan. The refinery needs the exemption to proceed with its $3.8 billion expansion and discharges, which are expected to include 54% more ammonia and 35% more sludge daily. The permit is effective for three years, once the expansion is operational. The expansion, which is expected to add 80 jobs, is to be completed by 2011 but an air permit is required before work can proceed. The refinery will reduce the concentration of pollutants by mixing them with clean water 200 feet from the shore. The refinery doesn't have adequate real estate to build a larger waste water treatment plant. It has a waste water treatment plant that's in full compliance. State and federal environmental bodies didn't see any risk with the new permit. But a Gary environmentalist said BP should try harder to protect the environment. It's an important project for the area and the country. We just think they should do the maximum possible to protect the environment. The permit violates standards, which prohibit water quality from being adversely affected by the source of pollution. The Clean Water Act was to stop discharge of pollution into waterways. July 17, 2007 NWI.com

New Tests Needed for Chemicals. Thousands of chemicals should be re-assessed for possible toxicity. Scientists found that conventional tests underestimate how some substances accumulate along the food chain. About one-third of organic substances in commercial use would need re-testing. It is expected most would turn out to be benign. But they all have the potential to be bio-accumulative. The European Union legislation will see about 30,000 chemicals in industrial use tested for health and safety impacts at a total cost of about 10 billion euros ($13bn). A substance found at a certain concentration in plankton will be at a higher concentration in small fish that eat the plankton, still higher in big fish that eat the small fish, and higher still in bears or seals that eat the big fish. Twelve types of toxic persistent organic pollutants have been banned worldwide under the Stockholm Convention. One food chain goes from plankton to fish, the second from lichen to caribou to wolves, and the third from plankton through fish to walruses, seals and polar bears. Arctic wolves top a food chain with lichen at its root. PCB-153 accumulated along all three food chains. But beta-HCH showed accumulation along the lichen/caribou/wolf and marine mammal food chains. Its potential to accumulate would have been missed by conventional tests. Many may be effectively metabolised in the body and disposed of that way. But they should all now be examined using this new measure of bio-accumulation to see if there is a hitherto unexpected threat to health and environmental well-being. July 12, 2007 BBc News

U.S.;: EPA Aims to Get Tougher. The EPA plans to strengthen ozone regulations. The changes could mean restrictions on drivers, workers and industries in North Texas. Some are banning drive-through windows during ozone season, limiting hours for motorists to gas up, restricting the use of off-road construction equipment, banning afternoon Texas Rangers games. It would basically shut down the entire region and the announcement drew widespread criticism, although some fear it does not go far enough to protect those most sensitive to ozone pollution. Nine Texas counties would violate the new standard and motorists in those counties would have to get annual vehicle emission tests, and local governments would have to spend millions of dollars to slash pollution. Further steps would be needed to lower pollution from industrial sources. The problem could be exacerbated by the decision to construct a power plant that will emit as much ozone-forming pollution as 350,000 cars. County Judge Glen Whitley said federal and state regulators should free up money to help the region expand public rail transit. The EPA will conduct public hearings before setting the new standard. The agency's advisory committee recommended that the threshold for ozone be lowered to 70 parts per billion, which would be the strongest standard for ozone in our nation's history. Air monitors in Dallas-Fort Worth measured ozone concentrations of 70 parts per billion or greater 642 times over 73 days. Th EPA's proposal sets up a clash between business lobbyists and health advocates. Expect industry groups to sue the agency contending that the standards go way beyond what the law requires. The agency wants to give those who oppose tightening the standard an opportunity to comment and will allow comments from those who want the standard to be as low as 60 parts per billion. The EPA, estimated that implementing the existing standard adopted in 1997 would cost $100 billion. Groups threatened to sue the EPA saying the standard is nor sufficient to protect children, older adults, people with respiratory ailments and people who work outside. June 21, 2007 Star-Telegram

Reducing Environmental Risks Could Save 13 Million Lives Annually. Tackling environmental risks could save 13 million lives annually. Angola, Burkina Faso, Mali and Afghanistan are among the countries most affected by environmental factors. In 23 of the 192 countries in the report, more than 10% of deaths can be traced to unsafe drinking water and indoor air pollution. In 53 countries in the greater European region, an estimated 1.8 million deaths could be prevented each year if we created a healthier environment. The report stems from health authorities, scientific literature, expert surveys and health data collected by the WHO. WHO officials stressed the report was a preliminary estimate of how environmental factors impact health. Water purification could decrease the incidence of diseases that affect a large number of children. Around the world, children under five make up 74% of deaths due to diarrhea and respiratory infections. 37 children die each day of water-related diarrhea in the greater European region. WHO also suggested using gas or electricity for cooking, improving ventilation and keeping children away from smoke could have a major impact on respiratory infections. Countries must not neglect health matters when focusing on development.
Ralph says: If we reduced the world population [by having smaller families], we could save many lives. Karen Gaia says: reducing the death rate of children and women helps reduce family size. June 13, 2007 International Herald Tribune

Groups Seek Ban on Cleaning Chemicals. Led by the Sierra Club, groups are seeking a ban on nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates in cleaning products. About 400 million pounds of the chemicals are produced each year in the US. Eight petitions have been filed in the last dozen years. The EPA denied the requests. The most recent led to a lawsuit and an agreement by the EPA and the Consumer Product Safety Commission to regulate lead in children's jewelry. The new petition is the first involving an endocrine-disrupting chemical, a phenomenon discovered by scientists in the early 1990s in which artificial compounds mimic estrogen or other hormones. The EPA is developing methods to screen chemicals but currently does not check for such risks when setting standards. Male rainbow trout and other fish exposed to the chemical become part male and part female, producing female egg proteins. The unrestricted manufacture of nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates poses an unreasonable risk to the environment. Human effects are unknown. Workers may be exposed to these chemicals each day. Companies that manufacture or use the compounds say they have been used for more than 50 years and are among the most extensively studied compounds in commerce today. One analysis found that concentrations exceeded standards set by the EPA last year in five of 1,255 sampled waterways. Nonylphenol compounds are used in the manufacture of detergents, paper, textiles, paints, lube oils, tires and other products. In addition to the ban for detergents, the petition is seeking restrictions on other uses and labels on all products that contain them. Some large U.S. companies have stopped using them, including Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Wal-Mart named nonylphenol ethoxylates as one of three chemicals it had asked its suppliers to phase out. The EPA is developing a voluntary program to reward companies that switch to less-toxic cleaning agents. The EU is banning many uses and Canada has set stringent standards. Legal experts say the EPA has limited authority to ban chemicals already in use when the toxics law was enacted in 1976. June 05, 2007 Los Angeles Times

