News

Legislation

Brussels adopts resource efficiency mantra

Resource efficiency is the new buzzword in Brussels after the European Commission adopted a strategy aimed at the smarter use of scarce resources in areas such as energy, transport, industry, agriculture and regional development. The strategy is one of seven flagship policies under the Commission's Europe 2020 vision.¹ In addition to energy resources, the initiative targets the strategic importance of securing EU supplies of rare earths, fishing grounds, land and water.

Launching the initiative, Environment Commissioner Janez Potoçnik said resource efficiency would be a key policy principle for the EU going forward and a focus for economic policy coordination. While there are no new policies or firm targets at this stage, Mr Potoçnik promised more specific measures in a roadmap due this summer. This document could include national targets to cut down on waste in industrial processes. An EU strategy on raw materials has also been issued.

Environmental groups lauded the initiative but said the real test will be whether EU states buy in to it. “It's an ambitious plan and pretty convincing as a way forward,” commented Tony Long of WWF. “But it has to be more than a Brussels plan, it needs action from Member States.” Friends of the Earth urged the Commission to use concrete measurements of Europe's resource use similar to those FoE has developed for land footprint, water footprint, carbon footprint and overall resource use. Green MEPs also expressed disappointment at the lack of clear targets.

The paper draws partly on a consultancy study on the implementation of the 2005 resource efficiency strategy. The study, conducted by Bio Intelligence Service, concludes that though considerable progress has been made, there are wide disparities across the EU. For example, Germany and the UK have reached ‘absolute dematerialisation’ (a decrease in the amount of materials input), whereas resource use in Spain is growing faster than GDP because of the fast development of built infrastructures. It calls for a clearer concept of resource efficiency with more detailed definitions and targets, together with a common EU framework to deal with waste, resource use and sustainable consumption and production.

An implementation report into another 2005 ‘thematic strategy’ on waste prevention and recycling describes EU efforts to reduce waste production. Waste going to landfill has decreased and the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic waste has been reduced as a result of the strategy, the Commission says. But the amount of waste being generated continues to increase in most EU countries. Member States' performance varies dramatically, with recycling rates ranging from 1% to 70%. Top performers such as Germany and the Netherlands landfilled 1% and 2% of municipal waste in 2007 respectively. But Malta and Lithuania both landfilled over 90% of their waste. Greece landfilled 84% of its waste. Without additional measures, the EU executive expects waste generation to increase by 7% between 2008 and 2020. Full implementation of existing legislation would increase recycling of municipal waste from 38% in 2008 to almost 50% by the end of the decade, while landfilling would be reduced from 40% to 30%.

Governments were due to transpose the revised waste framework directive into national legislation by 12 December. The Commission plans to introduce a verification procedure and an early warning system on compliance with EU targets based on national waste management plans as part of legislative proposals due in 2012.

On a related issue, industry has warned that a ban on non-biodegradable plastic shopping bags, that came into force in Italy in January, violates the packaging waste directive. Industry association PlasticsEurope has written to the Commission to complain. Italy is the first EU country to adopt such a measure, though Ireland charges a €0.22 levy on all bags issued. Stores are allowed to continue using their existing stocks of plastic bags until they run out.

European Commission: press release: http://europa.eu/rapid/ (reference: IP/11/63), strategy paper: http://ec.europa.eu/resource-efficient-europe/pdf/resource_efficient_europe_en.pdf; consultancy study: http://www.eu-smr.eu/tssrm/documents.php; progress report on waste prevention and recycling: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/; EEB: http://www.eeb.org/; Friends of the Earth Europe: http://www.foeeurope.org/

Mercury talks edge forward

Steps towards a global treaty on mercury continue to edge forward. Delegates from 132 countries met for the latest round of talks in Chiba, Japan to continue international negotiations on a legally-binding treaty for reducing mercury releases to the environment. The possibility of a complete ban on mercury in products remains on the negotiating table.

This was the second of five planned meetings before the treaty's anticipated adoption in 2013.² Many issues remain controversial and there is still a long way to go before a consensus can be reached on key aspects such as emissions from coal-fired power plants. Other sticking points, which are likely to be the focus for long negotiations, include mercury mining, existing stocks, the classification and management of waste and the financial aspects of any global treaty.

