ICRC TV News Footage Iraq: millions at risk from contaminated water

After decades of war and neglect, Iraq's health care, water and sanitation services are in a dire state, failing to meet the basic needs of a large part of the population. Despite an improvement in security in some areas, basic services in many places are inadequate.

The ICRC says that the situation has not significantly improved since March 2008 when it published a wide ranging report, "Iraq: no let-up in the humanitarian crisis" that called Iraq's humanitarian situation among the most critical in the world.
Since then, the water supply has continued to deteriorate, with millions of people relying on insufficient and poor quality supplies due to poorly maintained water and sewage systems and a shortage of sanitation engineers.

Millions of people are at serious risk of water-borne diseases, with children particularly vulnerable. Cholera cases peaked in a number of provinces during the hottest months of August and September.

"Iraqis urgently need access to clean water. They try to get it from rivers and wells but these sources are contaminated throughout the country so many people become ill, " says Patrick Yussef, Head of the ICRC sub delegation in Baghdad.

Most of Iraq's water comes from its two main rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, which are heavily polluted by household waste and litter, further contaminating the water supply. In the poorer areas of Baghdad, the streets are flooded with sewage, which seeps into the walls and under the floors of people's houses causing them to collapse.

At 500 dinars (half a US dollar) a bottle, many Iraqis cannot afford to buy bottled water and have to drink untreated water from the polluted rivers, at considerable risk to their health.

Under-resourced hospitals with depleted medical supplies are struggling to cope with the numbers of sick. At Al Sadr General Hospital in Amara, doctors sometimes have to supplement the medical supplies from the Ministry of Health with those they buy themselves at the market.

To help hospitals maintain basic health care services, the ICRC provides medicines and surgical dressings. It also supplies plastic bags of drinking water to families in cholera-prone areas. At Abu Ghraib General Hospital the ICRC has installed new water storage tanks, repaired toilets and improved the sewage system.

But the hospitals will continue to have a high case load of people suffering from water-borne diseases as long as people drink from the contaminated rivers.

ICRC water and sanitation experts are working with the Iraqi authorities to repair and maintain pumping stations across Iraq, including Al Wethba and Al Sanak near Baghdad, and along the East Tigris, securing the water supply for millions of people.

The Al Wethba pumping station has been newly renovated by the ICRC, almost doubling the amount of water supplied by the station. It now provides 12700 cubic metres of water a day to some 850,000 people in Baghdad including the city's main hospital.
Key Facts & Figures:

In 2007 more than more than 3 million people (more than 50% of those women and 30% children) were direct beneficiaries of ICRC water, habitat and sanitation activities which included the repair, rehabilitation and sometimes the upgrading of water storage systems and distribution networks

144 projects completed countrywide to either refurbish or respond to emergencies, to restore health infrastructure, water treatment plants/compact units and sewage lifting stations throughout Iraq, including areas most affected by the conflict such as 41 in Baghdad, 18 in Diyala, 14 in Anbar and 17 in Ninawa
more than 32,000 people, including IDPs, had their water supply ensured through emergency ICRC water and sanitation projects
25 primary health care centres in Anbar, Babel, Baghdad, Diwaniya, Karbala, Salah Al Deen and Wasit provinces serving an average of more than 3,820 patients per day had their sanitation facilities and vital electro-mechanical components repaired or upgraded
13 hospitals, with a combined capacity to treat around 2,862 inpatients, had their water and/or sanitation systems restored
More than 1.5 million litre plastic bags of drinking water produced and delivered to Iraqis in need.

In 2008, it is estimated that over 4 million Iraqis have benefited from the ICRC's emergency repairs, and renovation to the water and sanitation system as well as the rebuilding of clinics and hospitals.


Shotlist:
Date and Location: 6 to 15 October 2008. Baghdad governorate and Amara in southern Iraq
Sound: Natural with English and Arabic
Duration 10'
Camera: Omar Saad
Producer: Hicham Hassan, Jan Powell
Source: ICRC – Access all
Ref: V F CR-F-01010-A, please credit ICRC

00:00 Streets in Baghdad flooded with sewage water.

Men walking in flooded streets.

00:24 Soundbite: Passer by (Arabic)

"You see the sewage system is destroyed. This is not only a problem for the children but also for adults as they contract skin diseases, rashes and cholera. They get all of these diseases because the sewage water is mixed up with the drinking water".

00:32 Soundbite: Passer by (Arabic)

"Sometimes people turn on their taps and dirty water comes out. Even the ice we buy in summer is contaminated. When you look in the fridge you can see that the ice is contaminated so this has meant many people have got sick".

01:09 Children in the street.

Ruined and collapsed house

01:45 Soundbite: Old woman (Arabic) in the ruins of the house.