Pesticides Increase Parkinsonâ€™s Risk. People exposed to low levels of pesticides had a 13% higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease, and those exposed to high levels a 41% greater risk. Researchers compared the lifetime of almost 1,000 Parkinson's sufferers with almost 2,000 unaffected people in Scotland, Italy, Sweden, Romania and Malta. The method did not establish which pesticides the sufferers had been exposed to. An accident that causes unconsciousness is even likelier to bring on Parkinson's. Those who had suffered a single knockout had a 35% greater chance of developing the disease, those who had been knocked out more than once more than doubled their risk. Muhammad Ali suffers from Parkinson's syndrome a related condition which most medical experts believe was caused by his experiences in the ring. The risk of developing Parkinson's disease increases according to the level of exposure to pesticides but it would be difficult to establish which pesticides were responsible. The European Commission said that long-term exposure to pesticides could lead to disturbances to the immune system, as well as sexual disorders and cancers. May 30, 2007 Times Online

US California;: Tough Controls on Formaldehyde Enacted. California passed the world's toughest controls on toxic formaldehyde in wood products. Formaldehyde, used as a glue in construction materials, has been shown to cause throat cancer, respiratory ailments and other problems. Formaldehyde is bad. We don't want it in our homes, and stores. It is not healthy. One independent distributor has switched to formaldehyde-free wood products, at the request of large customers seeking environmentally friendly products. But there was fierce debate about how the regulations, would affect consumer prices. California Air Resources Board said it could cost $6 more for a wood panel, but that would add just $400 to the cost of a new $500,000 home. Trade groups testified that the stricter limits could cause prices on wood products to skyrocket. Manufacturers fretted that overseas manufacturers would issue fraudulent paperwork saying the material met the standards. But Columbia Wood said: "We think the industry will be able to comply with no additional costs. We sell for the exact same cost as veneer containing formaldehyde". Scientists said there were conflicting studies on heath risks. But the state's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, said there was no known safe threshold for formaldehyde exposure. Currently there are an estimated 86 to 231 deaths annually from formaldehyde; that would decrease by 35 to 97 deaths. The Home Depot did not return requests for comment, but composite-wood manufacturers said the home improvement chain had recently announced it would abide by European standards allowing minuscule amounts of formaldehyde. Formaldehyde in wood has been banned or tightly regulated in many countries. California will have the most stringent standard in the world for wood resin products. April 26, 2007 Los Angeles Times

Iraq;: Environmental Nightmare Drags On. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers are open sewers. Industrial and hospital waste, fertiliser run-off, as well as oil spills plague the two rivers that define the Mesopotamia region and provide much of the irrigation and drinking water. The natural environment has been devastated by three wars and decades of neglect and mismanagement. The environmental laws were laughable under Saddam. Many of industries were devoted to producing military material, and have been bombed and looted, leaving the country dotted with highly toxic zones. The ongoing conflict also means growing mountains of debris. A study identified 50 hotspots and urged immediate clean up of the worst five. Two have been cleaned up, but at least 40 million dollars is required to meet the report's recommendations. The Iraqui ministry lacks the money, equipment and trained personnel to do much more. It has only been in existence three years and has very limited capacity. There is little data and a need to do basic environmental monitoring. But the security situation means that taking water or soil samples can be a dangerous activity. Towards the end of 2006 there were reports of black oil being pumped into open mountain valleys and leaky reservoirs next to the Tigris River and set on fire. Air pollution is very bad and getting worse. The electrical service has improved and now functions an average of 12 hours per day but the proliferation of gasoline and diesel generators fouls the air. Sewage treatment has seen some improvement, with rehabilitated sewage treatment plants expanding access to more than 5.1 million urban Iraqis. Roughly 3.5 billion dollars in U.S. reconstruction funds remain, and will be spent on water and sewage services and oil production. But the era of the U.S. construction of large infrastructure projects is over. There have been environmental improvements in terms of stronger legislation and awareness of environmental issues. Saddam Hussein's government drained the marshes in the 1980s, destroying up to 90%t of that 9,000-square-kilometre wetland ecosystem. In 2003, a re-flooding programme sponsored by Canada, Italy and conservation groups began bringing approximately 25%-35% percent of the marshes back, along with many birds and other wildlife. Iraq's pollution is without a doubt harming people's health, but that is not an important issue when you can step outside your door and get a bullet in the head. March 22, 2007 InterPress Service

Plant Proposal Irks 'Brockovich' Town. A plant to convert sewage sludge to compost may be built 8 miles outside Hinkley, whose troubles from pollution were made famous by the movie "Erin Brockovich." The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors voted in favor of building the plant eight for processing 400,000 tons of sludge each year. Residents said they were afraid it would produce odor and bacteria-laden dust. About 120 people attended the meeting. Nursery Products LLC, based in Apple Valley, said its plant would be safe and would use only treated sewage. Composting biosolids is safe. We're far away from people, communities and industry. Hinkley was featured in the 2000 film "Erin Brockovich," that portrayed the legal fight of attorney Ed Masry against Pacific Gas & Electric Co. They won a $333 million settlement on behalf of more than 600 Hinkley residents who claimed the utility's tanks leaked carcinogenic poisons into groundwater. Citizens in this area moved to a town with open land and open air hoping to have a safe place for their children to visit. Hinkley residents cannot afford to sue to block the project. March 02, 2007 SFGate.com