Environmentalists complained that the draft text put before the meeting was weak in several areas. For instance, the Zero Mercury campaign criticised its failure to control air emissions from existing facilities. They also called for an end to mercury mining, strict limits on trade, best available technologies to minimise emissions from major sources such as coal-fired power plants and sufficient funding to assist countries in the developing world. “Since there are well-developed, high-volume non-mercury alternatives available, mercury-based processes should be phased out,” noted Zero Mercury's Rachel Kamande.

The European Commission has said it will not consider new restrictions on mercury use until after the adoption of a global treaty.³ A new draft text will be drawn up by the UN's Environment Programme before the next conference in Africa in November.

UNEP: http://www.unep.org/hazardoussubstances/Mercury/tabid/434/Default.aspx; Zero Mercury: http://www.zeromercury.org/

Environmental quality

Ban calls for a ‘green revolution’

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for “revolutionary action” to achieve sustainable development, warning that the past century's heedless consumption of resources is “a global suicide pact” with time running out to ensure an economic model for survival.

Addressing political and business leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Mr Ban said: “Let me highlight the one resource that is scarcest of all: Time. We are running out of time. Time to tackle climate change. Time to ensure sustainable, climate-resilient green growth. Time to generate a clean energy revolution.”

Calling sustainable development the growth agenda for the 21st century, Mr Ban recited a litany of development errors based on a false belief in the infinite abundance of natural resources that fuelled the economy in the last century. “We mined our way to growth,” he said. “We burned our way to prosperity.” We believed in consumption without consequences. Those days are gone. In the 21st century, supplies are running short and the global thermostat is running high.

All this now needs rethinking to secure the balanced development that will lift people out of poverty while protecting the planet and ecosystems that support economic growth, he told the gathering. The answer, he said, was: “A free market revolution for global sustainability”. Last year Mr Ban appointed a panel of luminaries to report on sustainable development options ahead of a major UN conference due in 2012.⁴

In separate preparations for the 2012 conference, developing country representatives cautioned that the ‘green economy’ concept must not replace the traditional social, economic and environmental pillars of sustainable development. Delegates from the G77 group noted that although the green economy is gaining growing recognition worldwide, there is still no consensus on a definition. Literature indicates that it can “equate to a cluster of economic policies, under the sustainable development paradigm but this assumption is far from settled”, the G77 noted.

The Hungarian government, which holds the Presidency of the EU, said that green economy should feature on the agenda of the 2012 meeting. Integrating the concept in the sustainable development policy framework would help close the gaps in the implementation of goals such as poverty eradication.

On a related theme, the MEP charged with reporting on the EU's proposals to develop indicators other than GDP to measure economic activity and prosperity says the policy is going in the right direction but lacks focus.⁵ Danish MEP Anna Rosbach said the Commission had failed to propose a strategy for applying the ‘beyond GDP’ concept in practice. “Indicators alone cannot make a sufficient contribution to [policymaking],” she said. MEPs have broadly welcomed the proposals for indicators that could complement GDP but have questioned what they should focus on, and how they should be used. For example, some including the influential industry and energy committee argue that GDP should remain the main indicator for deciding who gets EU regional funds.

UNEP: http://www.unep.org/; UNCSD Conference: http://www.uncsd2012.org/; European Parliament: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/; European Commission: ‘Beyond GDP’ website, http://www.beyond-gdp.eu/

Climate change: the warnings mount

Last year, 2010, was the warmest on record, confirming a “significant” long-term trend of global warming and producing exceptional weather variations, the World Meteorological Organisation has warned.

The year “ranked as the warmest year on record, together with 2005 and 1998,” the WMO said, confirming preliminary findings released at the global climate conference in early December. “The 2010 data confirm the Earth's significant long-term warming trend,” WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud said. “The ten warmest years on record have all occurred since 1998.”

In 2010, the global average temperature was 0.53 degrees Celsius above the 1961 to 1990 mean that is used as a yardstick for climate measurements. That exceeded 2005 levels by 0.01 °C and was 0.02 °C above the 1998 mark, but within a margin of error that made the difference between the three years statistically insignificant. These estimates are confirmed by assessments elsewhere. US institutes, including NASA, calculate that 2010 was the equal warmest or warmest in global terms, while British scientists rank it as the “second warmest year on record” with a mean temperature of 14.5 °C.⁶

“Arctic sea ice cover in December 2010 was the lowest on record” for the month, the WMO also found. Sea ice around the northern polar region shrank to an average monthly extent of 12 million square kilometres, 1.35 million square kilometres below the 1979 to 2000 December average. “There's no good news with respect to that – the Arctic ice continues to be extremely low,” Jarraud told journalists.

