News

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Legislation

Leavitt takes helm at EPA

Mike Leavitt has been sworn in as the new Administrator at the US Environmental Protection Agency, pledging to replace conflict with common sense and collaboration.

Addressing Agency staff in Washington DC last month, he said: “Real environmental problem-solving takes place in the productive centre, not at the emotional extremes. The productive centre is the place where the best ideas compete and a fair process for decision-making exists.”

Mr Leavitt heralded the importance of the collaborative process and EPA's role as a convener. Citing the Western Regional Air Partnership as an example, he noted every significant step of environmental progress he had been involved with came about through collaboration. “Collaboration is not code for compromise. It is the pursuit of what's possible, checked only by the realities of what is workable,” Leavitt said in his speech. “Collaboration does not eliminate litigation, but it can minimize it. Collaboration doesn't take away hard decisions, but it improves acceptance.”

Calling employees “the builders of a 21st century network and the keepers of a 30 year ethic,” Leavitt challenged the Agency to work faster, better and more collaboratively than ever before.

The Administrator's first initiative is a 500 day plan to clean up the nation's air. The plan, soon to be released, provides a roadmap towards “the most productive period of air quality improvement in American history.” Specific action steps include supporting President Bush's Clear Skies cap-and-trade initiative, acting on 8 h ozone non-attainment and working to ensure compliance with ozone and particulate standards. It will also address mercury emissions from power plants, and place stringent controls on off-road diesel engines.

“The cap-and-trade approach shows us again and again that people do more and they do it faster when they have an incentive to do what is in the public's interest,” said Leavitt. “More, better, faster, newer... that's the tune you will hear from me.”

EPA: http://www.epa.gov/newsroom

EU struggles on Kyoto targets

The European Union and many of its Member States will fail to meet their Kyoto Protocol targets for limiting greenhouse gas emissions on the basis of the domestic policies and measures implemented or planned so far, according to new projections compiled by the European Environment Agency.

The main reason, according to the EEA, is a runaway increase in emissions from transport, especially road transport. However, the projections do not include any effects from several of the domestic policies and measures being developed under the European Commission-led European Climate Change Programme (ECCP). Among these is the EU emissions trading scheme due to start in 2005, a key initiative with the potential to deliver substantial additional emission cuts [JEM, 2003, 5, 48N, 87N].

Under the Kyoto Protocol, the 15-nation EU must cut its overall emissions of six greenhouse gases, widely considered to be contributing to global climate change, to 8% below their 1990 levels by the period 2008–2012. An internal EU “burden-sharing” agreement also requires each Member State to meet a binding individual target for limiting or reducing its national emissions.

As reported by the EEA last May [JEM, 2003, 5, 65N], the EU has so far cut its overall emissions to 2.3% below 1990 levels (up to 2001, the most recent year for which complete data are available). But the latest projections show that existing domestic policies and measures – concrete initiatives already being implemented at EU or national level – will reduce the EU's total emissions in 2010 to only 0.5% below 1990 levels, leaving it 7.5% short of the Kyoto target.

Even this result assumes that Sweden and the United Kingdom will do better than required, although the use of their ‘surpluses’ to assist Member States with ‘deficits’ cannot be taken for granted. If these two countries did no more than meet their agreed targets, the EU reduction would be just 0.2%. On the basis of existing policies alone, all other Member States, including Germany, the EU's biggest emitter, would miss their Kyoto targets. Denmark, Spain, Ireland, Austria and Belgium would all exceed theirs by more than 20%. The latest projections are much more pessimistic than earlier ones because Germany – producing around a quarter of total EU greenhouse gas emissions – is now forecasting a substantially smaller emissions reduction [JEM, 2003, 5, 10N].

The outlook is somewhat brighter when the additional measures being planned in 11 Member States, mainly in the energy sector, are brought into the picture. Assuming they are implemented and have the effects anticipated, the additional initiatives are projected to bring emission cuts of about 6.7% on top of the 0.5% reduction from existing policies and measures, giving an overall decrease of about 7.2%. This is still nearly 1% short of the EU target, however. Also, it assumes that Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Sweden and, in particular, the UK will limit or reduce their emissions by more than their targets require. If these six countries did not “over-deliver,” the total EU reduction would be only 5.1%, leaving a gap of 2.9% to the target.

