Environmental digest

Legislation

Commission gets to grips with waste

The European Commission is to make waste a priority in its autumn programme, with a series of announcements signalled on waste management and related issues.

Firstly, the Commission is preparing national roadmaps to help the ten EU countries with the worst waste management records improve their performance. The laggard states were identified by a screening study which rated each on 18 criteria, including recycling rates, waste treatment infrastructure and compliance with EU rules. The poorest performers were Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

The study highlighted continuing disparities in waste management across the EU. These ten poorest performers landfill most of their waste, while in the six best – Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden – the rate is below 5%. Even in these best performers, more effort is needed on waste prevention and to find solutions to incinerator overcapacity which can hamper recycling and require waste to be imported. As part of the roadmapping exercise, the Commission will hold seminars with national authorities and develop tailor-made recommendations and spread best practices.

The Commission will also consult on a planned revision of EU landfill diversion targets for biodegradable waste next year, following an ongoing analysis of compliance with the 1999 landfill directive. Under the directive, Member States had to reduce the amount of biodegradable waste landfilled to 75% of 1995 levels by July 2006 and then down to 50% three years later. Most countries are required to reach 35% of these levels by July 2016, with those having historically high landfilling rates being given a further four years to comply.

A recent analysis shows most of the countries that do not enjoy derogations met the 75% and 50% targets in 2009. But the Commission expects problems with those that were given until 2010 to meet the first 75% target. According to the report, Greece and Cyprus were still landfilling 108% and 144% of 1995 levels in 2009. However, other countries such as Romania were very close to meeting the target. The current period is especially challenging as countries with derogations have to move from 75% to 50%.

The EU executive has indicated it envisages phasing out biodegradable waste landfilling between 2020 and 2025 as part of the revision of the directive. The Commission is currently developing end-of-waste criteria for biodegradable waste which should help facilitate its use. Final proposals are due in the autumn.

An EU consultancy study on the impact of more ambitious landfilling targets will be launched alongside the consultation. The study will also assess the need to tighten recycling targets in the 2008 waste framework directive and whether to set targets for other waste streams. Legislative proposals might be tabled in 2014.

The amount of hazardous waste generated across Europe fell slightly in 2009 following a 46% increase between 2000 and 2008, according to the EU's latest official statistics. The figures were compiled from submissions made under the Basel convention on toxic waste shipments. They also confirm a significant increase in hazardous waste exports, which grew 150% between 2000 and 2007 before dropping back 9% by 2009. Most exports are to other EU states. The drop in toxic waste generation in 2009 could be linked to the economic downturn, the Commission suggests, while the increase in exports is attributed to better treatment facilities in a number of EU countries.

On average, the EU produces 154 kilograms of hazardous waste per person each year, with the highest rates in Estonia, Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden and the lowest in Latvia, Romania, Lithuania and Greece. However, the data also highlight some gaps in reporting and enforcement. A Commission consultation last year on ways of strengthening EU waste shipment enforcement found 89% of stakeholders were in favour of new legislation on inspections.¹

Also, a review of the EU sewage sludge directive, currently underway, is unlikely to result in any immediate legislative changes, a Commission spokesperson has indicated. The 1986 directive sets standards for sludges applied to agricultural land but compliance has been patchy.² There were suggestions that these could be tightened^3,4 and the rules extended to cover biowaste used as fertiliser.⁵ Research was also commissioned on emerging pollutants, with the initial results presented to stakeholders in June. But the review, due to be finalised shortly, has suggested that use of sewage sludge does not pose a significant environmental risk and several EU states now have their own more stringent national requirements, according to a Commission official. In addition, several other initiatives that overlap with the directive are still ongoing, including the development of end-of-waste criteria for biodegradable waste mentioned above.

European Commission: waste management roadmaps: http://europa.eu/rapid/(reference: IP/12/888); screening study, http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/studies/pdf/Screening_report.pdf; biodegradable waste targets, http://susproc.jrc.ec.europa.eu/activities/waste/; sewage sludge: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/sludge/index.htm.