2010 turned out to be “an exceptionally warm year” in much of Africa and southern and western Asia, as well as in Greenland and Arctic Canada, but there were big variations worldwide. Northern Europe and Australia were significantly cooler than average, with “abnormally cold” conditions for large parts of western Europe in December, including parts of Scandinavia. The year was also marked “by a high number of extreme weather events” including Russia's summer heatwave and the devastating monsoon floods in Pakistan.

Over the past decade, global temperatures have been the highest-ever recorded for a 10-year period since the beginning of instrument-based climate measurements in the mid-19th century. The temperature observations on their own do not pin the cause on man-made greenhouse gases, WMO says, although it believes this is confirmed separately by other research into carbon emissions in the atmosphere.

Nevertheless, the availability of and access to climate change information remains insufficient, according to many of the world's leading financial institutions. A pioneering study by the UNEP Finance Initiative confirms the increasing financial relevance of climate change and the fact that insurers and lenders need better information regarding the physical and economic impacts of the world's changing weather patterns.

Further confirmation of the need for better information comes from the European Environment Agency which finds that disasters – as a result of both natural hazards and technological accidents – are becoming more frequent and causing more damage. The increase in losses can be explained to a large extent by higher levels of human activity and accumulation of economic assets in hazard-prone areas, but also, to a smaller extent, by better reporting. Although the share of losses attributable to climate change is currently impossible to determine accurately, it is likely to increase in the future, since the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events are projected to grow.

World Meteorological Organisation: http://www.wmo.int/; United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI): http://www.unepfi.org/; EEA: ‘Mapping the impacts of natural hazards and technological accidents in Europe’, http://www.eea.europa.eu/

UK urged to shun shale gas exploration

Britain should delay a controversial natural gas technology until its environmental impacts are fully understood. The warning on shale gas extraction comes in a report by the UK's Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and commissioned by business organisation the Co-operative.

Shale gas, which relies on releasing natural gas trapped in dense sedimentary rocks, is seen as an interim energy solution to replace declining gas reserves. Test drilling is taking place at a number of potential sites across Europe, including the UK where shale gas reserves are estimated to be up to 150 billion cubic metres.

At present, there is little accurate information on the benefits and risks associated with shale gas extraction. Emissions associated with extraction are not significantly higher than for conventional gas and are lower than for coal, the report finds. However, the research was not able to estimate possible fugitive emissions. And it adds that shale gas extraction is likely to make the climate crisis worse rather than easing it because of growing energy needs globally. Fuels replaced by shale gas in some countries will be used by others, leading to an increase in emissions.

One of the most serious environmental impacts is water pollution. High levels of benzene, iron and manganese have been found in groundwater in the US, Tyndall's researchers say, and there have been a number of explosions because of the presence of gas in the water. Another concern is that the extraction process requires significant amounts of water.

The authors recommend halting extraction plans in the UK until the US EPA publishes the results of a study on risks to groundwater.⁷ The UK Parliament is currently conducting an enquiry into the issue.

Tyndall Centre: http://www.tyndall.ac.uk/

Pressure grows for Nigerian clean-up

International agencies are calling on the Nigerian authorities to prevent further lead poisoning in the north of the country.

Abnormally high rates of death and illness among children have been recorded since the beginning of 2010 in the areas of Bukkuyum and Anka in Zamfara State in northern Nigeria. Investigations by UN experts revealed that the cause is acute lead poisoning from the processing of lead-rich ore for gold extraction taking place inside houses and compounds. Over 18,000 people have been affected and 200 children have reportedly died as a result of the poisoning.

A UN report recommends taking greater measures to limit ore processing activities at sensitive sites, such as water sources used by humans and livestock. It also calls for polluted villages to be cleaned up as soon as possible to ensure that children suffering from lead poisoning can return for recovery and follow-up care after receiving treatment.

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: http://ochaonline.un.org

Chemical hazards

EU ‘allows too many pesticides’

EU states are not tough enough in regulating hazardous pesticides, a green group has warned. It accuses governments of ‘abusing’ a clause in EU pesticide legislation that allows certain derogations to a ban on potentially dangerous substances. As a result, hundreds of such substances end up on the European market each year.