By contrast, seven of the Central and Eastern European countries due to join the EU later this year are on track to achieve their targets, in most cases by a wide margin. However, as in the EU escalating emissions from transport are a growing concern.

The projections do not take account of the Kyoto Protocol's flexible mechanisms of emission trading, joint implementation (JI) and the clean development mechanism (CDM), nor of emissions offsetting through carbon sinks. Emission trading is expected to play an important role in limiting emissions, but early indications suggest that JI and CDM combined will only result in an aggregate 0.5% reduction and carbon sinks 0.3%.

Publication of the figures coincided with the latest round of international climate change talks in Milan. Speaking at the meeting, Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström said: “This is serious. Time is running out. Measures... not put in place over the next two to three years will not help us to achieve our Kyoto targets.” The Commission will issue a communication in the first half of 2004 setting out options for further EU-wide actions.

Russia caused consternation at the Milan meeting by once again claiming that it would not ratify the Kyoto Protocol “in its current form” – a move that would scupper the whole agreement [JEM, 2003, 5, 115N].

European Environment Agency: “Greenhouse gas emission trends and projections in Europe: Final Draft”, Environmental Issue Report No 36/2003, http://reports.eea.eu.int/environmental_issue_report_2003_36/en

New rule targets power plant emissions

Developments in the US and Europe highlight the increasing pressure on power generators for further cuts in emissions from fossil fuel power stations.

In the US, coal-burning power plants will be required to make steep reductions in emissions over the next decade under a new rule proposed by the EPA. The Interstate Air Quality Rule will require power plants to upgrade their facilities to reduce sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), and comes on top of existing Agency proposals to reduce mercury emissions from coal-burning power plants [JEM, 2002, 4, 67N; 2003, 5, 87N]. Taken together, these rules will require utilities to spend tens of billions of dollars to reduce pollution emissions.

Announcing the new proposal, EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt said: “While we continue to believe that the Clear Skies Act is the best approach to reducing power plant emissions, and we are committed to working with our congressional sponsors to move this landmark legislation through Congress, we must move forward with these steps now.”

The rules focus on states that significantly contribute to ozone and fine particle pollution in the Eastern United States. They would reduce power plant emissions in two phases. Sulfur dioxide emissions would drop by 3.7 million tons by 2010 (a cut of approximately 40% from current levels) and by another 2.3 million tons when the rules are fully implemented after 2015 (a total cut of nearly 70% from today's levels). NOx emissions would be cut by 1.4 million tons by 2010 and by a total of 1.7 million tons by 2015 (a reduction of approximately 50% from today's levels in the 30 states covered under the rules). Cumulatively, the rules will eliminate approximately 34 million tons of SO₂ and NOx emissions between now and 2015 beyond the reductions achieved under current programs. Moreover, emissions will be permanently capped and cannot increase.

Meanwhile, Britain, Finland and Ireland have become the first EU states to issue national emission reduction plans for older fossil fuel power stations under the 2001 Large Combustion Plants (LCP) Directive. The directive sets tough emission limits on SO₂, NOx and particulate emissions from new plants alongside less severe limits for older plants. Pre-1987 plants were given until 2008 to comply with these less stringent limits. For these plants, national plans reducing each pollutant's emissions collectively were also allowed - as an alternative to emission limits for each individual plant. Other countries are expected to unveil their plans soon.

EPA: http://www.epa.gov; UK LCP Plan: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/airquality/lcpd/pdf/national-plan2003.pdf

Go ahead for chemicals convention

A landmark treaty on hazardous chemicals and pesticides trade is set to become law having been ratified by 50 countries. The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure for Certain Chemicals and Pesticides will enter into force in February, following Armenia's ratification triggering a 90 day countdown.

