Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
Following is the July/August 2000 edition of EarthLink, a bi-monthly current awareness newsletter produced by UNEP-Infoterra/USA. EarthLink provides information on international environmental activities, publications and news of interest to EPA staff and other environment professionals.
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Article: Alert on Phthalates
INTERNET SITES Related to Phthalates and
Plastics
International Environment News
General
Biodiversity
Chemicals
Air Pollution
Contaminated Sediments and Soils
Water Pollution
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Biomonitoring
Cleaner Production
Environmental Impact Assessment
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Article: ALERT ON PHTHALATES
Chemicals and Engineering
Government and Policy
August 7, 2000
Volume 78, Number 32
Government panel says DEHP from medical devices may harm reproductive
organs of critically ill infants.
By Bette Hileman CNN Washington
In mid-July, a government panel wrapped up a two-year study at a meeting in which it expressed serious concern that di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) in vinyl medical devices may harm the reproductive organs of critically ill and premature male infants exposed during medical treatment. DEHP is a plasticizer that imparts flexibility to polyvinyl chloride. The concern is that DEHP is bound to the plastic only by van der Waals forces and is released during medical procedures or when objects, such as toys, are chewed.
In addition, the panel of expert scientists expressed concern that development of the male fetus would be harmed by the pregnant mother's exposure to DEHP or that the child would be harmed by other DEHP exposures during the first few years of life. "Our concerns are greatest for developing embryos and young children," said Robert J. Kavlock, the panel's chairman. Kavlock is director of the Reproductive Toxicology Division of the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Research & Development, Research Triangle Park, N.C.
The panel, convened in Washington, D.C. by the National Toxicology Program (NTP), also reached conclusions about possible hazards from six other phthalates used as PVC plasticizers. The panel gave these compounds ratings of low, minimal, or negligible concern, and for some exposures decided the data were insufficient to reach any conclusion.
This is the first time NTP has evaluated the reproductive and developmental toxicity of a chemical rather than a chemical's carcinogenicity. It did not consider the safety or availability of alternative medical devices that do not leach DEHP. NTP is part of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), and the division of NTP that assessed phthalates is the Center for Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction .
The Phthalate Esters Panel, which represents phthalate makers at the American Chemistry Council (ACC, formerly the Chemical Manufacturers Association), maintains in a statement released in response to the panel's conclusions that DEHP does not pose a serious risk. It claims that "there is still a large margin (100-fold) between the highest measured exposures and the effect levels seen in rodents." For the other phthalates, the esters panel says, NTP's "evaluations generally confirm our belief that phthalates are safe when used properly in consumer products and medical applications."
The Science & Environmental Health Network, a group of scientists who advocate increased environmental and health protection, has a very different view. "Critically ill babies are exposed to DEHP from multiple pieces of equipment. It is entering their bodies through their mouths, through their veins, and through their lungs," said physician Ted Schettler, science director of the network. "No one knows exactly what impact these multiple exposures will have, but what we know about DEHP's effects on animals gives us cause for concern and for action," he explained.
In rodent studies, several of the phthalates evaluated by the NTP panel affect fertility and sperm counts in males exposed during development. In vitro tests indicate that some of the phthalates seem to have an antiproliferative effect on Sertoli cells, reducing the number of cells and damaging them. This means that animals exposed to certain phthalates during development will produce fewer sperm when they reach sexual maturity. But the phthalates evaluated by the NTP panel differ greatly in the degree to which they affect reproduction and development.
DEHP was found to be one of the more toxic phthalates. According to the NTP panel, many rodent studies show that if an animal is fed relatively low levels of DEHP during pregnancy, the male offspring have reduced testicular weights, testicular degeneration, and reduced sperm counts compared with controls. Similar effects are found if male offspring are fed DEHP at a very early age, before sexual maturity. But adult male rodents are unaffected by DEHP, except at extremely high doses.
In vitro studies show that a DEHP metabolite--MEHP, monoethylhexyl phthalate--actually damages the Sertoli cells, the panel said. If Sertoli cells are isolated from two-day-old rats and exposed to very low concentrations of MEHP, there is an antiproliferative effect on the cells--but DEHP itself does not have as toxic an effect.