In a study, PAN-Europe found EU states had granted 321 derogations in 2010, a 500% increase over four years. France granted the highest number of derogations (74), followed by Greece (54) and Portugal (31). The report also shows that France, which aims to significantly cut pesticide use by 2018, did not grant any derogation in previous years.⁸

The 1991 pesticides directive allows use of banned substances in cases of “unforeseen danger” to crops which cannot be contained by other means. PAN-Europe says it is unlikely that these derogations actually qualified as “unforeseen dangers”, although this cannot be proved because the “decision-making process is not transparent”. Substances approved included dangerous soil fumigants and hazardous organochlorine chemicals.

But pesticides association ECPA insisted the derogations were completely legal and absolutely normal because EU law takes a precautionary approach. “It takes us back to the root of our problem with the law, the use of the hazard principle rather than what we would say is due diligence based on risk assessment,” said ECPA's Phil Newton. “This was predictable because the law errs on the side of caution, then the onus falls on the member states to deal with the reality.”

Meanwhile, the EU will continue to ban the pesticide 1,3-dichloropropene, despite calls from several countries to end a ban on the substance. Spain, Greece, Portugal and Italy had been pushing for permission to use the pesticide. However, their call was not supported by a majority at a meeting of EU agriculture ministers in November, leaving it to the Commission to make the final decision. PAN-Europe said it hoped Health Commissioner John Dalli would continue to resist pressure in similar upcoming battles over the pesticides bifenthrin, metam sodium, and carbendazim.

PAN-Europe: http://www.pan-europe.info/; ECPA: http://www.ecpa.eu/

EC to extend water pollutant list

The European Commission has announced plans to extend a list of priority substances regulated under EU water legislation. A proposal to add new chemicals to the list will be tabled in June following a public consultation. Brussels will also propose environmental quality standards (EQS) for any new priority substance to be included in the list.

Nineteen candidates are understood to have been identified and are being discussed by a working group of national experts. The exact substances have not been disclosed but several are thought to be listed in a 2008 directive as possible future candidates.⁹ These include persistent perfluorinated compounds PFOS, bisphenol-A and glyphosate. Although there is agreement on some substances, others are proving controversial.

EQSs for each of the chemicals have already been drafted. SCHER, an EU advisory committee on health and environmental risk, has been asked to give an opinion on each proposed standard. These will apply to water, sediment and biota. Revised standards for a number of existing priority substances will also be proposed.

A list of 33 priority substances was adopted in 2001, including several designated as “priority hazardous” substances to be phased out within 20 years. The law was amended in 2008 when EQSs were set for these substances. MEPs had wanted to expand the list to 64 substances, but their demand was dropped during negotiations¹⁰

Elsewhere, the Danish government has announced the extension of drinking water quality checks from 23 to 32 substances including glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide. All 32 substances except glyphosate have already been banned in Denmark but the government wants to monitor their presence in drinking water as it takes years for them to penetrate groundwater. Most of Denmark's drinking water comes from groundwater.

Also, the EU's Joint Research Centre (JRC) has endorsed a new method for measuring bromate in drinking water. The new test method is more precise, making it more suitable for checking compliance with stricter limits, the JRC says. The method can also be used for testing bromate in swimming pools.

In the United States, meanwhile, EPA has issued guidance to all water systems on how to assess the prevalence of hexavalent chromium (also known as chromium-6). The guidance covers monitoring and sampling programmes and is in response to emerging scientific evidence that chromium-6 could pose health concerns if consumed over long periods of time.

European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-dangersub/pri_substances.htm and http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-drink/revision_en.html; SCHER: http://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_committees/environmental_risks/docs/scher_q_098.pdf; JRC: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/jrc/; EPA: http://water.epa.gov/drink/info/chromium/guidance.cfm

OECD updates global PFC data

An OECD report provides an updated picture of uses and releases of perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) worldwide. Very small amounts of PFCs are released to air and water at manufacturing sites, the OECD finds. The majority of releases go to landfills and publicly-owned treatment works. Incineration is by far the most popular disposal technique, followed by recycling and recovery.

The survey provides information on production, uses and releases of four PFCs (PFCA, PFOA, PFAS and PFOS) in 2008 in OECD countries. PFOA represents 55% of the total PFC releases to the environment. The survey follows on from previous assessments conducted in 2004 and 2006. But the OECD cautioned that they cannot be compared because of the lower response rate in 2009.