First agreed by governments in 1998, the Rotterdam Convention establishes a first line of defence against future tragedies that may be caused by hazardous chemicals [JEM, 2002, 4, 23N, 104N]. It enables importing countries to decide which potentially hazardous chemicals they want to receive and to exclude those they cannot manage safely. Most of the Parties of the Convention, so far, are developing countries.

When trade is permitted, requirements for labelling and providing information on potential health and environmental effects will promote safer use of chemicals. The Convention starts with 27 chemicals, but five more pesticides have already been flagged for inclusion, and many more substances are likely to be added in the future. Some pesticides covered by the Convention, such as monocrotophos and parathion, are extremely hazardous and present a severe threat to the health of farmers in developing countries. Further chemicals are likely to be added to the list at the Convention's first meeting in Geneva later this year. A related agreement on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) – the Stockholm Convention – is also expected to enter into force in 2004.

Meanwhile the United Nations Environment Programme has launched a new initiative to look at ways to further improve chemical safety. The initiative, known as SAICM (Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management), was discussed by more than 500 delegates at a meeting in Bangkok in November. The issue will be progressed at a high-level international conference in 2005.

Rotterdam Convention: http://www.pic.int; Stockholm Convention: http://www.pops.int; SAICM: http://www.chem.unep.ch/saicm

Commission to simplify waste laws

The EU's system of waste management legislation will be simplified under new proposals from the European Commission. The Commission is proposing to consolidate the EU's 1975 waste framework directive and subsequent amendments into a single new piece of legislation. The content of the directives to be replaced will be “fully preserved”, the Commission says.

The development comes as the Commission is preparing for possible changes to the framework directive's annexes. Industry groups are demanding a more thorough revision, including reassessment of EU definitions of waste and of waste recovery and disposal.

Draft Directive COM(2003)731: http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/com/pdf/2003/com2003_0731en01.pdf

Agency consults on toxics reporting

EPA has initiated a national online stakeholder dialogue on ways to reduce the effort associated with reporting to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI).

The TRI is a publicly available EPA database that contains information on toxic chemical releases and other waste management activities reported annually by certain industries and federal facilities. This inventory was established under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA) and expanded by the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990. EPA's goal is to reduce the effort involved in TRI reporting while continuing to provide valuable information to the public as required by EPCRA. Previous initiatives, such as the Form A Certification Statement and the Toxics Release Inventory - Made Easy (TRI-ME) software have succeeded in reducing the effort associated with TRI reporting.

EPA, TRI Stakeholder Consultation: http://www.epa.gov/tri/programs/stakeholders/outreach.htm

Environmental quality

Agriculture remains a water hotspot

The protection and quality of Europe's water is generally improving but there is little or no progress in combating some types of pollution or overuse of water in certain regions, both issues that are linked particularly to agriculture. These are the main messages in a new EEA report assessing European water quality.

The EEA says the findings emphasise the importance of enlargement for the EU's agriculture and water resources. Economic restructuring in Central and Eastern Europe during the 1990s generally led to reduced pressures on the aquatic environment, but any widespread intensification of agriculture after EU enlargement is likely to reverse this trend.

Nearly 30 years of European Union environmental legislation, together with national and international action, to protect and improve the aquatic environment are bearing fruit in many areas, the Agency says, although large data gaps on some issues mean that related conclusions must be treated with caution. Where overall progress is being achieved there can still be specific problems and geographical ‘hot spots,’ however.

Areas of progress include generally improving river quality in 14 countries for which information is available. Pollution of rivers and lakes by phosphorus and organic matter from industry and households has seen a notable reduction, and discharges of these substances into the seas have also fallen. River pollution by heavy metals and other hazardous substances is generally decreasing and there is evidence that this is also lowering concentrations in Europe's seas. The total amount of oil spilt from vessels dropped during the 1990s. There has also been progress in reducing overall water withdrawals (‘abstraction’) and use, except in the western part of southern Europe.