When DEHP is administered orally or directly into the stomach of a pregnant rodent, the dose required to cause adverse effects in the offspring is very low. Studies by Raymond Poon [Food Chem. Toxicol., 35, 225 (1997)] and James C. Lamb [Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol., 88, 255 (1987)] show that the lowest dose of DEHP that causes an effect is about 38 mg per kg of body weight daily, according to Robert Chapin, a member of the NTP panel and former head of mammalian reproductive toxicology at NIEHS.
In an intensive care unit, vinyl products softened with DEHP include blood bags, respiratory masks, oxygen tubing, intravenous bags, enteral food bags, and parenteral nutrition bags. Babies who undergo more than one procedure, therefore, can be exposed to DEHP from multiple sources. And because DEHP is fat-soluble, procedures that involve high-lipid products, such as blood, extract the most DEHP from the material, providing the greatest exposure.
Babies undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, in which the blood is circulated outside the body through PVC tubing, are exposed to 42 to 140 mg of DEHP per kg of body weight over a treatment period of three to 10 days, the NTP panel said. Newborns who receive blood replacement transfusions are exposed to 0.5 to 22.6 mg of DEHP per kg of body weight from vinyl blood bags and tubing. Because these human exposures overlap the doses that are toxic in rodents, the panel has concern that exposures to DEHP in intensive care units of hospitals may adversely affect the developing reproductive tract in these infants, Chapin said.
Some industry scientists argue that the rodent studies are not applicable to human babies in an intensive care unit because rodents usually are dosed orally and the highest dose babies receive is delivered directly to the bloodstream where DEHP is less likely to be metabolized to MEHP. However, even when DEHP is delivered directly to the blood, lipases in the blood metabolize some of it to MEHP, Schettler said. Raymond M. David, a toxicologist at Eastman Chemical who advises ACC's Phthalate Esters Panel, argued that two primate studies show that the rodent data may not be relevant to humans. In one study, George Pugh Jr. of Exxon Biomedical Sciences and his coworkers tested groups of four cynomolgus monkeys that were about two years old. One group was given 500 mg of DEHP per kg of body weight daily for 14 days. Pugh found no statistically significant changes in the weights of the monkey's testicles when compared with a group of four control monkeys. These results are supported by another study on marmoset monkeys at a similar stage of puberty.
However, cynomolgus monkeys near two years old are already in puberty, Schettler countered. The testosterone surge that occurs in early puberty may have already begun in this case, and the blood-testis barrier that forms during early puberty, protecting the Sertoli cells from contaminants, may already be intact. Therefore, the cynomolgus monkeys in Pugh's study may have been too old to be affected by DEHP, he said.
The best way to test the effects of DEHP on primates would be to expose pregnant monkeys to DEHP and see if there is any damage to the reproductive tract in the offspring, the panel said. Alternatively, primate infants could be exposed to DEHP when they are only a few days old.
Even though the NTP panel decided it may be risky to use certain devices containing DEHP in neonatal intensive care units, it made no recommendations to phase out PVC devices that contain DEHP or to move to alternative materials. The panel members agreed that in life-or-death situations, it is obligatory to give medical treatments even if they expose the infant to high levels of DEHP. "It's much better to be alive with wimpy Sertoli cells than not to be alive," said NTP panel member Katherine Shea, a physician who is an adjunct professor at Duke University Medical Center.
However, there is a lively debate going on about whether alternative medical devices are available and how safe they are. Mark Rossi, a graduate student in the department of urban studies and planning at Massachusetts Institute of Technology , said at the NTP panel meeting that devices that do not leach DEHP are available for most treatments used in a neonatal intensive care unit. For enteral feeding, bags made of nylon, ethylene vinyl acetate, and polyethylene laminates are commercially available, he said. For extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), tubing made of polyurethane is on the market, but it is more expensive. A vinyl product plasticized with DEHP, but coated with heparin that prevents leaching of DEHP, can also be used for ECMO. For blood products, vinyl bags plasticized with citrates are available.