PFOS were added to a UN list of banned persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in 2009.¹¹ A consultancy report published last year by the European Commission concluded that there was no need to impose further PFOA restrictions in the EU. Eight manufacturers including DuPont have pledged to eliminate direct use of PFOA by 2015.¹²

OECD: http://www.oecd.org/

Public & occupational health

Canada opts for phthalates ban

Phthalate additives will no longer be permitted in children's toys and childcare items in Canada, Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq has announced. Canadian retailers have until June to get rid of children's soft vinyl toys and other products containing the chemicals that have been shown to be harmful to health.

The new regulations target six phthalates, a family of chemicals known to cause reproductive harm and commonly used to make vinyl plastic soft and flexible. The additives will no longer be permitted to be used in a slew of items that are designed or are likely to be put in the mouths of children under four. These include bath toys, squeeze or inflatable toys, teethers, rattles and vinyl bibs. Additionally, the use of three of the six phthalates – DEHP, DBP and BBP – will be restricted in all toys and childcare items, even if designed for and used by older children.

The government is restricting the use of phthalates in children's products after Health Canada's own market survey in 2008 found the widespread presence of phthalates in soft plastic toys and other items made out of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), despite a decade-long voluntary ban in North America. Test results obtained by the Canadian media found three-quarters (54 of 72) of such products contained up to 39.9% by weight of PVC.

The Canadian ban, under consultation since June 2009, comes more than a decade after the European Union restricted the allowable concentrations of phthalates in children's products to 0.1 per cent. A similar ban in the United States came into effect in 2009.

In Europe, meanwhile, a regulation simplifying rules on plastic materials and articles in contact with food will apply from May. It sets a list of substances that can be used to make food packaging. Unauthorised chemicals can be used if manufacturers use a protective layer provided migration levels do not exceed 0.01 mg kg⁻¹ of food. Substances that are mutagenic, carcinogenic or reprotoxic (CMR) are banned without prior authorisation.

Health Canada: www.canada.com/health/; EU regulation: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/ (reference: OJ:L:2011 : 012 : 0001 : 0089)

Rethink on fluoride limits

US agencies have announced what they say are “important steps” to ensure that federal standards and guidelines on fluoride in drinking water continue to provide the maximum protection while preventing excessive exposure. As part of the new policy, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is proposing that the recommended level of fluoride in drinking water be set at the lowest end of the current optimal range to prevent tooth decay, while EPA is initiating a review of the maximum amount of fluoride allowed in drinking water.

The changes reflect the fact that Americans now have access to more sources of fluoride than they did when water fluoridation was first introduced in the United States in the 1940s. Water is now one of several sources of fluoride. Other common sources include dental products such as toothpaste and mouth rinses, prescription fluoride supplements, and fluoride applied by dental professionals. Water fluoridation and fluoride toothpaste are largely responsible for the significant decline in tooth decay in the US over the past several decades.

HHS's proposed recommendation of 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per litre of water replaces the current recommended range of 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams. This updated recommendation is based on recent EPA and HHS scientific assessments to balance the benefits of preventing tooth decay while limiting any unwanted health effects. These scientific assessments will also guide EPA in making a determination of whether to lower the maximum amount of fluoride allowed in drinking water, which is set to prevent adverse health effects.

The new EPA assessments were undertaken in response to findings of the National Academies of Science (NAS). An NAS review of new data on fluoride in 2006 recommended that the Agency update its health and exposure assessments to take into account bone and dental effects and to consider all sources of fluoride. In addition, in its assessment HHS considered current levels of tooth decay and dental fluorosis and fluid consumption across the United States.

EPA: http://water.epa.gov/action/advisories/drinking/fluoride_index.cfm

Research probes social stressors

Researchers in the US are to study how a combination of harmful factors affect human health, including research on poor and underserved communities with extensive pollution-based problems. EPA says the “ground-breaking research” will focus on environments where people are exposed to multiple stressors such as chemicals, anxiety, and poor nutrition. When these stressors are combined, they can lead to a much higher risk of health issues.

The grants totalling $7 million are being made under the Science to Achieve Results (STAR) programme. They cover research into both societal and environmental factors including: combined effects of metals and stress on central nervous system function; disparities in air pollutant risks; effects of stress and traffic pollutants on childhood asthma; cumulative risk assessments in urban populations and low-income communities near a Superfund site; and strategies for assessing cumulative effects of chemical and non-chemical stressors.