US plays hard ball on ETS

The place of transport in the European emissions trading scheme (ETS) is becoming a heated issue, with policymakers in the US upping the stakes on how the ETS affects US-based airlines and the shipping industry in Europe lobbying to prevent the scheme from being extended to the maritime sector.

Authorities in the United States and elsewhere have been vociferous in their opposition to bringing aviation under the remit of the ETS, despite the EU's approval earlier this year. In Washington, the Senate's Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation has backed a draft law allowing the Federal government to ban US airlines from participating in the EU's scheme. Similar measures have been adopted by the House of Representatives. The draft law was backed by senators from both parties and will now pass to the full senate, but needs presidential approval to become law.

The vote coincided with a two-day meeting of countries opposed to the inclusion of airlines in the ETS. China and India have already told their airlines to ignore the scheme. Sixteen countries attended the talks in Washington DC, compared with the 26 that signed a joint declaration last September. Speaking before the meeting, a State Department official said the focus would be on possible solutions. US airline association Airlines for America urged the US government to launch a legal challenge against the EU via the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Meanwhile, associations representing the European shipping industry strongly oppose the inclusion of shipping in the ETS. The aviation measure has proved controversial, they point out, and warn emissions could increase if shipowners reroute sailings to avoid the scheme. They suggest making payments into an EU fund to help develop more energy-efficient maritime technology as the best option for reducing regional ships' CO2 emissions. But the trade bodies – which include the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) and the European Sea Ports Organization (ESPO) – would prefer the EU to wait for international action under the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The Commission consulted on a range of measures earlier this year, including emissions trading, a tax and binding ship-based targets, after the IMO failed to meet its deadline for an international deal.

US Senate: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/s1956; Airlines for America: http://www.airlines.org; European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/transport/shipping/index_en.htm; ESPO: http://www.espo.be.

EU ponders action on small combustion plants

Measures to regulate air emissions from smaller combustion plants of less than 50 megawatts are being considered by the European Commission. Such plants are currently not covered by the 2010 Industrial Emissions Directive (IED).

The Commission is examining three main policy options. The first is to set minimum emission limit values (ELVs) under the directive, based on the most stringent national limits applied by member states. The second is to extend existing IED ELVs for larger plants to cover those below 50 MW. The third option, called ‘light IED’, would involve setting ELVs for air pollutants without requiring a full pollution permit for different types of environmental impacts such as air and water pollution. Such rules already apply to small solvent plants under the IED.

An EU consultancy study finds that, for all three main options, the benefits of controlling air emissions from small combustion plants would outweigh compliance and administrative costs. The ‘light IED’ option would be less burdensome than the other two, the study says. An official said compliance with ELVs under this option could be assessed through a monitoring scheme.

The Commission is also considering special rules for very small plants up to 5 MW. The idea is to regulate their emissions through product standards similar to those adopted under ecodesign rules. These standards would apply only to new units.

On a similar theme, the US EPA is reviewing technical information relating to pollution limits for certain power plants under the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, passed late last year.⁶ The review, known as a ‘reconsideration,’ is a routine tool used by the Agency to ensure that its standards are kept up to date and will look at new information provided by industry. As part of the review, EPA will examine monitoring issues related to the mercury standards for new power plants and will address other technical issues on the acid gas and particle pollution standards for these plants. It will not affect the types of state-of-the-art pollution controls expected of new power plants.

EPA: http://epa.gov/mats/actions.html.

Environmental quality

Arctic sea ice reaches record low

As JEM went to press, a satellite survey by NASA revealed that the Arctic had lost more of its sea ice this summer than at any other time since satellite records began in 1979 (Fig. 1).The survey, run by NASA, showed that the sea ice in late August was just 1.58 million square miles (4.1 million sq km), compared to the previous low of 1.61 million square miles (4.17 sq km) on 18 September 2007. This surface area was likely to reduce further, however, as the lowest point is usually in mid-September.

Fig. 1 The sea ice concentration from August 26, 2012 compared to the average sea ice minimum from 1979 through 2010 shown in orange.

The ice cap goes through a natural annual ebb and flow as the seasons change, but over the past three decades satellites have observed a 13% decline per decade in the summer minimum. The thickness of the sea ice is also declining, so the volume of ice has fallen even further, although estimates vary about the actual figure.