"Citrate-plasticized PVC works very well for blood products like platelets and whole blood," says May Jacobson, a research associate in pediatrics at Children's Hospital Medical Center, Boston. "If the average adult has one or two transfusions with DEHP-plasticized devices, that is not a big deal," she says. "But when premies are given ECMO and other procedures, those are very, very high doses," she explains.
"Health care professionals and patients need to insist that if we can make the same products out of materials that do not threaten fertility, we should do it," says Charlotte Brody, coordinator of Health Care Without Harm , a Falls Church, Va.-based coalition of public health and environmental advocates.
Similarly, Lynn R. Goldman, former EPA administrator for prevention, pesticides, and toxic substances, who is acting as an adviser to NTP, says she hopes the panel's report "will be a starting point for looking at alternatives."
In contrast, AdvaMed, a Washington, D.C.-based association of medical device manufacturers, claims that even if devices that do not leach DEHP are available, they are not necessarily safer or superior to those made of DEHP-plasticized vinyl. "There are no reported human reproductive or developmental effects attributed to DEHP exposure," says Jon Cammack, a toxicologist with AdvaMed. "There are so many more toxicology data for vinyl compared with substitutes," he says. "There are no data saying substitutes are safer than PVC," he claims.
"Vinyl continues to be the material of choice for neonatal care," says Timothy F. Burns, president and chief executive officer of the Vinyl Institute , Arlington, Va., which represents vinyl producers. "There are no readily available substitutes with the proven safety record of vinyl" for ECMO and exchange transfusion, he explains.
The Food & Drug Administration has finished a risk assessment of DEHP in medical devices, which will be released to the public in a few months, according to Melvin E. Stratmeyer, a supervisory chemist at FDA. It only discusses risks for DEHP exposures from medical devices and does not evaluate the availability or safety of devices made from alternative materials, he says.
By mid-October, NTP will publish the panel's report on phthalates and begin accepting public comments. In early 2001, it will send a final package, which incorporates the report, public comments, and any important new scientific developments, to federal and state agencies, the scientific community, and other interested parties.
INTERNET SITES Related to Pthalates
1. The Vinyl Institute
http://www.vinylinfo.org/index.html
The Vinyl Institute is a U.S. trade association representing the leading manufacturers of vinyl, vinyl chloride monomer, vinyl additives and modifiers, and vinyl packaging materials. Founded in 1982, the Institute has a dual charter to promote and protect the industry and the markets it serves.
2. Phthalate Esters Panel
http://www.phthalates.org/
The Phthalate Esters Panel is a technical research and advocacy group
organized under the auspices of the American Chemistry Council, formerly
known as the Chemical Manufacturers Association. Members of the panel
are committed to working with government agencies to ensure that phthalates
continue to be used safely in consumer products, including toys.
3. Reducing
Your Risk: A Guide to Avoiding Hormone Disrupting Chemicals (1997), World
Wildlife fund-Canada
http://www.wwfcanada.org/satellite/reduce-risk/h_index.html
This brochure highlights the risks of hormone disrupting chemicals, including phthalates.
4. Plastics Resource
http://www.plasticsresource.com/
Environmentally focused site run by the American
Plastics Council (http://www.plastics.org/)
,a
trade association supporting the safe use of plastics in everyday life.
International Environment News
General
Darwall, George. "Dividends from Data." NERC News, (Summer 2000):14-15.
The "Cinderella of research", data management is an onerous task compared to the more glamorous work of scientific data collection. Yet that data was costly to collect, it retains value even in it's raw form, and "could be a unique scientific resource, crucially underpinning some future new line of research as yet not thought of." Arguing that neglect of raw data collections is unacceptable in the third millenium, this article describes how the taxpayer's massive investment in NERC's fieldwork data collection is being leveraged by an innovative program to rescue neglected data and make it available to the public. Begun in 1996, the programme, known as SEEDCORN, boosts the financial and research value of collected data by preserving datasets electronically for the benefit of present and future research. The data rescue has generated a growing file of data catalogues, many currently available on the NERC web site. Several examples of beneficial research products resulting from SEEDCORN data digitization projects are described. In these and other instances, the SEEDCORN program has surpassed expectations, making data accessible not only as a base for additional research, but as a resource itself for analysis and subsequent publication in peer reviewed international journals.