By contrast, no overall progress is being made on reducing nitrate and pesticide pollution or water withdrawals for irrigation, energy use and tourism. Nitrate pollution, particularly from fertilisers used in agriculture, has remained constant and high. Nitrate concentrations in rivers remain highest in those western European countries where agriculture is the most intensive. There is no evidence of changes of nitrate concentrations in groundwater, and nitrate in drinking water remains a common problem across Europe. Pesticides from agriculture continue to be present at concentrations that are cause for concern in raw water used for drinking water production, but lack of data makes it impossible to establish trends.

Tourism is placing a significant and most probably growing burden on water resources in many parts of southern Europe. Excessive water withdrawal remains a major concern in areas such as the coast and islands of the Mediterranean where drinking water sources have consequently become contaminated with seawater.

Significant improvements in information about Europe's water have been achieved through the implementation of Eurowaternet, a water data and information gathering network coordinated by the EEA.

European Environment Agency: “Europe's water: An indicator-based assessment”, Topic Report No 1/2003, http://reports.eea.eu.int/topic_report_2003_1/en

Caspian sea agreement

Ministers from Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, and Turkmenistan adopted an agreement on the protection of the marine environment of the Caspian Sea at a regional meeting in November. The groundbreaking agreement, the first legally binding treaty on any subject to be adopted by the five neighbours, will coordinate regional efforts to reverse an environmental crisis brought about by habitat destruction, pollution and the over-exploitation of fish and other marine life.

The Caspian Sea is under severe stress from industrial pollution, toxic and radioactive wastes, agricultural run-off, sewage, and leaks from oil extraction and refining. Other threats include uncontrolled fishing of caviar-producing sturgeon, the over-exploitation of other marine resources, and the destruction of the region's biological diversity, which includes some 400 species unique to the Caspian. On top of this, water levels are currently rising, threatening coastal communities and ecosystems.

The Convention commits its member governments to preventing and reducing pollution, restoring the environment, using the Sea's resources in a sustainable and reasonable manner, and cooperating with one another and with international organisations to protect the environment. Specific issues addressed include pollution from land-based sources, seabed activities, vessels, dumping, invasive alien species, environmental emergencies, marine living resources, sea-level fluctuation, environmental impact assessments, monitoring, research and development, and the exchange of information.

“This agreement will promote the conservation of the largest freshwater lake in the world,” said Shafqat Kakakhel, Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, under whose auspices the treaty was negotiated.

UNEP: http://www.unep.org

Chemical hazards

Experts back EDC list

The EU's strategy for endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) appears to be back on track following its experts' approval of the latest scientific risk assessment.

The report, by consultants WRc, cleared most of a nine-strong list of industrial chemicals suspected of having serious hormone-mimicking effects. Only one substance on the list – tetraBDE – was found to have “critical endocrine disrupter effects”. Seven had no critical endocrine effects, with the caveat that data was patchy. These were: 2,2′-bis(4-(2,3-epoxypropyl)phenyl)propane, carbon disulphide, 4-chloro-3-methylphenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol, 4-nitrotoluene, o-phenylphenol and 4-tert octylphenol. One substance (Resorcinol) needed further testing. Three natural/synthetic hormones (oestrone, oestradiol and ethinyloestradiol) were confirmed as endocrine disrupters.

In its assessment, the EU's scientific toxicology committee (CSTEE) backs WRc's approach and findings. Three years ago it issued a stinging criticism of initial attempts to draw up a list [JEM, 2000, 2, 96N]. The Committee also endorsed a second report, by consultants BKH, that is whittling down a separate list of potential EDCs for which there were originally not enough data to draw conclusions. This has revealed 94 chemicals that potentially have endocrine-disrupting properties.

Scientific Committee on Toxicology, Ecotoxicity and the Environment (CSTEE): EDCs Opinion, http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/sct/out208_en.pdf

Study fuels concern on plastic pipes

Research by Norwegian scientists appears to confirm Danish suspicions that plastic piping can contaminate drinking water. The paper, published in the journal Water Research, has renewed interest in the issue in Denmark, where more than half of drinking water is delivered by plastic piping.