“This research could pave the way for more interdisciplinary work that is responsive to community concerns and environmental justice”, said Dr Paul Anastas, Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Research and Development.

Ecosystems at risk from drugs

The Saint Lawrence River ecosystem is being exposed to antidepressant drugs which are passing into the waterways and affecting fish. The findings by a team of Canadian researchers add to the growing body of evidence about the affects of so-called pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) on natural ecosystems.¹³

The results are internationally significant as Montréal's sewage treatment system is similar to that in use in other major cities, and moreover, it is reputed to be the third largest treatment system in the world. “Montréal has a very basic sewage system – the city basically only removes solids, there's no disinfecting of the water,” explained Dr Sébastien Sauvé of the University of Montréal's Department of Chemistry and the team leader. “In any case, the chemical structure of anti-depressants makes them extremely difficult to remove from sewage, even with the most sophisticated systems available.”

Despite a lack of information about the possible toxicity brought from these substances, the research group suggests an interesting tool to track the early biological effects of antidepressants. “Since the acute toxicity of antidepressants is less probable toward aquatic organisms, chronic toxicity remained possible. In this way, the suggested biomarker involved in the serotonin regulation in the brain may represent a promising means of determining subtle biological effects to fish,” explained André Lajeunesse.

Sauvé was quick to point out that there is no immediate danger to humans. “The amount of anti-depressants being released into our river works out to roughly the equivalent of a grain of salt in an Olympic-size swimming pool,” he said. “Nevertheless, we are seeing an impact on the river's ecosystem, which should concern cities everywhere.” Further research by other teams will look at exactly what the consequences might be.

‘Distribution of antidepressants and their metabolites in brook trout exposed to municipal wastewaters before and after ozone treatment – Evidence of biological effects’, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2010.12.026

Research activities

Arctic plays key role in mercury release

Recent research by a French-American team has highlighted a new role that sea-ice plays in the mercury cycle in the Arctic. By blocking sunlight, sea-ice could influence the breakdown and transfer into the atmosphere of toxic forms of mercury present in the surface waters of the Arctic Ocean.

In the Arctic atmosphere, elementary mercury is oxidized into a form that deposits easily in the cryosphere (snow, ice). Then, when the ice melts, this oxidized form can in turn be re-mobilized and transformed, via physicochemical and biological processes, into a toxin: methylmercury (CH3Hg). It is this toxic form that is ingested by living organisms. It accumulates throughout the food chain and can reach concentrations one million times higher than those measured in surface waters at the very top of the chain. Over the last two decades, mercury and methylmercury concentration monitoring programmes in different regions of the Arctic have been showing contrasting geographic and temporal trends.

To understand these phenomena better, the researchers focused on murre eggs collected in several Arctic and sub-Arctic locations. Situated at the top of the food chain, these sea birds incorporate the mercury contamination present in the chain and are thus an excellent sentinel species for measuring the impact of this pollutant on marine ecosystems. For instance, the quantity of mercury in their eggs provides an accurate reflection of mercury levels in Arctic ecosystems at a given time. More specifically, the team measured the isotopic signature of Hg in these eggs and noted that it showed significant geographic variations.

Knowing the important role played by light in the photodegradation of methylmercury, the researchers succeeded in establishing how much of this toxin could be destroyed by sunlight, whether in the presence or in the absence of sea-ice. In this way, they determined that the presence of sea-ice prevents both the photochemical breakdown of methylmercury and that it limits exchanges of mercury between the Arctic Ocean and the atmosphere.

These results suggest that climate plays a key role in the mercury cycle. Accelerated melting of sea-ice over the coming decades will therefore influence the biogeochemical cycle of this pollutant in a significant manner. Analysis of mercury at the isotopic scale now opens new research avenues to better understand the dynamics of this priority pollutant and its impact on the environment.

Nature Geoscience: ‘Methylmercury photodegradation influenced by sea-ice cover in Arctic marine ecosystems’. doi: 10.1038/ngeo1049

Agency backs smart water technology

EPA is counting on the next generation of water technologies to create green jobs. A new collaborative effort, called the Water Technology Innovation Cluster (WTIC), will develop and commercialise innovative water-related technologies. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson launched the initiative in Cincinnati, Ohio alongside Karen Mills, head of the US Small Business Administration (SBA).