Schultz, Karl. "Methane Mitigation Conference Identifies Need for Joint Efforts," Greenhouse Issues, No. 49, July 2000: 1-2.
The Second International Methane Mitigation Conference, organized by
the Russian Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (US EPA), was held June 18- 23, in Novosibirsk, Russia. Schultz
explains some of the issues discussed at the conference and lists some
of the recommendations for future work which developed from the exchange.
Conference information, full-text papers and recommendations can be viewed
at the conference web site: http://www.ergweb.com/methane/
.
Biodiversity
Hamilton, Roger. "Ecological Ground Zero." IDB America, Volume 27, No. 5-6 (May-June 2000):22-23.
This article addresses the current threat to biodiversity, equating it with the few other times in this planet's history that a mass extinction occurred. In contrast to the probable event which wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, this extinction is "taking place quietly" as natural habitats are steadily destroyed by people around the globe. Introducing British ecologist Norman Myers' concept of "biodiversity hotspots", or critical areas high in endemic species and high in rate of natural habitat decline, the article discusses a recent piece in the British journal Nature that argues for concentrating conservation and funding efforts on 25 global "hotspots". These areas, seven of them in Latin America and the Caribbean, comprise only 1.4% of the earth's land, but represent 44% of all vascular plant species and 35% of four vertebrate groups. According to Myers, this approach "can turn a profound problem into a magnificent opportunity." The cost would be high, some $20 million per hotspot, but not unrealistic when considering the estimated $1.5 trillion spent annually worldwide subsidizing activities that "encourage environmental degradation." The article includes brief profiles of the seven Latin American and Caribbean "hotspots" and a side bar discussing the role the IDB can play in stemming the growing wave of extinctions.
Bett, Brian and Murray Roberts. "Controversial Coral." NERC News, (Summer 2000):24-25.
Corals, in the shallow shoreline waters around the world, are the object
of intensified research as a result of decline in the health of the earth's
coral reefs. Environmental groups have begun to focus attention another
kind of coral, deep-water coral, in light of mounting evidence that they
can be damaged by the fishing and oil industries. One of the largest coral
structures in the world is located off the Norwegian coast. For years,
a team of NERC scientists has been studying the corals which differ both
biologically and ecologically from the world's tropical coral reefs. This
article highlights some of that research, discussing the rich biodiversity
of life supported by the deep-sea corals as well the observed and potential
threats to the coral colonies. A sidebar article by Murray Roberts focuses
in greater detail on the MIME (Managing Impacts in the Marine Environment)
program, which is exploring the potential impacts on deep-sea coral communities
from oil exploration and trawling activities.
Chemicals
Hileman, Bette. "Alert on Phthalates." Chemicals and Engineering (Government and Policy). Volume 78, Number 32 (August 7, 2000).
In mid-July, a government panel wrapped up a two-year study at a meeting
in which it expressed serious concern that di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate
(DEHP) in vinyl medical devices may harm the reproductive organs of critically
ill and premature male infants exposed during medical treatment. DEHP
is a plasticizer that imparts flexibility to polyvinyl chloride. The concern
is that DEHP is bound to the plastic only by van der Waals forces and
is released during medical procedures or when objects, such as toys, are
chewed. In addition, the panel of expert scientists expressed concern
that development of the male fetus would be harmed by the pregnant mother's
exposure to DEHP or that the child would be harmed by other DEHP exposures
during the first few years of life. "Our concerns are greatest for developing
embryos and young children," said Robert J. Kavlock, the panel's chairman,
and director of the Reproductive Toxicology Division of the Environmental
Protection Agency's Office of Research & Development, Research Triangle
Park, N.C. (See article in this issue).