Joey Comiso, senior research scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, explained that this year's ice decline has been caused by the warm temperatures of previous years, which reduced the amount of perennial ice – ice that is more resistant to melting. “Unlike 2007, temperatures were not unusually warm in the Arctic this summer. [But] we are losing the thick component of the ice cover,” he said. “And if you lose [that], the ice in the summer becomes very vulnerable.”

Professor Peter Wadhams, from Cambridge University, told BBC News: “A number of scientists who have actually been working with sea ice measurement had predicted some years ago that the retreat would accelerate and that the summer Arctic would become ice-free by 2015 or 2016. I was one of those scientists – and of course bore my share of ridicule for daring to make such an alarmist prediction.” But he believes that that prediction is now becoming true, and the ice cap has become so thin in places that it would inevitably disappear.

“Measurements from submarines have shown that it has lost at least 40% of its thickness since the 1980s, and if you consider the shrinkage as well it means that the summer ice volume is now only 30% of what it was in the 1980s,” explained Prof. Wadhams. “This means an inevitable death for the ice cover, because the summer retreat is now accelerated by the fact that the huge areas of open water already generated allow storms to generate big waves which break up the remaining ice and accelerate its melt.”

Scientists stress that the implications are serious. The increased open water lowers the average albedo of the planet, accelerating global warming, while the open water is causing seabed permafrost to melt, releasing large amounts of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, to the atmosphere.

Inventories show global greenhouse gas emissions running at record levels, consistent with a three-degree temperature rise.⁷ British researchers launched a major study of the Arctic climate system earlier this year,⁸ while the EU has emphasized its commitment to the region.⁹

NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/arctic-seaice-2012.html.

Study predicts global declines in air quality by 2050

Time is running out to reduce global air emissions and urgent action is called for, according to a new EU-funded study by the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The paper published in the EGU's journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, demonstrates the extent to which global air quality will deteriorate by 2050 if man-made emissions remain at current levels and air quality legislation is not reinforced.

Air pollution is a major health risk that is set only to get worse as industrial activity increases; the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates urban outdoor air pollution currently causes an estimated 1.3 million deaths every year worldwide. According to the paper, the air quality experienced by the average global citizen in 2050 would be almost as poor as that experienced by the average citizen in East Asia today.

“At present the post-Kyoto climate negotiations are progressing slowly, and it is unclear how air quality policies will develop globally”, commented Greet Janssens-Maenhout from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Italy, a study co-author. “In regions with economic growth, it might be less effective to implement emission reduction measures due to strong growth in activities in particular sectors. In countries suffering from the economic downturn, implementing expensive air quality measures could prove difficult in coming years.”

The researchers studied the impact of man-made emissions on air quality if past emission trends continue and no additional climate change and air pollution reduction measures are implemented. They estimated air quality in 2005, 2010, 2025 and 2050 using an atmospheric chemistry model that uses a basic mathematical formulation to predict the meteorology and the chemical composition of the atmosphere.

The results show that in 2025 and 2050, if no action is taken, East Asia will be exposed to high levels of pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide. Northern India and the Arabian Gulf region, on the other hand, will suffer a marked increase in ozone levels. Air pollution would increase significantly in Europe and North America, but to a much lesser extent than in Asia, due to the effect of mitigation policies that have been in place for over two decades.

The study is the first of its kind to include all five major air pollutants know to negatively impact human health: PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone and carbon monoxide. The scientists considered pollutants released through human activity, as well as those occurring naturally such as desert dust, sea spray and volcanic emissions.

The international study concludes that “strong actions and further effective legislation” are necessary to “avoid the drastic deterioration of air quality, which can have severe effects on human health”. “Further legislation to control and reduce man-made emissions is needed, in particular for eastern China and northern India, to avoid hot-spots of elevated air pollution”, noted Andrea Pozzer of Germany's Max Planck Institute for Chemistry.

