Search Results for: Environmental health

BY KEITH NUTHALL
EUROPEAN Union scientists have attempted to lay the ghost of the theory that sheep have developed a special form of BSE, distinct from the known brain disease scrapie. Brussels’ scientific steering committee has ruled that sheepmeat is BSE free and so “sheep casings should not be included in the list of specified risk materials in relation to BSE.”…

BY MONICA DOBIE
BEN & Jerry’s has been accused of falsely claims by labelling some of their ice cream and frozen yoghurt products “All Natural.” Not so, because they contain hydrogenated oils and alkalised cocoa powder, claimed the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a US health and food safety advocacy group.…

KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has taken an important step towards giving EU water legislation more teeth, by moving against Belgium’s system of “tacit approvals” of pollution. Belgian law allows companies to assume that they have a right to pollute if they make an application to regulators and then receive no reply.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
INNOVATION will be a focus of future EU policy for in the food sector EU health and consumer protection Commissioner David Byrne has told EU ministers, especially in relation to food safety, traceability, food quality, new products and animal welfare.…

KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has proposed that the chemicals nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylate should be banned, either as a substance, or in preparations of 0.1 per cent and 1 per cent respectively when used for a wide range of textile processing.…

Keith Nuthall
WEARABLE technology and customised clothing for health-care, sports, quality-of-life and entertainment needs is to be displayed at a European Commission-funded conference in Brussels, on October 15. “The EU apparel business goes high-tech” will educate businesses how to use information society technologies to boost productivity and competitiveness, and added-value, such as 3-D body scanning, “virtual” trying on of clothes, mass customisation, multi-functional clothing and on-line retailing.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Environment Agency has released an assessment of the performance of European governments and EU institutions regarding the reduction of air pollution. Its report reacts positively to the way that the EU has reached targets to cut emissions of acidifying substances and also pollutants that create ground-level ozone.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
AN INTERNATIONAL Agenda for Action has been drawn up at a UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) workshop on boosting “Clean Coal Combustion in Small and Medium Sized Boilers in Central and Eastern Europe.” The plan has been approved by experts from the region, along with those from western Europe, the USA, the World Coal Institute, the World Energy Council, IEA Coal Research and UNECE.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
ANOTHER EU body promoting workplace standards has been proposed. An Advisory Committee for Safety, Hygiene and Health Protection at Work should be established, said the European Commission. Its formal proposal says that it should advise Brussels on health and safety legislation and programmes, as well as publicising good practice with the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD Bank has approved a US$18.5 million-loan to Uruguay to support its Foot and Mouth Disease Emergency Recovery Project, an emergency operation to help alleviate the economic impact of the recent outbreak of the disease. The project will pay for comprehensive vaccination, improved disease surveillance and border health checks.…