"There is a big gaping hole behind our house that is full of waste water. The water is seeping into the walls and floors and the foundations are crumbling. The walls are falling down one by one and on top of that we have to walk through all this waste water every day.

02:08 Old woman washing up.

Little boy sucking water out of a pipe.
Woman drinking water from a water cooler.
Exterior and sign of Al Sadr hospital, Amara. Southern Iraq
Patients outside and inside hospital

03:04 Soundbite: Dr Ali (Arabic)

"As well as the medical supplies we receive from the Ministry of Health, we also urgently need anaesthetics, medicines, bandages, and sterile surgical dressings. Sometimes we have to buy them in the market, but most of what we need we get from the ICRC sub delegation in Basra".

03:43 Sick children

Road from Basra to Baghdad.
Maternity Patients at Abu Ghraib General Hospital

04:16 Soundbite: Dr Ibrahim (Arabic)

"The hospital used to suffer from regular water shortages and we had to transfer some of our patients to Baghdad city. But now the ICRC has installed water tanks and so we are much better off. When cholera broke out the ICRC supplied us with 25,000 plastic bags of drinking water that we distributed to families in the area and the number of cholera cases dropped".

04:52 Dr Ibrahim with two sick children

05:02 Soundbite: woman with daughter in hospital (Arabic)

"My daughter is here because she drank dirty water. We have no clean water at home. We have no running water and the only water we get is from the river".

05:19 Trash and garbage along the river Tigris

Fishermen and children swimming

06:45 Soundbite: Fisherman (Arabic)

"All the pollution comes from the waste water dumped here, as well as from trash, plastic bags, other household waste. People throw everything into the river, even petrol."

07:06 Children by the river

07:14 Soundbite: Patrick Yussef Head of ICRC Baghdad sub-delegation

"it is clear that Iraqis urgently need access to clean water. They try to get it from rivers and wells but these sources are contaminated throughout the country so many people become ill".

07:49 ICRC vehicle in front of Baghad delegation office

08:10 Soundbite: Patrick Yussef Head of ICRC Baghdad sub-delegation

"Regarding certain governorates, there has been improvement in security. People could now, in certain areas, move from freely, stay out late more than was the case before. However, in other governorates, the security situation forces people to go back to their homes earlier. We can not say that the situation has improved everywhere. But our presence today in Iraq shows that the ICRC wants to share the concerns of the Iraqis and to support them as well as to support the institutions, ministries and departments".

09:14 Al Wethba pumping stations, Baghdad. ICRC technicians working at Al Wethba pumping station. Women and children in the street.


10:00 END

For further information, please contact:
Dorothea Krimitsas, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 22 730 25 90 or +41 79 251 93 18
Hicham Hassan, ICRC Iraq, tel: +962 777 399 614
Jan Powell, TV Producer, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 22 730 25 11 or +41 79 251 93 14

World's cheapest car an 'environmental disaster' for India

Something akin to a motoring revolution has been unveiled in India - a compact car that will sell for a little over $2,500 when it hits the market later this year.

The makers of the Nano believe it will revolutionise how India's 1.1 billion people get around, but critics say it will be an environmental disaster in a country already plagued by chronic air and noise pollution.

The theme from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey played as the Nano was unveiled at the annual Delhi car show by Ratan Tata, the head of India's industrial giant Tata Industries.

"We are very pleased to present these cars to you today," he said.

"They are not concept cars, they are not prototypes. They are the production cars that will roll out of the single plant later this year."

At three metres long, 1.6 metres high and 1.5 metres wide, the Nano lives up to its compact name.

It is a four-door, rear-wheel drive with a two-cylinder gasoline engine that claims to offer 20 kilometres per litre.

But the biggest attraction is not performance, it is price - 100,000 rupees - a little over $2,500 before on-road costs.

The target market is the many million of Indians who currently use a motorbike for family transport.

Environmental concerns

Still, many months before the car becomes available, potential buyers on the streets of New Delhi seem easily sold on the idea.

"Those people who are riding motorcycles these days can drive a car and they will find it easier to drive a car in the streets," one Indian man said.

"Everyone can afford this car."

The prospect of the Nano's popularity scares environmental campaigners in India, Centre for Science and Environment spokeswoman Anumita Roychowdhury said.

"There is just no room left for more cars in Delhi. If you really look at the city, the roads are already congested," she said.

"Data shows that we have even gone beyond the designed capacity of the roads.

"The traffic speed has come down drastically from 35 to 40kph to 12 to five kph [at] the peak traffic volume.

"Now that clearly brings out the fact that it is a crisis that we need to deal with, because [of] both the congestion and pollution impact.

"This cheap motorisation that is now going to explode in Indian cities, we are not prepared for it at all."