The links between air pollution and climate change are of increasing interest in the scientific community, including pollutants such as black carbon and methane.^10,11 The EU has recently agreed stricter emission ceilings for air pollutants from 2020 under the Gothenburg Protocol,¹² while the European Commission is taking a tough line with governments on air quality standards.¹³

“Effects of business-as-usual anthropogenic emissions on air quality”, A. Pozzer et al., Atmos. Chem. Phys., 2012, 12 , 6915–6937, DOI: 10.5194/acp-12-6915-2012.

Biodiesel savings overestimated

Locally produced rapeseed biodiesel does not reduce greenhouse gases as much as suggested by the EU's renewable energy directive, according to researchers at Germany's Friedrich-Schiller University.

Using publicly available data, Gernot Pehnelt and Christoph Vietze calculated that the greenhouse gas savings of biodiesel are less than 30%, compared with 38% stated in the renewable energy directive. The authors claim EU biofuels policy may be driven by green protectionism to exclude imported sources of biodiesel on behalf of European agri-business. They say their study was hampered by the EU's refusal to release all its data.

Another report from the Leopoldina National Academy of Science has concluded that Germany should not rely on biofuels to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. It should focus instead on developing other technologies, such as wind and solar power. Energy efficiency must also be a priority, it says. The report backs the use of biogas from waste, but warns about the impact of energy generation from agricultural residues on soil quality. EU farming ministers have called for more use to be made of biomass resources to produce energy.¹⁴

Growth in biofuel consumption continued to slow between 2010 and 2011, with an increase of only 3%, according to the latest analysis by renewable energy consortium Eurobserver. This means Europe is over a year behind schedule compared with national renewable energy action plans. Slack growth is partly due to the late introduction of sustainability certification schemes and the Commission's delayed decision on new sustainability criteria to take into account the ILUC impact of biofuels.¹⁵ Eurobserver expects a boost by 2015 because greener second-generation biofuels are likely to come onto the market much sooner than previously anticipated.

The European Commission is preparing an impact assessment and legislative proposal on the indirect land-use change effects of biofuels. A long-delayed decision on how to tackle this controversial issue is now expected in the autumn.

Friedrich-Schiller University: http://zs.thulb.uni-jena.de; Leopoldina National Academy of Science: http://www.leopoldina.org; Eurobserver: http://www.eurobserv-er.org.

UN launches sustainable solutions network

A new independent global network of research centres, universities and technical institutions will help find solutions for some of the world's most pressing environmental, social and economic problems.

Announced by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network will work with stakeholders including business, civil society, UN agencies and other international organizations to identify and share the best pathways to achieve sustainable development. This initiative is partly in response to the outcome of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), which took place in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, in June.¹⁶ At a side event in Rio, the International Council for Science called for scientists to play a more active role in sustainability debates.¹⁷

The Solutions Network will be directed by Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and Special Advisor to Secretary-General Ban on the global anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It will operate in close coordination with the High-level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

“The post-2015 objectives will help the world to focus on the vital challenges of sustainable development and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network will be an innovative way to draw upon worldwide expertise in the campuses, universities, scientific research centres and business technology divisions around the world,” Mr Ban said.

The High-level Panel will advise on the global development agenda beyond 2015, the target date for achieving the MDGs, and will hold its first meeting at the end of September. It is expected to submit its findings to the Secretary-General in the first half of 2013.

Sustainable Development Solutions Network: http://www.unsdsn.org/SDSN.

Chemical hazards

EU updates POPs plan; revises PIC rules

The European Commission is updating the EU's implementation plan for the Stockholm convention and other international treaties on persistent organic pollutants (POPs).

The current plan dates from 2007, since when there have been major changes to the POPs regime. Over this period the Commission has reviewed the 2004 POPs regulation and two additions of substances have been made to the Stockholm convention and one to the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) convention on long-range transboundary air pollution. POPs are being implicated in an ever-widening range of health issues, including obesity and diabetes.^18,19

Significant progress has been made towards eliminating POPs, the draft says, with production and use generally prohibited and falling. The main challenge remaining is the management of POPs in waste. It recommends 30 further measures including adding endosulfan to the prior informed consent regulation, setting limit values for PBDEs and PFOS in waste under the POPs regulation, and including unintentional POPs releases in forthcoming ecodesign rules for solid fuel combustion installations.