Air Pollution
M. El-Fadel, and M. Massoud. "Particulate matter in urban areas: health-based economic assessment." The Science of The Total Environment, Volume 257, Issues 2-3 (10 August 2000):133-146.
The relationship between air pollution and human health has been the subject of a great deal of study in recent years. Epidemiological studies point specifically to suspended particulate matter as a major source of adverse health effects. A collective look at the existing mass of epidemiological time series data points to a direct relationship between the severity of health disorders and the concentration of particulates in ambient air. Annually, an estimated 2.7 million deaths , 33% of them in urban areas, are attributed to air pollution. This paper assesses the health impacts of air pollution in Lebanese urban areas. The economic benefits derived from a decline in ambient air pollution are expressed. "Health impacts are expressed in both physical and monetary terms for saved statistical lives, and productivity due to various morbidity endpoints. The study concludes with a range of policy options and mitigation measures to minimize TSP levels in the air."
Ceburnis, D., and E. Steinnes. "Conifer needles as biomonitors of atmospheric heavy metal deposition: comparison with mosses and precipitation, role of the canopy." Atmospheric Environment, Volume 34, Issue 25 (26 July 2000):4265- 4271.
"Concentrations of seven elements (As, Cd, Cr, Mn, Pb, V, Zn) in mosses (Hylocomium splendens, Pleurozium schreberi, Eurhynchium angustirete) and needles of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and juniper (Juniperus communis) were determined at 48 sites in Lithuania. Conifer needles consistently showed many times lower concentrations than mosses collected at the same site. Correlations between heavy-metal concentrations in needles and mosses indicated that accumulation processes may be similar, but mosses appear to be clearly preferable as biomonitors of atmospheric deposition because of their higher elemental concentrations and more quantitative reflection of deposition rates. Precipitation in the open field and under the canopy was investigated at two stations with respect to the same metals. The canopy was shown to retain a considerable part of lead, whereas elements such as Zn and Mn were enriched in precipitation under the canopy. Study of metal concentrations in moss growing, respectively, below and outside the canopy showed that none of so studied elements was significantly retained by the canopy. Most of the metals (Cu, Fe, Zn, Cr, Ni, V) were leached from the canopy to a smaller or greater extent."
Sullivan,Rory and Ian Woods. "Using emission factors to characterise heavy metal emissions from sewage sludge incinerators in Australia." Atmospheric Environment, Volume 34, Issue 26 (2 August 2000):4571-4577.
"In Australia, there is a general lack of information available on emissions from industry to air, water and land. The reasons include the absence of regulatory requirements for the monitoring of substances covered by the PRTR, limited information on specific industry, difficulties in monitoring certain sources (in particular, fugitive emissions) and the cost of sampling and analysis and the general lack of standardisation of sampling and analytical techniques. As a consequence, for the purposes of characterising emissions for reporting under national and regional emissions inventories, there has been a need to rely heavily on default emission factors from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). While there have been general concerns expressed regarding the applicability of data from the USEPA to other countries, there has been limited systematic evaluation of this issue. More generally, there has been limited evaluation of the suitability of emission factors developed in one country for use in another country. This article reviews some recent experience in applying USEPA emission factors to emissions of heavy metals from the sewage sludge incineration industry in Australia. The objective is to discuss the advantages, disadvantages and uncertainties associated with applying emission factors developed in other countries to the Australian situation. In addition, the general approach adopted to the evaluation of the applicability of US emission factors to the Australian industry provides one model for the verification of emission factors, in situations where there are limited monitoring data available. While the focus of the discussion is on Australia, the issues raised are more widely applicable to the application of emission factors developed in one country to other countries."
Menyasz, Peter. "Air Pollution: Canada to Impose Mandatory Controls on Power Plants If US Responds in Kind," International Environment Reporter, Vol. 23, No. 18 (Aug. 30, 2000): 665-666.
This article explores a proposal Canada has put forth to help reduce
pollution from power plants. Canada hopes that the US will make a similar
commitment to control plants that contribute to smog formation in Canada.