Going Downstream: China's Environmental Crisis Weighs on the World. China's environmental pollution has an economic impact on the rest of the world. and is something that the world cannot afford to ignore. China will soon eclipse the U.S. in terms of carbon dioxide emission. Secondly the Asian brown cloud that comes up into the jet streams over to the U.S. and Canada and Mexico is a significant contributor to global pollution. Third, there is desertification in China as a result of a variety of policies. China relies on coal for almost 75% of energy needs. But China's thirst for oil is growing. Over the next 10-20 years, oil consumption in U.S. is going to be flat, but in China is going to grow by leaps and bound which will drive up oil prices. China and India have changed the world oil market. Experts believe that prices won't come down. It's just supply and demand. The biggest contributor to this demand will be China. China's leaders are cozying up to Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, and to the Iranian fundamentalist regime because Iran has the largest natural gas reserves in the world. China is acting as a shield when it comes to economic sanctions against Iran. The Chinese government's five year plan acknowledges the problem of unsustainable development. China has made it a national policy objective to move toward sustainability. But the Chinese economy and its environmental program make it difficult to protect its environment. The U.S. needs to get its house in order if it wants to work with China. The hyper rapid growth of the Chinese economy is putting it into conflicts with the rest of the world. The pollution alone is going to create a health care crisis. The demographic in China works against the country's development as China faces a rapidly aging population. Both China and the U.S. are living beyond their means. The U.S. through irresponsible fiscal and monetary policies; China by stripping its environment. January 15, 2007 New America Media

Mine Water Quality Predictions Often Wrong. Conservationists say water quality predictions prepared by federal agencies during the past 25 years were routinely off the mark in concluding the mines would not cause water pollution. Over three-quarters of the mines reviewed had pollution exceeding water quality standards. Mining officials questioned the inclusion of mines in the study that were abandoned and may not have been built to agreed-upon environmental standards. A mining engineer who authored the conservationists' study said the findings should prompt regulators to better scrutinize proposals for new mines. He compared a proposed Atlanta mine to the closed complex in northern Montana, where taxpayers must foot the bill for treating contaminated water for decades to come. Many of the failures predictions were due to regulators relying on private consultants who have a bias toward satisfying mining clients. A critic of the report said that the mining industry has launched an acid drainage initiative to find ways to better prevent the discharge of pollutants that are leached out of rock during mining and can be deadly to stream ecosystems. She claimed that modern mines monitor water quality and adjust operations to prevent pollution discharge.
Karen Gaia says: The more people there are, the more the demand for mined resources, and the higher the profit for mining, which often leads to corrupt people taking advantage of every loophole they can find. December 11, 2006 Free New Mexican

U.S.;: EPA May Drop Lead Air Pollution Limits. Battery makers, lead smelters, refiners have lobbied the administration to do away with the Clean Air Act limits of lead. The EPA says revoking those standards might be justified given the changed circumstances since lead was listed in 1976. Concentrations of lead in the air have dropped more than 90% in the past 2-1/2 decades. But Rep. Waxman called on the agency to "renounce this dangerous proposal immediately," because lead, can cause nerve damage, especially in children. Soon after lead was listed as an air pollutant 30 years ago, the administration began removing lead from gasoline. Exposure to lead can come from food and soil. Lead is one of six air pollutants the EPA is required to review every five years, the others are ozone, soot, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrous oxides. The health standards for air pollutants are intended to protect children, the elderly and limit damage to animals, crops, vegetation and buildings. In July, a trade group for all U.S. lead battery makers urged the agency to remove lead from its list of air pollutants. That is not to say that air emissions of lead should be uncontrolled, but many other regulatory vehicles exist for meeting these concerns. December 07, 2006 Washington Post

US California;: Dire Health Effects of Pollution Reported. An environmental group concluded that 1,100 premature deaths and half a million absences in 2005 were caused by people breathing emissions from older diesel equipment at an estimated public health cost of $9.1 billion. The report urged state regulators to quickly require owners to retrofit or replace older equipment. The Los Angeles basin fared the worst with 731 estimated premature deaths, in the city and suburban areas such where there has been construction to accommodate growing populations. Parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego and the San Joaquin and northern Sacramento valleys also experienced high health costs from construction equipment. A second study, found an elevated risk of heart attacks for people with clogged arteries after a day or two exposure to diesel soot. One coauthor said the results should prompt heart doctors to advise those with coronary disease to stay indoors on sooty days, or change jobs or move. The particulate matter from diesel engines lodges deep in human lungs. Clouds of soot can drift into heavily populated areas. An estimated 70% of California's construction equipment is not covered by federal and state regulations because it is too old. Federal rules require cleaner-emitting new equipment, but don't cover existing engines. A draft of new regulations for older engines would require all industrial off-road equipment to be replaced or retrofitted between 2009 and 2020. Estimated compliance costs could $3 billion over 11 years but the $60 billion-a-year construction industry is capable of absorbing the costs. The Associated General Contractors, which represents construction equipment owners could not comment on specifics. But he said the industry is dedicated to cleaning up. It would be a costly and lengthy process. A second study found that for every additional 10 micrograms of soot in a cubic meter of air, there was a 4.5% increase in heart attacks. In areas which can experience wide swings in air quality based on weather patterns, the risk of heart attack can be 10 times higher than normal on a bad air day.
Karen Gaia says: another case where the existing population, including recent immigrants, are threatened by the influx of more and more people. Our energy costs are bound to go up because of the increased demand, so pollution controls may have to be sacrificed. December 05, 2006 Los Angeles Times

US Delaware;: EPA's Rules on Pollution Reporting Loosened. U.S. plants that release less than 2,000 pounds of pollution will not be forced to report pollution under changes to EPA rules. The previous threshold was 500 pounds. The move is of interest in Delaware, where 10.3 million pounds of toxic waste were released into the environment from 72 sites in 2004. New Castle County ranks 53rd out of more than 3,000 counties for air pollution. Reporting rules would be eased for companies handling bioaccumulative and toxic compounds. Called PBTs, the compounds -- including mercury and long-lived compounds called dioxins -- would not be reported if companies can show they do not reach the environment. State regulators ordered controls on mercury emissions for the state's power plants, and ordered Claymont Steel to curb releases from its scrap steel recycling operation. EPA said the Toxic Release Inventory changes would reduce regulatory burdens on businesses across the country, saving more than $6 million while encouraging companies to better control or recycle toxic chemicals. Claymont Steel manufactures steel plate from scrap and was recently found to be releasing far more mercury than reported. The Toxic Release Inventory required companies to track and report each year on emissions of 650 pollutants but does not track vehicle emissions. Based on 2004 numbers, dozens of sites would likely be freed from reporting. The changes come despite public opposition. If the change goes into effect, one out of 10 communities would lose all numerical data on toxic chemicals. The EPA said that the changes would create incentives for business nationwide to improve environmental performance and reduce the most toxic chemicals. The proposed changes in reporting would in no way affect the amount of chemicals facilities are allowed to release. The EA estimated a savings of about $7.3 million from the original proposal. The Small Business Administration said the changes would help the nation's small businesses stay competitive while protecting the environment. December 01, 2006 The News Journal