There is also a need for better enforcement of existing legislation, more communication on POPs and research into alternatives, and greater consideration of POPs in the industrial emissions directive and guidance on best-available technologies (BREFs), the draft says. A consultation on the proposals has also been launched.

Meanwhile, a revised regulation on the prior informed consent (PIC) regime for exporting hazardous substances will apply from March 2014, after the deal agreed by lawmakers in February was published in the EU's official journal.²⁰ The rules specify the conditions under which exports can go ahead without prior consent from the receiving country. Export of a substance will be allowed if one of several conditions are met. The regulation adds that exporters cannot seek a derogation if the substance is classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic, or as persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic under EU legislation. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) will be responsible for assessing import and export notifications. Its work will be funded through the EU budget and voluntary contributions from Member States. By 2019, the Commission will consider whether the Agency should charge a fee for its services.

European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/consultations/pops_en.htm; PIC regulation: http://eur-lex.europa.eu (ref: OJ:L:2012:201:0060:0106).

ECHA aims for SVHC target

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has announced dossiers on a further 38 potential additions to the REACH candidate list of substances of very high concern (SVHCs). The Agency says this is an indication of its commitment to meeting its target of 136 substances on the SVHCs list by the end of the year.^21,22 It will consult on its proposals alongside 15 chemicals recommended by Member States.

Many of the proposed additions are lead compounds including petrol additive tetraethyl lead and plastics stabiliser trilead dioxide phosphonate. Other additions proposed by ECHA include several azo dyes, the biocides dibutyltin dichloride and dinoseb, dye and glue ingredient 0-toluidine, and propylene oxide and 4,4′-oxydianiline, which are used to make polyurethane and polyamide.

The 15 substances recommended by national authorities include flame retardant deca-BDE, a series of perfluorinated acids, methoxy acetic acid and the phthalates n-pentyl-isopentylphthalate and diisopentylphthalate. Five dossiers are based on the more unusual grounds of a substance being of ‘equivalent concern’ to other persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals (PBTs). Germany is responsible for more than half of the submissions.

European Chemicals Agency: http://echa.europa.eu/.

Denmark bans phthalates; leads on fertiliser law

Denmark's position in the vanguard of European environmental policy is highlighted by two recent developments: a move to ban a combination of four phthalates from certain products in contravention of EU rules; and a controversial new law banning the application of fertilisers and manure that has angered farmers.

The move to ban phthalates – covering DEHP, DBP, BBP and DIBP – was announced by Environment Minister Ida Auken. In a strongly worded statement, the minister added she was willing to “take the fight” with the European Commission if the EU executive decides to challenge the decision in court. “Denmark will not wait for Europe,” Ms Auken continued, saying there was sufficient scientific evidence for restricting use of the endocrine disruptors.

Last year, Denmark put forward a proposal for restrictions under REACH's Annex 17.^23,24 It wants to ensure that the combined concentration of the four substances does not exceed 0.1% in goods intended for indoor use or likely to come into direct contact with skin or mucous membranes. Under existing EU law, manufacturers wanting to use three of the phthalates – DEHP, DBP and BBP – will have to apply for authorisation from 2015. Where there are EU-wide bans, they only apply to specific products such as toys and cosmetics.

The European Chemicals Agency's risk assessment committee said recently the restriction proposed by Denmark was unnecessary.²⁵ But the government insists the substances can cause malformations of the reproductive system. As with its EU proposal, the Danish ban would apply to all consumer products for indoor use, such as shower curtains and vinyl flooring.

Meanwhile, Danish farmers have called for a boycott of a new law banning the application of fertiliser and manure within ten metres of open water. The government believes the buffer zones, which are due to enter force in September, will take 50 000 hectares of farmland out of production and stop 9000 tonnes of nitrogen from entering watercourses. This should help Denmark meet water framework directive targets. But farmers' group Sustainable Agriculture is taking legal action against the government, arguing the law will affect a wider area than expected and could limit subsidy payments. There are also problems with maps designating the zones, it says. Other farmers are in favour of the measures, however, as they fear alternatives to the buffer zones, including further constraints on tillage and nitrogen application, would be worse.