This grew from negotiations on an Ozone Annex to the 1991 Agreement Between
the United States and Canada on Air Quality. Joint statement issued August
25 by Canandian and US negotiators is available on the internet at: http://www.ec.gc.ca/press/000825_n_e.htm
.
The progress report, Ontario's Anti-Smog Action Plan: Progress Through
Partnership, is available on the Ontario Ministry of Environment's Internet
site at: http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/programs/3952e.pdf
Contaminated Sediments and Soils
Evans, D.W., R.D. Kathman and W.W. Walker. "Trophic accumulation and depuration of mercury by blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) and pink shrimp (Penaeus duorarum)." Marine Environmental Research, Volume 49, Issue 5 (June 2000): 419-434.
Mercury concentrations in blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) collected from an area of mercury-contaminated sediments in Lavaca Bay, TX, USA, are more than an order of magnitude greater than concentrations in penaeid shrimp from the same area. Laboratory feeding experiments using mercury-contaminated fish as food showed that both blue crabs and pink shrimp (Penaeus duorarum) could accumulate mercury concentrations comparable to those in their food in 28 days. Calculated mercury assimilation efficiencies averaged 76% for blue crabs and 72% for pink shrimp. Significant depuration of mercury by blue crabs was not observed during a subsequent 28-day period, but pink shrimp lost mercury at a rate of about 0.012 day-1. Model calculations predict biomagnification factors of mercury of about two to three at steady state for both species. The large difference in observed concentrations of mercury in field-collected blue crabs and penaeid shrimp does not result from differences in efficiency of mercury assimilation from their food or from differences in excretion rates. It is more likely the result of differences in residence times in the contaminated area and of differences in feeding habits.
Lohmana,Kristen, Prasad Pai, Christian Seigneur and Leonard Levin. "Sensitivity analysis of mercury human exposure." The Science of The Total Environment, Volume 259, Issues 1-3(2 October 2000):3-11.
The authors present a comprehensive analysis of the sensitivity of mercury (Hg) human exposure to environmental variables using a multimedia model of the fate and transport of Hg in the environment. The results of the analysis show that the Hg dose is most sensitive to the lake pH, the burial rate of Hg adsorbed to sediments, and the chemical speciation of Hg emissions to the atmosphere. The lake pH has a strong non-linear effect on the methylation rate and bioaccumulation of Hg in fish. The burial of sediments is a major pathway for removing Hg from the lake cycling. The speciation of Hg emissions is important because Hg(II) is deposited much more rapidly than Hg(0). These results highlight the importance of key variables that should be investigated through well-designed field programs, so that scientists and researchers will be able to minimize the overall uncertainties associated with the modeling of mercury fate and transport.
Zhu, Y.G. and G. Shaw. "Soil contamination with radionuclides and potential remediation." Chemosphere, Volume 41, Issues 1-2 (July 2000):121-128.
"Soils contaminated with radionuclides, particularly 137Cs and 90Sr,
pose a long-term radiation hazard to human health through exposure via
the foodchain and other pathways. Remediation of radionuclide-contaminated
soils has become increasingly important. Removal of the contaminated surface
soil (often up to 40 cm) or immobilization of radionuclides in soils by
applying mineral and chemical amendments are physically difficult and
not likely cost-effective in practicality. Reducing plant uptake of radionuclides,
especially 137CS and 90Sr by competitive cations contained in chemical
fertilizers has the general advantage in large scale, low-level contamination
incidents on arable land, and has been widely practiced in central and
Western Europe after the Chernobyl accident. Phytoextraction of radionuclides
by specific plant species from contaminated sites has rapidly stimulated
interest among industrialists as well as academics, and is considered
to be a promising bio-remediation method. This paper examines the existing
remediation approaches and discusses phytoextraction of radionuclides
from contaminated soils in detail. "
"Water Pollution: Clinton Signs Law Creating Commission to Promote Sustainable Use of Oceans." International Environment Reporter, Vol. 23, No. 17, (Aug. 16, 2000): 647-648.