Tons of Mercury Could Hit Market. The Department of Energy acknowledged that it is mulling whether to unload more than 1,300 tons of mercury, after Sen. Obama introduced legislation that would prohibit American exports. The need for mercury has evaporated with the development of less harmful alternatives. If it is sold overseas, scientists are concerned that it will drift back to the U.S. through air pollution. An Energy Department spokeswoman declined to provide details. Mercury pollution is converted into a dangerous organic form that moves up the food chain from fish to people. The government estimated that 410,000 babies are born each year at risk for mercury poisoning. The largest source of mercury pollution is emissions from coal-fired power plants, which are responsible for about half of the 3,000 tons of mercury churned into the atmosphere each year. Bush administration officials have been promoting rules to curb emissions from power plants. Gold mining in developing countries is the second largest source of mercury emissions. Most of the mercury on the world market ends up in small-scale mining operations. The price of mercury has increased during the last five years. Sellers can fetch more than $700 for a 76-pound flask, up from $150 six years ago. The EU is considering a ban on mercury exports. Alternatives will not be adopted by developing countries as long as mercury remains readily available. Two American chemical plants that use large amounts of mercury to make chlorine are shutting down, and Obama is pushing another bill that would require six other chlorine plants to close or switch to mercury-free technology by 2012. Industry representatives have said they are willing to give up the mercury if the federal government agrees to take it. So far federal officials have only agreed to study the issue.
Karen Gaia says: the solution to pollution used to be dilution. Now there is less and less of anything to safely dilute with. November 27, 2006 Chicago Tribune

Canada;: Air Pollutants Up, Water Quality Down. Environment Canada's annual report found that human exposure to ground-level ozone increased an average of 0.9% while greenhouse gas emissions rose 27%. The 758 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent exceeds the reduction target of the Kyoto Protocol by 35%, or 200 million tonnes, making Canada one of the world's highest per capita emitters of greenhouse gases. The ability of fresh water to support aquatic life was `fair' at 34% of 340 selected sites across southern Canada and `marginal' or `poor' at 22%. Many activities that contributed to air and water pollution and to greenhouse gas emissions rose between 1990 and 2004 real gross domestic product increased 47%, and the population grew 15%. Energy production rose 44% since 1990, as a result of increases in the production of natural gas and crude oil. November 23, 2006 Canadian Press

Pressure at Osha to Alter Warning; Author of Advisory on Asbestos in Brakes Faces Suspension for Refusing to Revise it . It took six years to get federal safety officials to issue warnings to auto mechanics that brakes could contain asbestos fibers. But it took only three weeks before a former top federal official reportedly pushed to have them removed. John Henshaw, a former head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, called for the agency to make changes to its warnings. But an OSHA scientist Wainless, who wrote the bulletin about it refused. Last week, OSHA said he would be suspended without pay for 10 days if the changes weren't made. Wainless refused and the advisory bulletin remains. According to the union, OSHA wants the advisory to include studies that say that asbestos in brakes does not harm mechanics. A union letter noted that former OSHA chief Henshaw worked with two consulting firms paid more than $23 million since 2001 by Ford, General Motors and Daimler-Chrysler to help fight asbestos lawsuits. Wainless, a 32-year veteran of the agency, declined to be interviewed. According to OSHA, the need for the warnings surfaced in 2000 when the Seattle Post documented high levels of asbestos being released as mechanics worked on brakes. Industry lawyers sued to have warnings eliminated; industry-funded research found that there is no harm from the asbestos used in brakes. Car and truck manufacturers said they had stopped using asbestos in brakes in the 1990s. The Sun reported an 83% increase in imported brakes with asbestos over the past decade. In the agency's suspension notification to Wainless, it faulted the industrial hygienist, who is an expert on the recognition, evaluation and control of hazardous materials, with failing to have adequate scientific documentation. OSHA allows that asbestos can cause cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma, but it plays down the risk to brake mechanics. "To withhold these warnings to mechanics who have no knowledge of asbestos or believe it's banned is unconscionable," said Harbut, co-director of the Asbestos-Related Cancers at the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit. There is a real fear that the agency will intimidate other employees from doing what's right for the health and safety of the workers.
Karen Gaia says: The more cars there are to be sold, the more car manufacturers can profit by avoiding pollution controls. November 21, 2006 Baltimore Sun

A 'Silent Pandemic' Of Brain Disorders. Exposure to industrial chemicals may be responsible for a "silent pandemic" of brain development disorders affecting millions of children. In an essay published online in The Lancet, researchers identified 202 potentially harmful industrial chemicals that may be contributing to that may be contributing to dramatic increases in autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other brain disorders among children. Roughly half of the chemicals are in common use, but very few have been tested. Of the industrial chemicals known to be toxic to the human brain, only five, lead, mercury, arsenic, PCBs, and toluene have been proven to cause damage to the developing brain. Lead and mercury are among the few chemicals strictly regulated to protect children. But regulation came long after the dangers were first recognized. Almost all children born in industrialized countries between 1960 and 1980 were exposed to substantial amounts of lead from gasoline and this could be responsible for a reduction in average IQ scores. The prevailing thinking is that both genetic and environmental factors play a role in the childhood brain disorders. There is no good evidence linking any single environmental exposure to autism and ADHD. Although these chemicals might have caused impaired brain development in millions of children worldwide, the profound effects are not apparent from available statistics. November 07, 2006 CBS News

U.S. OK'd for Ozone-Destroying Pesticide. The Bush administration won approval for U.S. farmers to use methyl bromide, that was banned under an international treaty nearly two years ago except for uses deemed critical. Growers can use it to kill soil pests for crops in agricultural states. Treaty partners approved use of just over 5,900 tons for those needs in 2008. U.S. stockpiles exceed that amount, but Americans can meet the need by manufacturing more than 5,000 tons of new methyl bromide. This a reduction from the administration's request for nearly 7,100 tons. The decision came over the objections of European nations and the recommendation of the treaty's technical committee. That panel had urged a more substantial cut on grounds that other countries have proved that alternative chemicals and methods can replace methyl bromide. It was a concern that that there were substantial amounts off stock existing, which should be consumed as soon as possible. The outcome brought criticism from environmental advocates. US officials said the inventory is held by 35 companies and is needed to ease growers' adjustment to the methyl bromide phase-out. Many farmers have switched to other pesticides for a 75% reduction in methyl bromide since 1991. The US has spent $150 million on alternatives. November 03, 2006 The Sun Herald