Danish Ministry of Environment: http://www.mim.dk.

EPA identifies decaBDE substitutes

A new EPA report identifies substitutes for the toxic flame retardant decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE). The assessment profiles the environmental and human health hazards of 30 alternatives to decaBDE, which will be phased out of production by December 2013.

DecaBDE is a common flame retardant used in electronics, vehicles, and building materials. It can cause adverse developmental effects, can persist in the environment and can bioaccumulate in people and animals. EPA's technical assessment aims to help manufacturers identify alternatives to decaBDE and is the latest in a series of actions by the Agency to address bromine-based flame retardants.

The alternatives to decaBDE characterized in the report are already on the market and will be used increasingly as decaBDE is phased out. They have differing hazard characteristics and are associated with trade-offs. For example, some alternatives that appear to have a relatively positive human health profile may be more persistent in the environment. Some appear to be less toxic than decaBDE. Laboratory testing and ongoing environmental monitoring is necessary to fully understand the potential for concern associated with these chemicals, EPA says.

The Agency used the publication of the report to push for reforms in US chemicals legislation. “Virtually everyone agrees that EPA needs updated authority under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to more effectively assess and regulate potentially harmful chemicals like flame retardants”, said Jim Jones, Acting Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP). “As EPA continues to stress the need for comprehensive legislative reform to TSCA, we are also targeting actions on a broader group of flame retardants to reduce human and environmental risks.”

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

Public and occupational health

Triclosan may impair muscle function

Triclosan, an antibacterial chemical widely used in hand soaps and other personal-care products, hinders muscle contractions at a cellular level, slows swimming in fish and reduces muscular strength in mice, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis, and the University of Colorado.

The team, led by Isaac Pessah, professor and chair of the Department of Molecular Biosciences in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, performed several experiments to evaluate the effects of triclosan on muscle activity, using doses similar to those that people and animals may be exposed to during everyday life.

In “test tube” experiments, triclosan impaired the ability of isolated heart muscle cells and skeletal muscle fibres to contract. Specifically, the team evaluated the effects of triclosan on molecular channels in muscle cells that control the flow of calcium ions, creating muscle contractions. Normally, electrical stimulation (“excitation”) of isolated muscle fibres under experimental conditions evokes a muscle contraction, a phenomenon known as “excitation–contraction coupling” (ECC), the fundamental basis of any muscle movement, including heartbeats. But in the presence of triclosan, the normal communication between two proteins that function as calcium channels was impaired, causing skeletal and cardiac muscle failure.

The team also found that triclosan impairs heart and skeletal muscle contractility in living animals. Anesthetized mice had up to a 25% reduction in heart function measures within 20 minutes of exposure to the chemical. “The effects of triclosan on cardiac function were really dramatic,” said Nipavan Chiamvimonvat, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at UC Davis and a study co-author. “Although triclosan is not regulated as a drug, this compound acts like a potent cardiac depressant in our models.”

Because the chemical structure of triclosan resembles other toxic chemicals that persist in the environment, the FDA and the US EPA are conducting new risk assessments of the chemical. Based on their study outcomes, the researchers argue that the potential health risks call for greater restrictions.

In Europe, meanwhile, the European Commission has granted triclosan a stay of execution by extending the deadline for companies seeking EU approval for certain uses. Approval for use of the substance in area disinfectants and as a preservative was due to end after the original backers withdrew their support. A new consortium has now taken up the case, led by Indian firm Vivimed Labs. Brussels has given the group until September 2013 to submit a dossier. The extension also applies to 2-phenoxyethanol.

“Triclosan impairs excitation–contraction coupling and Ca2+ dynamics in striated muscle,” I. Pessah, et al., in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Guidance on microbial risk assessment

EPA, with other federal agencies, has released the first-ever Microbial Risk Assessment (MRA) Guideline laying out an overarching approach to conducting risk assessments on pathogens in food and water. It is hoped the new guideline will improve the quality of the data collected by public health scientists regarding pathogen-related risks.