The researchers found volatile organic components migrating into drinking water from plastic pipes made of HDPE, PEX and PVC. This suggests that a number of chemicals, including endocrine disrupters and others that are banned from use in food packaging, are present in the pipes and may leach into the water. These substances include “compounds related to antioxidants in addition to esters, …aldehydes, ketones, aromatic hydrocarbons and terpenoids”. One prominent component is 2,4-di-tert-butyl phenol.

The cost of replacing pipes is around €2.7bn according to a working group that comprises representatives of the Danish regulators, veterinary and food administrations and national water workers' association.

Water Research: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/watres

Uncertain future for DBDE

The future of the flame retardant deca-BDE remains in the balance despite industry claims that an EU risk assessment has given the substance a clean bill of health.

Meeting in Brussels last month national experts closed the environmental risk portion of the assessment, saying there was no need for EU controls on the substance beyond those already in place. The verdict followed the completion of an additional testing programme organised by industry to address lingering uncertainty in an earlier draft risk report [JEM, 2002, 4, 104N; 2003, 5, 12N, 26N].

The experts decided to reopen the human health part of the assessment, however. This was because new evidence from a French study on neurotoxicity cast doubts on earlier conclusions that no extra EU controls were needed to protect health. Nevertheless, industry association BSEF said the conclusions of the meeting amounted to “scientific approval for continued use” of the flame retardant.

The technical phase of the risk assessment should be completed by March. After this the issue may become more politicised as regulators begin to bring forward policy proposals. The European Parliament and the EU's Scientific Toxicology Committee have both urged stronger precautionary action.

European Commission: http://europa.eu.int/comm/index_en.htm; BSEF: http://www.bsef.com

Peer review for CCA; delisting for EGBE

The Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP), a group of independent scientists who advise EPA on critical science issues, is to evaluate EPA's draft risk assessment on pressure-treated wood. The draft assessment evaluates the potential risks to children who play on playsets and decks made with wood pressure-treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA).

Produced in response to earlier recommendations from independent experts [JEM, 2002, 4, 10N], this draft risk assessment focuses on a number of new predictive models and data sources that have been used to better quantify and understand potential risks associated with exposure to CCA-treated wood. The Agency is asking the SAP to review these new approaches and to provide comments to further refine the draft assessment. Results from the study are expected later this year.

Under an agreement reached with the Agency two years ago, manufacturers voluntarily cancelled their registrations for residential uses of CCA products and since the beginning of the year such uses have been illegal [JEM, 2002, 4, 22N].

Meanwhile, following an extensive review of ambient ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (EGBE) levels in the air and the associated health and environmental impacts, EPA is proposing to remove EGBE from the Clean Air Act list of toxic air pollutants. EGBE is used in hydraulic fluids and in water-based coatings for various industries including can manufacturers.

EPA, Office of Pesticide Programs: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides; EGBE proposal: http://www.epa.gov/airlinks

Experts duck methyl bromide decision

A decision on whether to grant so-called Critical Use Exemptions for methyl bromide, the pesticide and ozone layer depleting chemical, has been delayed until March. At a meeting sponsored by UNEP, delegates agreed that they needed more time to discuss the complex questions of how big such exemptions should be for developed world farmers.

Under the terms of the Montreal Protocol, developed countries have agreed to phase out their consumption of methyl bromide, a chemical used to kill pests such as nematode worms, by 1 January 2005. However some farmers, including strawberry, melon, pepper and tomato growers predominantly in North America and Europe, have argued that the current available alternatives are not technically or economically feasible to use. They had asked for exemptions amounting to around 15 000 tonnes of methyl bromide for the year 2005.

The ‘extraordinary meeting’, to be hosted by UNEP in Montreal, Canada, in March 2004, continues the process towards a total phasing out of methyl bromide which began in 1996.

UNEP: http://www.unep.org

Opinion on mercury risks

An assessment of environmental and health risks from mercury-containing products has come in for heavy criticism from EU experts. In a hard-hitting report, the EU's scientific toxicology committee says the study is “unusable” for policy purposes. The assessment found the risks from mercury in items such as dental amalgam, light bulbs and measuring instruments to be minimal. But in its review the Committee says that “no scientifically justified conclusions on potential risks are possible” from the document.