Population Growth Threatens East Asian Coasts. Growing populations and booming economies are threatening coastal areas in East Asia, and the region's coral reefs could face total collapse. The impact of rapid growth on the environment has been severe. Coral reefs face total collapse within 20 years, fisheries, mangrove swamps, reefs, coastal wetlands and sea grass beds are all threatened. Mangroves could be gone within 30 years. Large areas of mangrove in Indonesia and Vietnam have been removed to make way for shrimp farms or to convert into farmland. Some of the main causes are untreated sewage, and rubbish and fertilisers. We use more plastic, and it all ends up in the sea, we keep pumping raw sewage into the sea. Cambodia has no sewage treatment facilities outside the Phnom Penh, and in Indonesia just 3% of urban areas area connect to sewerage systems. China has the capacity to treat less than half its waste water, but it targets to treat more than 70% of urban waste water by 2010. Malaysia should have a sewage treatment system for its entire population of 24-million by 2015. October 23, 2006 IOL.com

UN Reports Increasing 'Dead Zones' in Oceans. There are at least 200 oxygen-starved "dead zones" in the world's seas, a rise of more than a third over the past two years. The algae blooms that suck up oxygen and cause dead zones are triggered by phosphorus and nitrogen from fertilizer, sewage, animal waste, and fossil-fuel burning. Dead zones lurk off the coasts of the U.S., Scandinavia, South America, Ghana, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Portugal, and Britain. There are numerous reasons for combating pollution to the marine environment, from public health to the economic damage this can cause to tourism and fisheries. The dead-zone problem is getting worse; nitrogen pollution of waterways and oceans is expected to rise 14% by from mid 90'slevels by 2030. October 19, 2006 Boston Globe

Antarctic Ozone Hole Biggest on Record. This year's hole in the Antarctic ozone layer is the largest on record. The so-called hole is a region where there is severe depletion of the layer of ozone that protects life on Earth by blocking the sun's ultraviolet rays. Scientists say human-produced gases damage the layer, causing the hole. That's why many compounds have been banned in recent years. From Sept. 21 to 30, the ozone hole was the largest observed, at 10.6 million square miles. The ozone hole is the area with total column ozone below 220 Dobson Units. A reading of 100 Dobson Units means that if all the ozone was brought down to sea-level pressure and cooled to freezing it would form a layer 1 centimeter thick. In a critical layer between eight and 13 miles above the surface, the measurement was only 1.2 Dobson unit. The size and thickness of the ozone hole varies from year to year, becoming larger when temperatures are lower. Because of the ban on ozone-depleting substances, researchers calculated that these chemicals peaked in 2001 and have been declining. Scientists expect a recovery of the ozone layer by 2065. October 19, 2006 Orange County Register

Chemically Dependent Decades After Silent Spring, Pesticides Remain a Menace --Especially to Farmworkers. According to a USDA report, between 1964 and 1982, pesticide use in the U.S. by three yimes, peaking at 600 million pounds annually. This has been accompanied by mounting evidence of their ill effects on public health, particularly that of farmworkers. A study from Canada shows that women who had worked on farms were nearly three times as likely to develop breast cancer. A joint venture of several public-health agencies has revealed direct links between chemical farming and both prostate cancer and retinal degeneration. A link has also been established between pesticide use and Parkinson's disease. The book Silent Spring sparked a backlash against pesticides, which build up over time in soil, groundwater, and the bodies of animals. The chemical industry's response was to promote pesticides that break down rapidly. But they are more dangerous at the time of application. This shifts the risk onto farm ecosystems and farmworkers. The shift occurred later in Mexico and chemicals that had been banned in the US were reappearing in Mexican fruit and vegetables. Use of the quicker-to-break-down chemicals then exploded in the global south, which had tragic consequences for farmworkers. Despite strong standards requiring respirators, rubber coveralls, and other gear, such requirements werey violated by large landowners. Fully one-third California's farmers violated regulations and 88% of the violations stemmed from employer negligence. Many products from the pesticide class of organophosphates-- which began as a nerve gas developed by Germany during World War II, remain legal in the United States. Two months ago, the EPA approved use of 32 organophosphates . Heavy pesticide use helped bring about short-term gains in crop yields and to these firms, pesticide-related deaths and maladies are a cost that lands in someone else's ledger. Farmworker health has become a sacrifice at the altar of cheap food. Consumers owe it to farmworkers to demand an end to, or at least a severe reduction in, pesticide use. October 18, 2006 Grist Magazine

One Study Calls Fish a Lifesaver, Another Is More Cautious. A report about eating seafood was released by the Harvard School of Public Health, and a similar report by the the Institute of Medicine. The Harvard study, said the benefits of eating fish high in omega-3's outweighs risks from contaminants. But Dr. Marion Nestle, a professor at New York University, described the Harvard study as astonishing. "Those of us who have been in nutrition for a long time have seen miracle foods come and go: now it's fish." A professor at Tufts agrees with Dr. Nestle because the evidence is based on observational studies and is not definitive, but it's the best evidence we have. The two studies, which conflict in important aspects, seem unlikely to provide much clarity. ever." Both reports have come under criticism from environmental groups and the Consumers Union. "We are concerned that both reports dismiss concerns about PCB's in most fish." Both studies reinforce advice to eat about six ounces of fish a week, with a caveat for women of childbearing age and children under 12 not to eat swordfish, shark, tile fish or king mackerel and to limit their intake of albacore (white meat) tuna to six ounces a week to avoid mercury. The reality is, 90% of women would exceed government's level for a safe dose of mercury if they ate six ounces of albacore tuna every week. October 18, 2006 San Francisco Chronicle

