Search Results for: Environmental Health⊂mit=Search

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE BRITISH government is being threatened with legal action at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over claims it has failed to ensure the correct implementation of the European Union’s (EU) landfill directive throughout the United Kingdom.

The directive imposes environmental and health standards on the operation and closure of landfills.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE ORGANISATION for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has made available, for free, its Guidelines for the Testing of Chemicals. They include internationally agreed test methods used by government, industry and independent laboratories to determine chemical and chemical preparations safety, including textile and clothing dying sector chemicals.…

BY MONICA DOBIE
NEW so-called ‘safer’ cigarettes with reduced contaminants, trumped by tobacco companies as a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes, do not have lower cancer risks according to a study by the Oregon Health & Science University, US.

Even though known toxins such as formaldehyde, arsenic, and cadmium are removed from ‘potentially reduced-exposure product’ (or PREP) cigarettes the study argues the risk of acquiring cancer from smoking them is not reduced.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
PUBLIC subsidies paid to the steel, aluminium and other energy-intensive metal industries within the European Union (EU) should be screened for promoting environmental damage, an influential EU expert group has proposed.

The EU’s High-Level Group on Energy, Competitiveness and the Environment, which includes EU Commissioners, national government representatives, and executives from European industry, unions, non-governmental organisations and regulators, says “subsidies must serve the common interest,” noting particular concern about “intensive” polluting energy users.…

BY MONICA DOBIE
CHINESE scientists may have found a way for people who suffer from seafood allergies to eat prawns without the fear of an adverse allergic reaction. Li Zhenxing, research leader at the Ocean University of China, Qingdao, found that treating prawns with a combination of heat and irradiation significantly reduced the level of reactive allergen proteins found in the food.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE UNITED Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has called in its annual report for more resources spent examining the environmental and health affects of nanotechnology. UNEP said while Euro 7.7 billion has funded European Union and USA studies on potential economic benefits, just Euro 30 million has gone on assessing nanoparticles’ impact on health and the environment.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE INTERNATIONAL Organization for Standardization (ISO) (NOTE – USES AMERICAN SPELLING FOR ITS NAME) has released formal guidelines on the abilities and experience required of auditors judged able to assess whether food handling businesses and organisations comply with key ISO health and safety standards.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
ONCE renowned as a Himalayan Shangri La, where independent travellers spent thousands of dollars in a living museum of pagodas, temples and statues, Kathmandu is risking becoming a victim of growth, with environmental problems costing it dear. So says the Kathmandu Valley Environmental Outlook, a joint initiative involving the Nepal government, the UN Environment Programme and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE ORGANISATION for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has made available, for free, its Guidelines for the Testing of Chemicals. They include the most relevant internationally agreed test methods used by government, industry and independent laboratories to determine the safety of chemicals and chemical preparations, including those used in the cosmetics and personal care sector.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE UNITED Nations University’s Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) has launched a research project in Zambia, to identify failings within its important non-ferrous metals sector, regarding sustainable development, general wealth and environmental management.

The Tokyo-based international higher education institution wants to publish findings generating “clear policy implications” for the Zambian government, noting while copper exports have increased from 201,000 tonnes in 2000 to 423,000 in 2005 – generating GDP growth averaging 4.8% per annum – in December 2005, 67% of the population lived on under US$1 a day.…