The Nano is the brainchild of Mr Tata, the 70-year-old head of the family company. And the old man bristles at criticism the car may not be eco-friendly.

"We may as well come to grips with the fact that all the things that you ask for may not be in a one-lakh (100,000 rupees) car and all the things that might be there in an eco car, may not be possible for one lakh," he said.

"Take it as it is. It's a car that's affordable, provides transport, meets all safety laws, meets all emission laws present and future.

"[It] will be a reliable form of transport which will provide Indian families an all-weather means of safe transport."

But it is not just the Nano for India. In two or three years' time, Mr Tata wants to roll out export version of the Nano to developing countries around the world.

Wisconsin considers expanding herbicide ban

MADISON, Wis. - Some southern Wisconsin farmers may have to find news ways to control weeds in their corn fields as the state seeks to extend a ban on a common herbicide.

The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has proposed adding about 1,830 acres in Columbia County to the area where atrazine is banned.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says high levels of the chemical can produce health problems including heart, lung and kidney congestion and long-term exposure can lead to cancer.

DATCP says tests on drinking water wells indicated continued use of atrazine would add to groundwater contamination.

Farmers and others can comment on the proposal at a public hearing Oct. 23 in Poynette or by mail until Nov. 7.

Source: AP

NIH Names First Grants for Human Microbiome Project

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – The National Institutes of Health today named the first awards, totaling up to $21.2 million, for its Human Microbiome Project, which aims to create a foundation for understanding the microbes that interact with humans and affect health.

This phase of the HMP, a five-year effort launched last year under the NIH’s Roadmap for Medical Research, will support the development of technologies, computational tools, coordination and data analysis, and examination of the ethical, legal, and social implications of human microbiome studies.

NIH Director Elias Zerhouni said in a statement that the initial phase of the program “marks the beginning of efforts by researchers to put in place the framework for understanding how microorganisms interact with our bodies and affect health and disease. Developing new and more cost-effective technologies will be essential to applying knowledge about the human microbiome to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of a wide array of conditions.”

Researchers in the HMP first plan to sequence 600 microbial genomes, which will complete a collection totaling 1,000 genomes. This information will be used to characterize human microbial communities from five areas of the human body: the digestive tract, the mouth, the skin, the nose, and the vagina.

“The development of new tools and technologies is central to our ability to meet the goals of the Human Microbiome Project,” said Alan Krensky, who is director of the Office of Portfolio Analysis and Strategic Initiatives at NIH. “An exceptional amount of information will be generated by this project and we need robust technologies and analytical tools that are equal to the task.”

Much of the work funded in the HMP’s first round will focus on improving and refining the identification of microbes that constitute the microbiome, and computational tools will be developed to optimize assembly of sequence data to infer the location and function of genes and to classify microbial species.

Grantees supported under this round of funding include Eugene Chang of the University of Chicago Medical Center, who will receive $410,000 over two years; Andre Marziali of Boreal Genomics, who will get $770,000 over two years; David Relman of Stanford University, who receives $1.6 million over three years; Thomas Schmidt of Michigan State University and Vincent Young of the University of Michigan, who receive $1.3 million over three years; Kun Zhang and Yu-Hwa Lo of the University of California, San Diego will get $1.8 million over three years; Daniel Haft of the J. Craig Venter Institute will receive $1.6 million over three years; Robin Knight of the University of Colorado at Boulder was granted $1.1 million over three years; Mihai Pop of the University of Maryland will receive $780,000 over three years; and Yuzhen Ye of Indiana University will receive $770,000 over three years.

NIH also granted $9.9 million over five years to establish the Human Microbiome Project Data Analysis and Coordination Center, which will be run by Owen White of the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine, Baltimore.

HMP data will be deposited in the Data Analysis and Coordination Center and in other public databases, including those supported by the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

The HMP also has awarded $1.2 million over three years to Richard Sharp and Ruth Farrell of the Cleveland Clinic, who will examine the ethical, social, and legal implications of human microbiome research.

Manitoba backs nine-state lawsuit against U.S. agency

WINNIPEG - Manitoba is backing nine states in suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over an administrative ruling they claim could hurt fisheries and contaminate drinking water.

A spokesperson for the province said Thursday that Manitoba is involved in the case because of its ongoing dispute with North Dakota over the Devils Lake water outlet.

The states contend Washington has created a loophole that could allow the transfer of polluted or contaminated water by ship from one water body to another where it could do harm. At stake is state control over water issues that affect them.

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo claims salt water from the ocean could be dumped in the Great Lakes under the June federal decision.

Cuomo also said the EPA's administrative ruling is illegal.

Besides Manitoba and New York, those suing the Bush administration over the issue are Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Washington.

There was no immediate comment from the EPA.