U.S.;: Firm Must Pay Asbestos Costs. The Supreme Court let stand rulings that require W.R. Grace & Co. to pay $54.5-million for asbestos cleanup in a Montana mining town. The court rejected Grace's appeal. The government is also pursuing a criminal case involving several former executives for concealing health risks at the mine. The asbestos-laden vermiculite was used as insulation in buildings. The mine, opened in 1939 was purchased by Grace in 1963, and produced about 80% of the world's supply. Grace operated the mine until 1992, unleashing an environmental tragedy on the town. Nearly two-thirds of employees with more than 10 years of service tested positive for lung ailments. The cleanup of the town continues, and some residents said the matter would wind up in court again because the ultimate cost of remediation would be much higher than the $54.5 million at issue in the case. The company argued that the EPA's efforts amounted to a long-term rehabilitation, rather than an emergency cleanup. Polluters can be forced to repay the EPA the full cost of cleaning up hazardous substances that pose an immediate risk to the public but face limited charges for long-term remediation. Grace argued that much work was remedial, but the federal courts disagreed. About 12,000 residents of Libby and nearby communities face exposure to asbestos particles being released through documented exposure pathways. The appeals court, upheld a judge's order requiring Grace to repay the EPA's cost. The EPA is committed to making polluters pay. Grace, which filed for bankruptcy said it has spent millions of dollars in Libby. The criminal case, centers on the question of whether company officials failed to warn workers of the dangers of prolonged exposure to vermiculite. The indictments said the officials were criminally negligent.
Karen Gaia says: we have similar asbestos formations in our area. The more houses, schools, and business that need to be built, due to population growth, the more exposure to this type of asbestos. October 10, 2006 Los Angeles Times

U.S. Rules Allow the Sale of Products Others Ban. Other nations have tightened their environmental standards in recent years. Meanwhile, the U.S. EPA hasn't restricted any industrial compounds since an attempt to ban asbestos 18 years ago, and Americans continue to be sold products containing chemicals that raise the risk of cancer, disrupt hormonal systems, or cause reproductive or neurological damage. The U.S. has become a "dumping ground" for goods unwanted elsewhere. China exported more than half a billion dollars worth of hardwood plywood to the U.S., most of it so heavily tainted with formaldehyde that it couldn't legally be sold in China, Europe or Japan. October 08, 2006 Los Angeles Times

Coastal Urbanisation Transforms Oceans Into Garbage Dump: UN. The urbanisation of coastal lands and the dumping of waste and sewage in seas is a major source of marine pollution that could get worse with population growth. An estimated 80% of marine pollution originates from the land. Coastal urbanisation is mostly found in developing countries. A UNEP report noted progress is being made in being made on three of nine key indicators but not for four others including dumping waste water, garbage and excess nutrients from sources like agriculture and animal wastes. There has been a reduction, by 90%, of oil pollution since the mid 1980s. There was a reduction in organic pollutants such as pesticides and chemicals, thanks to the 2001 Stockholm Convention. Almost 40% of the world population lives on a coastal band that takes up only 6.7% of the earth's surface. The population density in the coastal region which was 77 people per square kilometer in 1990 could go up to 115 people per square kilometer in 2025. October 04, 2006 Age

US California;: Schwarzenegger OKs Chemical Exposure Research. California will become the first U.S. state to try to measure how its residents are absorbing chemicals from common products. State health officers will use blood, urine, tissue, hair and breast milk samples collected voluntarily to gauge levels of exposure. There are thousands of chemicals being used in our products in the US. It's important to know how those chemicals are building up in our bodies or how they may be affecting our health.
Karen Gaia says: has life become so difficult that we think we need all these chemicals? October 03, 2006 Tri-Valley Herald

US California;: Calif. Sues Over Auto Emissions. California sued the six largest U.S. and Japanese automakers, claiming carbon dioxide emissions from their vehicles are harming the health of Californians and the environment. The suit argues that the companies have violated public nuisance laws by contributing to global warming and seeks tens of millions of dollars in damages. They filed the suit because the automakers and the federal government have failed to address global warming. California will ask other states to join the suit. A trade group blasted the lawsuit, taking exception with the argument that the automakers aren't doing enough. The industry has embraced clean diesel, flexible fuels and hybrids and has more than 9 million vehicles on the roads that use one of those advanced technologies. Honda said it has a legacy of leadership in fuel economy and low emissions, and is committed to developing environmentally-responsible technology. It supports California's goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions, but it's a matter that should be left to the federal government. California said the top six automakers produce vehicles that emit a total of 289 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in the US each year, 92% of all auto emissions. A lawsuit challenging a California mandate to reduce carbon dioxide emissions is set to go to trial in January. California, nine other states and the city of New York, filed a lawsuit challenging the Bush administration's new fuel economy standards for SUVs and light trucks. California will face two hurdles proving a causal link between auto emissions in California and global warming and quantifying damages. California is basing its case on the state's public nuisance laws because automakers have repeatedly argued that all other state options should be blocked on the grounds that the federal government pre-empts states on matters of national policy. September 21, 2006 Guardian (London)

New Government Formed in Ivory Coast After Toxic Waste Scandal. The president of Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo, named a new government on Saturday, 10 days after a toxic waste dumping scandal forced the cabinet to resign. He changed his environment and transportation ministers, both of whom had come under heavy criticism. Prime Minister Banny, named by foreign mediators to head an interim government, remained in place. Other ministers also kept their posts. Public anger boiled over after poisonous sludge was dumped around the city, protesters dragged the former transportation minister from his car and beat him up. Others burned down the home of the director of Abidjan's port. About 30,000 people have sought treatment, health officials said. Residents have accused the authorities of being slow and not providing enough information about the waste, which was unloaded by a Panamanian ship chartered by a leading world commodity trader, Trafigura Beheer BV, based in the Netherlands. The company has said it advised the Ivorian authorities that the waste needed to be disposed of correctly. The new cabinet grew from 32 to 36 after the Interior Ministry and the Justice and Human Rights Ministry were each split in two. Tensions are likely to remain high as a UN backed transition expires at the end of October. Mr. Gbagbo has said he remains the lawful leader of the country. But rebel and opposition sides have rejected prolonging his mandate. Noxious fumes from the toxic waste still hang over parts of Abidjan. Hospitals have been overrun, and residents have been wearing paper masks to try to filter out the fumes. Specialists brought said it appears to contain hydrogen sulfide, which can be deadly in high concentrations. September 15, 2006 New York Times*

