UN agencies urge end to potentially deadly - but preventable - lead paint use
Pregnant mothers and young children in the developing world are exposed to high levels of lead through unsafe paints, particularly in colours yellow and red where lead is added as a pigment, United Nations environment agency today reported amid International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week of Action. (Source: UN News Centre - Health, Poverty, Food Security)
Source: UN News Centre - Health, Poverty, Food Security - October 22, 2013 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news
Air pollution still harming health across Europe
Around 90 % of city dwellers in the European Union (EU) are exposed to one of the most damaging air pollutants at levels deemed harmful to health by the World Health Organisation (WHO). This result comes from the latest assessment of air quality in Europe, published by the European Environment Agency (EEA). The report, 'Air quality in Europe - 2013 report', is an EEA contribution to the European Commission's review of air quality policy and the EU 'Year of Air'. Vehicles, industry, agriculture and homes are contributing to air pollution in Europe... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)
Source: Health News from Medical News Today - October 17, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Water - Air Quality / Agriculture Source Type: news
Air pollution 'still harming health'
Some pollutants continue to pose a "significant threat" to European citizens' health and the environment, says a report by the European Environment Agency. (Source: BBC News | Health | UK Edition)
Source: BBC News | Health | UK Edition - October 15, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Bulgaria’s Air Is Dirtiest in Europe, Study Finds, Followed by Poland
Bulgaria has the highest levels of two kinds of particulate matter that can lead to health problems from asthma to cancer, the European Union says in an environmental study. (Source: NYT Health)
Source: NYT Health - October 15, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: By DANNY HAKIM Tags: Hazardous and Toxic Substances Ozone European Union Air Pollution European Environment Agency Sofia (Bulgaria) Source Type: news
Owen Paterson v the science of climate change
The environment secretary has told the Tory conference there are advantages to global warming, but he appears to be viewing the problem through a narrowly British lensThe UK environment secretary, Owen Paterson, has told a fringe meeting at the Conservative party conference: "People get very emotional about this subject [climate change] and I think we should just accept that the climate has been changing for centuries."The UN's climate science panel, the IPCC, said last Friday: "Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and since the 1950s, many of the observed changes are unprecedented over decades to millennia … It...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - September 30, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Adam Vaughan Tags: theguardian.com Blogposts Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) World news Global climate talks United Nations Owen Paterson Politics UK news Conservative conference Conservative conference 2013 Green politics Conservati Source Type: news
Populations of grassland butterflies decline almost 50 percent over 2 decades
(Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres) Grassland butterflies have declined dramatically between 1990 and 2011. This has been caused by intensifying agriculture and a failure to properly manage grassland ecosystems, according to a report from the European Environment Agency. In the report the data of the Butterfly monitoring scheme in Germany have been incorporated, which is scientifically supported by the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research. UFZ scientists have also contributed to the analysis of population trends. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 23, 2013 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Slug poison found in one in eight of England's drinking water sources
Slug pesticide used in gardens and agriculture linked to high concentrations of toxic chemical in rivers and reservoirsSlug poison was found in one in eight of England's rivers and reservoirs used for drinking water, according to the most recent comprehensive survey of the chemical.The Environment Agency (EA) told the Guardian that between 2009 and 2011 concentrations of metaldehyde, used by farmers to protect their crops from slugs, were found in 81 of England and Wales' 647 reservoirs, rivers and groundwater from which drinking water is sourced. The chemical is almost impossible to remove from drinking water using standa...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - July 9, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Karl Mathiesen Tags: Farming News guardian.co.uk UK news Pesticides Gardens Environment Agriculture Source Type: news
Biofuels plant opens to become UK's biggest buyer of wheat
Vivergo plant near Hull will take 1.1m tonnes of wheat a year to turn into ethanol and animal feedA new biofuels plant that has opened today near Hull will be the UK's biggest buyer of wheat, and the biggest supplier of animal feed.Vivergo's plant at Saltend in the Humber estuary, opened with £350m investment, will take in 1.1m tonnes annually of wheat that would otherwise be used for animal feed and produce an estimated 420m litres a year of ethanol, to be mixed with petrol and used in vehicles. A byproduct of the process is high-protein feed for livestock, with about 500,000 tonnes expected a year.Vivergo said the const...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - July 8, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Fiona Harvey Tags: Energy News guardian.co.uk Technology Energy research UK news Biofuels Energy industry Environment Business Renewable energy Carbon emissions Science Source Type: news
Science should focus on 'new' environmental health risks, EU report says (Euractiv, 31 May 2013)
A new Environment and human health report published by the European Environment Agency and the European Commission's Joint Research Centre describes environmental policy issues in relation to human health.
Full article (Source: Society for Endocrinology)
Source: Society for Endocrinology - May 31, 2013 Category: Endocrinology Source Type: news
In campaign to stem food waste, UN agency spotlights traditional preservation methods
Fermenting birds, naturally freeze-drying potatoes and squeezing meat on a saddle are some of the traditional methods used by cultures around the world to preserve food highlighted today by the United Nations environment agency, which is stressing the importance of reducing food waste. (Source: UN News Centre - Health, Poverty, Food Security)
Source: UN News Centre - Health, Poverty, Food Security - May 21, 2013 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news
Radioactive materials lost in more than 30 incidents over past decade
Health and safety watchdog admits firms and hospitals have mislaid dangerous substances that could be used by terroristsRadioactive materials have gone missing from businesses, hospitals and even schools more than 30 times over the last decade, a freedom of information request to the UK's health and safety authorities has revealed.Nuclear experts have warned that some of the lost material could be used by terrorists and said there should be a crackdown by the regulators to ensure such "carelessness" is brought to a speedy halt.Among the big names that have lost potentially dangerous materials are Rolls-Royce at a site in D...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - May 5, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Terry Macalister Tags: Nuclear power The Guardian World news Society Nuclear waste UK news Hospitals Environment Science Source Type: news
'Alien' wildlife in Europe wreaks €12bn damage a year, study shows
From tiger mosquitoes to ragweed, more than 10,000 invasive species are putting increasing pressure on the natural worldAnimals and plants brought to Europe from other parts of the world are a bigger-than-expected threat to health and the environment costing at least €12bn (£10bn) a year, according to a study published on Thursday.More than 10,000 "alien" species have gained a foothold in Europe, from Asian tiger mosquitoes to North American ragweed, and at least 1,500 are known to be harmful, the European Environment Agency (EEA) said."In many areas, ecosystems are weakened by pollution, climate change and fragmentatio...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 21, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Biodiversity Biology World news guardian.co.uk Endangered species Europe Animals Plants Zoology Conservation Environment Invasive species Science Wildlife Source Type: news