The Commission is planning an EU ban on mercury in thermometers and is expected to propose an EU strategy on mercury next September.

Scientific Committee on Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and the Environment: “Opinion on risks to health and the environment related to the use of mercury products”, http://europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph_risk/committees/sct/documents/out210_en.pdf

Public and occupational health

GM moratorium remains; US forges ahead

The European Commission's efforts to overturn a de facto moratorium on the commercialisation of genetically modified (GM) products suffered an embarrassing setback when a committee of national experts failed to support an application concerning a GM sweetcorn variety. The Commission had previously postponed the vote, on Syngenta's sweetcorn Bt-11, fearing it would not receive sufficient support under the EU's qualified majority voting procedure.

At last month's meeting, six countries including the UK and Sweden, voted in favour of the application, and six, including France, voted against. Belgium and Italy moved from the no camp to an abstention, with Germany also abstaining. Overall, the application failed to receive the necessary votes to get through. The Commission is desperate for the moratorium to be lifted so as avoid the action against it currently being taken in the WTO by the United States, Canada and Argentina [JEM, 2003, 5, 64N, 86N].

In a related development, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has given the go ahead for the marketing of a maize variety known as NK 603, manufactured by Monsanto. NK 603 maize is a type of GM maize that is tolerant to the herbicide glyphosate. According to EFSA this GM variety is “as safe as conventional maize” and placing it on the EU market “is unlikely to have an adverse effect on human or animal health”. Scientific approval by EFSA is a precursor to import clearance of the type sought by Syngenta for Bt-11.

Across the Atlantic, the US remains much more upbeat about GM. The latest product to be given approval is a GM corn variety called YieldGard Plus, also manufactured by Monsanto. This is the first genetically engineered crop that has the ability to control two different insect groups. The corn produces two different Bacillus thuringiensis (or Bt) proteins, enabling it to protect from leaf and stalk damage caused by insects such as the European corn borer (a moth), and from root damage caused by the corn rootworm (a beetle). This new variety of corn was produced by traditional breeding of two previously-approved varieties: “MON 810” (YieldGard) and “MON 863” (YieldGard Rootworm) and their associated Bt proteins Cry3Bb1 and Cry1Ab.

European Commission: http://europa.eu.int/comm/index_en.htm; EPA Biotechnology Regulatory Program: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/biopesticides

Health effects of poorly soluble particles

The pro-inflammatory effects of particles at concentrations that are not high enough to produce gross toxicity are considered in a recent report published by the UK's Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

In animal studies, high airborne mass concentrations of low toxicity poorly soluble particles (LTPSPs) have been associated with lung diseases such as fibrosis and lung cancer. The HSE study investigated whether surface area of LTPSPs is a better indicator per mass of their ability to stimulate pro-inflammatory responses.

Using a culture of human lung cells, the Institute of Occupational Medicine measured some biochemical markers of pro-inflammatory effects and oxidative stress after treatment with a range of dusts. In all the tests, ultra fine preparations of titanium dioxide and of carbon black produced much stronger inflammatory responses than the same mass dose of fine titanium dioxide and carbon black. IOM observed finer particles, with greater specific surface area, had greater biological effects in relation to given dust types.

The study recommends testing a wider range of dusts with the in vitro system, and also suggests further investigations are needed into the surface reactivity of the particles to determine if there is a difference in the reactive oxygen species or reactive nitrogen species that are being produced by DQ12 quartz and LTPSP.

Health and Safety Executive: "In vitro determinants of particulate toxicity: The dose-metric for poorly soluble dusts", Research Report 154, ISBN 0-7176-2747-0. http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr154.htm

Research activities

Shake-up on science advice

EPA has unveiled a major reorganisation of its Science Advisory Board (SAB), which it says is designed to enhance the role of independent scientific advice in environmental policy-making.