On August 7th, US President Bill Clinton signed legislation called the Oceans Act of 2000. The law will go into effect January 20, 2001, and calls for the establishment of a high-level commission to examine federal ocean policy and environmental and economic trends affecting oceans and coasts. Recommendations concerning promoting responsibility, protection, and education regarding coasts and oceans are to be made to Congress and the President within 18 months of the commission being formed.
Solid Waste
Gutierrez, Jason. "Solid Waste: Survivors of Deadly Philippines Trash Slide File Class Action Suit Against Government." International Environment Reporter. Vol. 23, No. 17: 641.
Survivors and relatives of victims of the trash slide which killed 217
people, have filed a 1 billion peso (US $ 22.7 million) class action suit
against the government of the Phillippines. According to a lawyer representing
the survivors, in 1998 the national government had ordered the site shut
down and made into housing for the urban poor. But that had not happened,
and after heavy rains, a 50-foot mountain of trash at the Payatoas dump
collapsed onto shanties owned by scavenger families. The incident has
prompted President Joseph Estrada to order the dump permanently closed
and to urge Congress to push through a solid waste management law.
Biomonitoring
Viarengo, A., B. Burlando, A. Giordana, C. Bolognesi and G. P. Gabrielides. "Networking and Expert-System Analysis: Next Frontier in Biomonitoring." Marine Environmental Research, Volume 49, Issue 5 (June 2000): 483-486.
The extensive use of biomarkers in environment biomonitoring programmes
has raised the problem of data management and intercomparison. A research
project (Pollution Effect Network, PEN) is proposed here, consisting of
the realisation of an on-line warehouse for biomarker data.
The web site will contain repository sections and expert system procedures
able to integrate information from different biomarkers and provide ranking
of the organism health status in terms of synthetic stress syndrome indexes.
Researchers accessing the site will be able to submit and process their
own data. This will allow common criteria in the evaluation of the biological
effects of pollutants, and an inter-comparison of biomonitoring data among
different geographic areas and sentinel species.
Cleaner Production
Herat, Sunil. "Education and Training for Cleaner Production: a Flexible Learning Approach." Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 8, Issue 5 (October 2000 ): 361- 364.
This article stresses the importance of flexible learning, such as the
approach used at Griffith University, for education and training for cleaner
production. Since successful implementation of cleaner production concepts
at the government and industry level requires adequate education and training
in this field, higher learning institutions need to use new technologies
to facilitate cleaner production training.
Environmental Impact Assessment
Rotmans, Jan, Marjolein van Asselt and Pier Vellinga. "An integrated planning tool for sustainable cities." Environmental Impact Assessment Review, Volume 20, Issue 3 (June 2000): 265-276.
Nowadays cities are seen as motors for the sustainable development of European regions and are thus of crucial importance for the future of Europe as a whole. Management of complex systems such as cities requires the use of innovative, sophisticated planning tools that can assist in monitoring current conditions and projecting future developments. In this paper an integrated approach is proposed towards the development and implementation of a generic city planning framework that in principle can be applied to any city. The proposed city planning framework is a combination of an information system and a dynamic model, which enables the instrument to be used in both strategic and operational manners.
Tukker, Arnold. "Life cycle assessment as a tool in environmental impact assessment." Environmental Impact Assessment Review, Volume 20, Issue 4 (August 2000):435-456.
Various authors have stated that Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
differs fundamentally from product Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This paper
shows the contrary. LCA is a specific elaboration of a generic environmental
evaluation framework. EIA is a procedure rather than a tool, in which
LCA certainly may be useful. Particularly in strategic and project EIAs,
environmental comparisons of process and abatement alternatives may be
relevant. Although these alternatives may lead to different emissions
and effects at the location of the process itself (which is usually the
focus in project EIAs), they can also influence the demand for activities
upstream and downstream in the production chain. Including such secondary
effects in an EIA, which may be crucial for a proper comparison of alternatives,
requires a system approach that takes into account all relevant effects.