EPA to Ease Industry Rules on Pollution. The Bush administration proposed allowing industries to change how they calculate whether they need pollution control equipment. The oil refinery industry says this would open the way for production of more oil, but environmental groups say the rules allow industry to emit more pollution and save money. The EPA said the proposed rules will make it easier to determine whether changes to a plant or facility require installing pollution control equipment. The rules largely affect oil refineries, pharmaceutical, and chemical plants. U.S. refineries are planning to increase capacity by 1.4 million barrels a day under strict environmental standards. Federal law sets the pollution levels to be reached before pollution controls must be used. When changes are planned operators must determine whether the changes increase pollution over the federal levels and apply for permits. One proposed rule change would allow operators to consider pollution levels equipment separately in determining whether its pollution level has gone up. Currently the total level produced by the affected equipment is considered. It is claimed that current laws are an impediment to companies that want to install more energy-efficient equipment. Opponents said EPA is doing little more than proposing accounting gimmicks to evade installing pollution controls. September 08, 2006 The Associated Press

Male Bass Across Region Found to Be Bearing Eggs; Pollution Concerns Arise In Drinking-Water Source. Male bass in the Potomac River have been found to be developing eggs, and female characteristics have been found in more than 80% of the male smallmouth bass studied in Potomac tributaries. Feminized fish were found in Washington, D.C. The cause is unknown, but utilities are assuring the public that tap water drawn from the river is safe. But some are skeptical: "If they can't tell us what the problem is, then how can they tell us that they've taken it out of the water?" Let's hope the effect in the fish is not transferable to humans - there are enough freaky people in D.C. September 06, 2006 Washington Post

U.S.;: Attention to Locomotives' Emissions Renewed. For years, scientists who measure air pollution assumed that diesel locomotive engines emitted less emissions than diesel trucks but scientists had used faulty estimates of the amount of fuel consumed and understated the amount of pollution generated annually. Diesel locomotives would release more than 800,000 tons of nitrogen oxide and 25,000 tons of soot every year within a quarter of a century. These findings have put pressure on the government to crack down on diesel engine emissions and the EPA hopes to issue draft regulations by the end of the year. They would reduce nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions by 80% to 90%. Soot and smog is linked to premature heart attacks, lung disease and childhood asthma. More than 150 million Americans live in areas with one or both of these pollutants. In 2000, the administration required manufacturers of trucks and buses to reduce their nitrogen oxide and soot emission by more than 90% by 2030; four years later, they put the same requirements on off-road equipment used in construction, farming and heavy industry. Any rule would force manufacturers to redesign their engines and install controls on trains' exhaust. According to railroads spokesman, diesel trains are three times as fuel efficient as trucks and emit a third of the pollution when transporting the same weight over a comparable distance. Trucks emit more than three times as much soot as trains and well over twice as much nitrogen oxide. But by 2030, trains will emit almost twice as much soot as trucks: 25,000 tons to 14,000. Officials say they need tougher pollution curbs on trains to meet the federal air quality standards that will take effect in the next few years. Transportation is probably the toughest nut to crack. The proposed standards for train emissions are important because train traffic will increase in the coming years. Communities located near rail yards experience the highest level of pollution. In the Houston-Galveston area, marine vessels and trains accounted for 41% of the region's off-road nitrogen oxide pollution in 2002. August 14, 2006 Washington Post

While Cutting Back on Mercury at Home, the U.S. Exports it Abroad. Mercury is dangerous to children and women of childbearing age. The U.S. is cutting down ON it and has passed laws to limit mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants. But when it's extracted in the recycling process, it's often sold overseas via TO an almost completely unregulated market. It's used in developing countries in gold mines and chemical plants, then spewed back in the air, where some of it can drift back into U.S. waters. Enviros say the metal should be safely stored and legislators are listening: The European Union has proposed ending mercury exports, and a new bill would do the same in the U.S. August 08, 2006 Chicago Tribune

A Long, Poisonous Wait; as Dioxin Spreads Through State Waterways, the Dep Accuses Two Firms of Intentionally Avoiding a Long-Mandated Cleanup. The federal Superfund ordered, in 1994, that Diamond's corporate successors clean up its river pollution, but the poison Dioxin has spread from Diamond's old plant in Newark to the Hackensack River, Hudson River, Arthur Kill, Kill Van Kull, Newark Bay and New York Harbor. In the meantime, the companies that bought Diamond's assets have financed the scientific literature on all aspects of Passaic River pollution. But in recent weeks, state environmental regulators have stepped up complaints that the companies' studies are scientifically unsound, and have been designed to help the companies avoid the potential cost of removing their toxic waste from the river. Federal officials, under pressure from lobbyists, have allowed the companies to postpone a cleanup, and structure it so taxpayers will shoulder the cost. Executives of the company declined interviews, but their representative said it was only fair that the cleanup costs be shared, since the Passaic contains pollution from other companies and public sewers. Diamond's old factory site, along the river in Newark is covered in cement. Entombed is soil laced with dioxin, that causes disfiguring skin problems and altered liver function in the short term, and cancer, as well as immune and reproductive disorders, in the long term. Diamond acquired its property in Newark in 1951. It manufactured pesticides, including DDT and Agent Orange. Its waste contained high levels of dioxin, and until 1956, the company dumped waste in the Passaic River. The EPA discovered the contamination in 1982, and placed the site on the Superfund list. But the toxic muck at the bottom of the river remained. Diamond sued its insurance companies for the pollution damage, but the courts denied it. In one spot near Diamond's Newark plant, river sediment had 5.3 parts per million, about a half-million times more than what is typically found in an urban river. Many of Diamond's assets were purchased by Occidental Petroleum Corp. in 1986, though most of its environmental liability fell to a spinoff called Maxus Energy Corp., which later changed its name to Tierra. In 1994, under EPA pressure, the companies signed an administrative order compelling them to study pollution in six miles of the Passaic then clean it up. Between 1990 and 2005, scientists retained by the companies published at least 35 studies or papers on Passaic River pollution in academic journals. They also presented their science at conferences and symposia. A review of the research reveals two dominant themes. Dioxin was not as dangerous as believed, and seeking an expensive cleanup was on the wrong track. The cleanup should focus more on a host of other contaminants. EPA staff scientists alleged that the hired scientists were trying to distract the agency and called the companies' research "inappropriate and scientifically unsound." In 2002, the government embraced the companies' view that a sweeping cleanup was called for, not just of dioxin, and that the costs should be shared. The new approach called for a $19 million investigation of 17 miles of the Passaic and Newark Bay, expected to take at least a decade. Federal and state taxpayers would supply $9 million. The other $10 million would come from current and former Passaic River companies. The EPA's said the public money was to pay only for measures that were beyond the scope of the Superfund cleanup. The approach Tierra had been advocating for years. Federal records show that Tierra has spent $1.7 million on federal lobbying in the past six years. State regulators say the current federal approach, will take too long, and that by the time the studies are finished the dioxin will have spread so far it will be less practical to remove it. Campbell issued a directive giving them 30 days to pay for a $2.9 million study on how to clean up the river by dredging and sued the companies to force them to pay for any eventual dredging. In turn, Tierra has threatened to sue the state, as well as Essex, Union and Bergen counties, the cities of Newark and Elizabeth and the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission for contributing to the pollution. An EPA spokeswoman said the agency did not plan to make a final decision until 2011.
Karen Gaia says: It doesn't sound to me like we have a good handle on solving the problems of increasing pollution due to high demands from an ever increasing population and corporate greed. August 06, 2006 The Star-Ledger