The WTIC will develop, test, and market innovative processes and technologies including those that are sustainable, and water and energy efficient; will be cost effective for the utilities and consumers; address a broad array of contaminants; and improve public health protection. In addition, the Cluster will move forward with the development of green infrastructure, including rain gardens designed to receive stormwater runoff from roads and roofs.

“By bringing together public utilities, research partners and innovative businesses, the Water Technology Innovation Cluster will be instrumental in strengthening health protections for millions of Americans and promoting investments in cutting-edge technology,” Ms Jackson said. Ms Mills added that: “This public-private partnership will not only improve public health, but also help keep us competitive around the world by allowing small businesses to invest in new ideas.”

The WTIC builds on the history and expertise of EPA's water research laboratory in Cincinnati. So far, the Agency has invested $5 million to conduct key studies of the environmental technology marketplace for drinking water, acquire the services of a cluster consultant, and conduct technology and knowledge mapping of the region to gauge its strengths.

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

What role for European R&D?

As JEM went to press, the European Commission was set to release a policy paper outlining proposals to better integrate support schemes for research, development and innovation in areas such as green technologies. The move is a key step in the ‘Innovation Union’ initiative launched last October.¹⁴

An eight-week consultation was being launched at the same time, the results of which will be fed into the next Framework Programme for Research and Development, as well as a revision of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP), which provides finance and other support for small firms. Both programmes run until 2013.

Previewing the proposals at an event in January, Heinz Zourek, Director General of the Commission's Enterprise and Industry department said the objective was to have fewer, simpler and better linked programmes. The Brussels meeting saw calls for more integration of the CIP with the research framework programme. However, Mr Zourek warned that negotiations on the next EU budget could derail plans for streamlining support schemes.

Ideas being considered by the Commission include giving more attention to intellectual property and support services for SMEs wanting to expand their activities beyond the EU. Marc Schublin of the European Investment Fund said that the CIP needed to be flexible enough to meet future market changes. Business leaders have called for a greater focus on eco-innovation as a driver of growth.¹⁵

European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/research/innovation-union/index_en.cfm

Funding secures Institute's future

The US-based Health Effects Institute (HEI) is to receive $25 million from EPA to continue its work on improving air quality and protecting health. With the funding, HEI will develop the next generation of tools and scientific information to examine the combined effects of air pollution exposures on people's health and the relationship between air quality and climate change.

“This grant continues a long and fruitful partnership to address air quality issues,” said Dr Paul Anastas, Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Research and Development. “The scientific contributions by HEI complement and augment EPA's extensive clean air research programme, which is providing the critical science needed to improve air quality.”

Established in 1980, HEI is an independent, non-profit research organisation funded jointly by EPA and the motor vehicle industry. Over the past 30 years, the Institute has sponsored more than 250 studies in North America, Europe, and Asia. These have produced important research on the effects of particulate matter; initiated new research to track health outcomes of air quality improvements; and conducted special scientific reviews on air toxics from mobile sources.

A number of HEI research competitions are currently open with deadlines throughout the year.

HEI: http://www.healtheffects.org/

References

1. M. Sharpe, J. Environ. Monit., 2011, 13, 11.
2. M. Sharpe, J. Environ. Monit., 2010, 12, 1504.
3. M. Sharpe, J. Environ. Monit., 2011, 13, 237.
4. M. Sharpe, J. Environ. Monit., 2010, 12, 1787.
5. M. Sharpe, J. Environ. Monit., 2009, 11, 1905.
6. M. Sharpe, J. Environ. Monit., 2010, 12, 1505.
7. M. Sharpe, J. Environ. Monit., 2010, 12, 1008.
8. M. Sharpe, J. Environ. Monit., 2010, 12, 1946.
9. M. Sharpe, J. Environ. Monit., 2008, 10, 915.
10. M. Sharpe, J. Environ. Monit., 2008, 10, 796.
11. M. Sharpe, J. Environ. Monit., 2010, 12, 1788.
12. M. Sharpe, J. Environ. Monit., 2008, 10, 402.
13. M. Sharpe, J. Environ. Monit., 2010, 12, 572 , 1946, 2202.
14. M. Sharpe, J. Environ. Monit., 2010, 12, 2197.
15. M. Sharpe, J. Environ. Monit., 2011, 13, 17.

---