The SAB is made up of leading scientific experts and was established by Congress in 1978 to assist the EPA Administrator in making the best environmental decisions to protect human health and the environment. As the science behind environmental decisions increases in complexity, the SAB will be restructured to provide scientific reviews and advice that meet the greatly expanded responsibilities since the Board's creation.

The 33-member Board appointed by the Administrator will have capacity to initiate more direct consultations, special workshops, studies or form new ad hoc panels. The reorganisation will also allow SAB greater opportunity to focus on newer, highly visible and priority environmental science issues facing the Agency, such as the use of genomics in risk assessments and emerging technologies for remediation or pollution prevention.

Dr. William Glaze, who has served as Chair of the SAB since 2000, stated, “The reorganisation announced today will facilitate the Board – and the Agency – in keeping up with the rapid evolution of science. It will equip us with quality review processes that follow the highest standards.”

EPA Science Advisory Board: http://www.epa.gov/sab

EPA puts science online

EPA is allowing public access to its Science Inventory for the first time. Managed by EPA's Office of Research and Development, the Science Inventory is a searchable, Agency-wide database of 4 000 scientific and technical work products. Researchers at colleges and universities, state and local government officials, industry executives, students, attorneys – anyone with a use for EPA research – can now directly access this resource.

The Inventory was previously used within EPA to coordinate scientific work; this is the first time it will be publicly available. Database records provide information such as project descriptions (abstracts), contacts for additional information and electronic links to final reports and related research. Users can search by keyword or within nine cross-cutting science topics: aging initiative, contaminated sediments, ecological assessment tools, genomics, tribal science, children's health, cumulative risk, environmental justice and non-indigenous species.

Meanwhile, the Agency is also claiming success for an earlier online initiative, ECHO, the Enforcement and Compliance History Online database. The system successfully delivered local-facility compliance and enforcement information in response to over one million search requests in its first year of operation. ECHO gives every US citizen the ability to easily access extensive information on EPA's environmental inspections, findings of violations and enforcement actions at more than 800 000 facilities nationwide.

EPA Science Inventory: http://www.epa.gov/si; ECHO: http://www.epa.gov/echo

Publications

Research on diesel exhaust and other particles

The Health Effects Institute has a longstanding commitment to understanding the health effects of exposure to diesel exhaust. It has supported more than 40 research projects and published 3 Special Reports evaluating the scientific literature, with a recent focus on ways to improve information needed for risk assessment of diesel health effects, especially cancer. In addition, HEI has supported research to understand the mechanisms underlying effects of PM in general, particularly in susceptible individuals, and to understand how different components of PM contribute to the health risk. This Program Summary describes initiatives that HEI is undertaking with regard to diesel and the content and goals of HEI's current research program on diesel exhaust and other particles.“Program Summary: Research on Diesel Exhaust and Other Particles”, Health Effects Institute, 2003. http://www.healtheffects.org

Children's environmental health

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has published the second edition of its Handbook of Pediatric Environmental Health, a comprehensive reference manual for pediatric clinicians to help recognise, prevent and treat environmental health problems in children. Environmental health risks are among parents' top health concerns for their children, and this new edition will provide pediatricians with the most up-to-date information to answer parents' questions. All original chapters, addressing issues such as carbon monoxide, indoor air pollutants, lead, mercury, drinking water and pesticides, have been updated. New chapters cover topics such as arsenic, irradiation and prenatal exposures. The book can be ordered from the AAP Customer Service Center at: 866-843-2271.

NAS review of perchlorate

In the interest of resolving scientific questions the Interagency Working Group on Perchlorate, led by the US Office of Science and Technology Policy, has referred scientific issues and EPA's 2002 Draft Health Assessment on Perchlorate [JEM, 2002, 4, 24N] to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) for review. The scope and focus of this review is described in the Working Group's transmittal letter to the NAS of March 19, 2003. The first meeting of the NAS perchlorate review panel was held on October 27, 2003, in Washington, DC. Several new pieces of information that were provided to the NAS by EPA for this meeting are available on the NCEA website.National Centre for Environmental Assessment: http://www.epa.gov/ncea

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