Climate Change Raises Market for Environmental Technologies, Clean .... The environmental industry is increasing fast at 1% per year. The highest increase are in water with 34% of the total markets, clean energies 13%, waste for 28%, and noise reduction 2%. Water and clean energies are on the global agenda again. The environment as well as the soaring world population, demands more efficient and safe technologies to deal with these problems. Environmental industry, together with other industries, is indispensable for a high-quality living space. A society with advanced medical technology and food industry has big concern for environmental protection. The spending and investment will proportionally increase. The market for environmental technologies, clean energies, water and so on has shown a great increase, and stock of related companies rise sharply. Markets can be divided into four segments. End-of-pipe, Additive, Integrated and Zero emission. The primary 'end of pipeÂ¹ technologies use conventional methods to meet the minimal requirement of waste. The market totals 676 bn US$ in 2005 and makes up the largest part of the industry. Although Asia has the largest growth rate in the environmental industry, Europe will lead in the technology development. August 03, 2006 European Process Engineer Magazine

BP Says it Won't Increase Pollution. BP will not dump more pollution into Lake Michigan, but critics want to ensure its promises are legally binding. BP pledged it will not invoke provisions of a new permit that allows it to release more ammonia and suspended solids into the lake. BP said it would abide by the more stringent limits in its previous permit as the company moves forward with a $3.8 billion expansion of its refinery. The decision is a victory for opponents who argued the permit undercut decades of efforts to clean up Lake Michigan. BP will search for alternatives to keep pollution out of the lake and scuttle the expansion project if an acceptable solution could not be found. City officials gave BP a report listing technologies at other refineries that reduce ammonia and solids pollution. The report, concluded that BP could upgrade the Whiting refinery's water treatment plant for less than $40 million. BP is paying Argonne National Laboratory and Purdue University's Calumet Water Institute to evaluate more aggressive treatment technologies. Regulators agreed there was not anything the company could do to keep more pollution out of Lake Michigan and concluded there is not enough room at the refinery for the necessary equipment. The permit allows BP to put 1,584 pounds of ammonia and 4,925 pounds of suspended solids into the lake every day, the maximum allowed under federal guidelines. Critics said the permit sets a bad precedent. BP had justified the pollution by noting the expansion would create 2,000 construction jobs and 80 permanent jobs. Shortly after company signaled that it would relent to public pressure and change its plans. Opponents gathered more than 100,000 petition signatures, and a group of politicians and celebrities urged BP to back off. Illinois Gov threatened to sue Indiana, U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk prepared legislation that would strip BP of lucrative tax breaks, and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Emanuel dipped into their campaign funds to buy radio ads asking people to sign an online petition. The U.S. House of Representatives approved a non-binding resolution urging Indiana regulators to reconsider the permit. The company's request to dump more chemicals into the lake runs counter to a provision in the Clean Water Act that prohibits any downgrade in water quality. et. To get around that rule, Indiana regulators allowed BP to install equipment that dilutes its wastewater with clean lake water about 200 feet offshore. Federal regulators have frowned on the method, which they describe as a threat to human health and to fish and wildlife. The company and the state said there will be no changes to another provision that exempts BP from tough limits on mercury pollution until 2012. A BP spokesman, said it would be up to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to alter the permit. But state officials said the company would first have to request the changes. August 2006 Baltimore Tribune

EPA Urged to Finish Risk Assessment of TCE. The EPA has enough data to complete its risk assessment of trichloroethylene (TCE), a likely carcinogen. TCE has been the focus of a battle between EPA and federal agencies that are responsible for the cleanup of TCE. The solvent was widely used as a degreasing agent and it's still in use, although in smaller quantities. A 2001 assessment raised EPA's estimate of the compound's potency as a carcinogen by 2 to 40-fold and NRC was asked in 2003 to evaluate the state of the science. The panel confirmed that TCE can cause kidney cancer and may lead to other kidney problems, although the dose that triggers these problems isn't known. Inhalation of TCE seems to cause neurological problems. Yhe panel concluded there are enough data for EPA to finish its risk assessment. EPA will follow the risk assessment with revised standards for clean up and drinking water. July 27, 2006 ScienceNOW

EU Parliament Wants Aviation Tax, Emissions Trade. Airlines should pay a tax for jet fuel and join the EU emissions trading scheme to cut back on the greenhouse gases they produce the Eu Parliament said. International aviation is not covered by the Kyoto Protocol but its emissions will grow, causing concern among environmentalists. The Eu Parliament gave its backing to include airlines in the emissions trading scheme, but suggested a separate trading system for airlines on a trial basis. If aviation joined the full EU scheme, steps should be taken to ensure it did not distort trade among other sectors. The parliament vote does not involve actual legislation. But is considered support by EU lawmakers for future laws. The EU Commission recommended that all carriers taking off from an EU airport should be included in the scheme. The report called for an immediate tax on jet fuel for domestic flights and flights within the 25-nation EU, though exceptions could be made for non-EU carriers. It suggested removing an exemption for the VAT, drawing harsh criticism from airlines. Airlines group IATA said the organization was working on a global solution to aviation pollution, which accounted for 2% of emissions. Under the current trading system, EU countries set limits on how much CO2 companies in sectors like power and steel can emit. Those that overshoot can sell extra permits, while those that pollute above their limit must buy allowances or face a fine. July 05, 2006 Planet Ark