The guidance fills a vital gap in how formal risk assessments for food, water, and environmentally relevant chemicals are conducted by providing comprehensive, yet specific and descriptive information for developing assessments of microbial risk.

“This guidance contributes significantly to improving the quality and consistency of microbial risk assessments, and provides greater transparency to stakeholders and other interested parties in how federal agencies approach and conduct their microbial risk assessments,” said Dr Glenn Paulson, EPA Science Advisor.

EPA: http://www.epa.gov/raf/microbial.htm.

Research activities

Process industries map the future

A coalition of trade associations representing the European process industry is consulting on a research and innovation roadmap that sets resource and energy efficiency targets for 2030 and aims to improve its competitiveness.

The roadmap is being developed by SPIRE, a proposal for a European public–private partnership dedicated to innovation in resource and energy efficiency in the process industries. SPIRE's main aims – as set out in a manifesto published last October – are greater use of renewable feedstocks and secondary materials, industrial symbiosis and development of new processes. It wants fossil fuel and primary raw material intensity to be reduced by up to 30% and 20% respectively by 2030 compared with current levels.

Project participants plan to propose SPIRE for co-funding under the new Horizon research programme, which is being debated by EU legislators.²⁶ The European Commission has indicated that the SPIRE project would be eligible for EU funding and project participants have pledged to provide €1.4bn in private finance. It aims to support Europe's effort to strengthen the bio-based economy.²⁷

Mark Johnston of WWF's European policy office and Andrew Farmer of the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) both welcomed SPIRE's “constructive agenda”. But they criticised the roadmap's emphasis on improving the recovery of shale gas and coal-bed methane, which they see as incompatible with the goals of the Europe 2020 strategy on innovation and resource efficiency.

SPIRE: http://www.spire2030.eu.

Research to improve air quality

EPA has awarded five grants totalling almost $2 million to academic institutions for research on innovative processes to further improve air quality and help track the effectiveness of pollution control measures. The grants, under EPA's Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, are focused on generating better data and tools to enable regulatory authorities to assess air quality more effectively and to help inform policy decisions.

“These grants will encourage innovative solutions for air quality management [and] will help improve our efforts to respond quickly to short-term air pollution issues such as heat waves or seasonal impacts on air quality,” said Bob Kavlock, Deputy Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Research and Development.

The funding covers projects that will examine links between short-term air pollution drivers and existing management strategies, development of decision-making models, and air quality forecasting techniques.

For example, the University at Albany, N.Y., will help incorporate short-term forecasts of emissions from electricity generation and traffic into modelling and air quality forecasts. The University of Texas at Austin will design and test innovative methods to link electricity generation and emissions pricing for the prevention of air pollution episodes; and Texas A&M University, Kingsville, will address the issues of multi-pollutant air quality management and develop integrated decision-making models for air quality policy making.

EPA: http://www.epa.gov/ncer/dynair.

Ishii takes the helm at GEF

The Council of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) has named Dr Naoko Ishii as its new CEO and Chairperson. Prior to becoming the fourth CEO and Chairperson of the GEF, Dr Ishii, as Deputy Vice Minister of Finance, was responsible for Japan's international financial and development policies, and for its global policies on environmental issues such as climate change and biodiversity.

Established in 1991, the GEF is a financial mechanism to support countries in efforts relating to biodiversity, climate change, maritime issues, ozone layer depletion, land degradation and persistent organic pollutants. It is administered jointly by the UN Environment Programme, the UN Development Programme, the World Bank, other UN bodies and Regional Development Banks. Dr Ishii said that under her leadership, the GEF – the world's largest public funder of environmental projects – would become a more vocal advocate for the innovative environmental finance that is needed to meet the development challenges of the 21st century.

To date, the GEF has provided incremental grant financing totalling US$10.5 billion while leveraging US$51 billion in co-financing for over 2700 projects in over 165 developing countries and economies in transition. “The GEF has established a record of great achievement, yet the world remains on an unsustainable path and needs new ways to manage the global environment,” said Dr Ishii. “It is urgent and critical to forge trusting and productive partnerships among governments, international partners, the private sector, and civil society organizations,” she added.

GEF: http://www.thegef.org.

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