This is, in fact, LCA. A review of five case studies shows that it is
quite feasible to use elements of LCA in EIA.
Upcoming International Conferences
1. National Conference on Science, Policy, and the Environment
National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC
December 7-8, 2000
URL: http://www.cnie.org/ncseconference/index.htm
The National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) is bringing together individuals from key communities to identify new and existing approaches worthy of support. Participants will receive insights into new ideas from the National Academy of Sciences and others. Learn more about new initiatives like the National Science Board's proposal to greatly increase National Science Foundation spending on environmental research, education, and assessment. Hear directly from representatives of the new Administration and Congress and help prepare recommendations for them. Contact: National Council for Science and the Environment, 1725 K Street, NW, Suite 212, Washington, DC 20006-1401; Phone:(202) 530-5810 Ext. 211; FAX: (202) 628-4311; Email: cnie@cnie.org (Please note "Conference" as the subject).
2. International Seminar on Information Systems of Environmentally Sound
Technologies
Dusit Thani Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand
March 7-9, 2001
URL: http://www.unep.or.jp/gec/index.html/
The seminar will focus on three main topics: 1. "soft technologies" provided
through EST-ISs; 2. EST-ISs related activities of international organizations;
and 3. co-operation and information sharing between EST-ISs providers
and associated networks. The importance of Environmentally Sound Technologies
(ESTs) has been well accepted as an important element in the pursuit of
sustainable development. Various Information Systems have been constructed
regarding ESTs in order to utilize such technologies, especially in developing
countries. Contact: Global Environment Centre Foundation, Osaka, Phone:
81-6-6915-4121; Fax: 81-6-6915-0181; Email: gec-estiss@unep.or.jp.
3. International Symposium on the Role of Drought in Aquatic Systems
Albury Convention and Performing Arts Centre (ACPAC), Albury, NSW. AUSTRALIA
February 12-14, 2001
URL: http://freshwater.canberra.edu.au
(Click
on "Symposium.")
This symposium aims to bring together researchers from a variety of disciplines (such as ecology, hydrology, chemistry and climatology) to explore the role that drought plays in the functioning of aquatic ecosystems. A key focus of the symposium will be how changes in the frequency and duration of drought events impact on aquatic systems. Contact: Dr Paul Humphries, Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre, PO Box 921, Albury, NSW, 2640 Australia; Email: hump@mdfrc.canberra.edu.au.
4. Seventh Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference
2001
Hulme Hall, University of Manchester, UK
April 5-6, 2001
URL: http://www.erpenvironment.org/conferences/isdrc/day1.htm
The conference seeks to bring together an international interdisciplinary audience to begin to tackle many of the issues connected with sustainable development - to share experiences and to begin to work towards solutions. By building informal partnerships and in offering opportunities to share ideas this conference seeks to move this complex debate forward. Contact: Elaine White, Conference Coordinator; ERP Environment, P.O Box 75, Shipley, West Yorkshire, BD17 6EZ, UK; Tel: +44 (0)1274 530408; Fax: +44 (0)1274 530409; Email: elaine@erpenv.demon.co.uk
5. Eradication of Island Invasives: Practical Actions and Results Achieved
University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
February 19-23, 2001
URL: http://www.vuw.ac.nz/sbs/conferences/Erad_reg_advert.shtml
Papers presented and discussion sessions will focus on the subject of: "Eradication of invasive species from islands; methods used and the results achieved." The term 'eradicating' may include work to remove invasive species where complete eradication is some, or many, years away but the methods used to date are achieving positive results or providing a significant learning experience. The term 'island' may include true islands, natural habitat islands (e.g. ponds), remnant and artificial habitat islands (e.g. reserves), or new invasions of natural ecosystems where eradication was deemed feasible. Preference will be given to papers which provide detail of the techniques used or of the ecosystem response to the work. Significant learning experiences may include methods which failed. Contact: Mr. Dick Veitch, 48 Manse Road, Papakura, New Zealand; Phone & Fax: 64-9-298-5775, mobile 64-9-25-200-5490; Email: dveitch@kiwilink.co.nz.