Manitoba has argued North Dakota is violating the provisions of its permit to operate the Devils Lake outlet, which drains into the nearby Sheyenne River, which joins the Red River near Fargo and flows north into Manitoba's Lake Winnipeg.

That permit, says Manitoba, prohibits the state from running the outlet before May 1 of each year. This year it began operating April 21 in a limited capacity.

Manitoba argues the 22-kilometre-long outlet, which was built in 2005 to stop rising waters and chronic flooding on Devils Lake, poses a threat to the province's water.

Source: Winnipeg Free Press

Where did the water go?

United Republic of Tanzania

"We did have a good rice crop this year. It had nothing to do with the rains; there was plenty of it but the floods came when the crop was producing flowers so all of them were washed away by the water.

This is happening more often now than I can recall," explained a farmer in Kilomero district.

The area is famous for rice production and fishing but over the years production has been dwindling and fish stocks have been depleted as a result of climatic changes which locals cannot comprehend.

Yet what is happening in the district is actually happening elsewhere in the country and indeed throughout the world.

The natural environment is changing fast and with it, a number of questions which a decade or so ago were rarely asked have now become familiar.

Why has the rainy season not started? Why is it so hot this summer? Why is the drought so long and severe?

These are some of the frequently asked questions the answers to which are also varied. There are people who say that these ``events`` are part of a cycle so they will go the way they came. There is no need to worry about them.

Another group comprising religious leaders and their staunch followers attribute these changes to God, arguing that man has become wayward and offended Him and these changes are part of the punishment.

So man should repent and live according to God�s ways in order for things to go back to normal.

But a more serious group, I think, is the one which attributes these changes to man`s mishandling of the universe, a situation which has disrupted the natural cycle phenomenon, sending things in disarray.

In his quest for development man has consumed a lot of fossil fuels which has in turn led to unusual emission of greenhouse gases.

As commerce and business grows, countries have erected a lot of factories and industries which have also increased greenhouse gas emissions and as these gasses have increased in the atmosphere, the earth has become warmer, disrupting the climate cycle. That is climate change as we now know it today.

Yet scientists are sometimes a lousy lot; they would keep arguing about an obvious case. Take the issue of the melting snowcap on Mt Kilimanjaro, for example.

Some scientists had earlier said that the snowcap will never disappear, rebuffing research findings of their comrades.

But now we know for sure that it is going and soon it will be gone.

At the current rate, some scientists predict that there won�t be a speck of snow on the mountain come 2020, but again another group has come up to contest this finding.

``There is no way the snowcap can vanish from the mountain,`` they say. However while the scientists keep arguing, all of us can see that the snowcap is shrinking.

May be these people should now be discussing how to stop the process and may be reverse it so that the ice builds up again and the mountain regains its beauty.

There is no point of further argument whether the snow cap will disappear or not or what is causing the changes when the effects are clear. ``Absence of evidence is not absence of effect,`` says Prof.Paul V. Desanker of Penn State University, in one of the papers he presented at a training workshop for journalists on reporting climate change.

There may be no evidence of climate change or man�s hand in it but the effects are there for all of us to see and feel. Should we continue to argue instead of taking action?

``The climate debate has become a series of disconnected discussions. It is odd how intelligent people can continue to argue like this in the face of such stark evidence,`` says UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner.

He adds that climate and environmental changes have become critical global issues that call for everyone to be involved in taking action, more so because droughts and floods, rising sea levels, melting ice, degrading ecosystems, loss of biodiversity and other impacts of climate change pose the potential for problems on a global scale.

But of course what we are experiencing now is just part of a bigger story; the dramatic fall out may happen in future.

Right now the impact of climate change is being felt on agricultural production, on health and on water availability, among other things.

In January 2001, for example, a group of journalists from Eastern Africa visited the source of the Nile in Jinja, Uganda.

They noticed some concrete structures which were remnants of a landing stage for boats.

These structures were completely submerged in water and they could only be seen because the water was very clear, unpolluted and in its natural colour.

More than seven years later, in August this year, some of the journalists who took part in the 2001 tour visited the place again only to find that the structures were more than a meter above the water level. ``God! What the hell is this? Where did the water go?`` exclaimed one of them.

Of course the situation had little to do with Uganda taking more than its fair share of water from Lake Victoria and neither has it anything to do with the allegedly secret dealings between Uganda and Egypt regarding the use of water from the Lake but this is the scaring evidence that climate change is here and its effects are devastating.

``This is the reality of climate change. By seeing situations like this, you feel the effects of climate change better than if you read them from publications or hear from workshops,`` explained Gaster Kiyingi from Global Water Partnership, Eastern Africa Region, who had accompanied the journalists.

He said that the media should see the effects of climate change on the ground so as to send a better and realistic message to the public.

On his part, Gerard Tenywa , a member of African Network of Environmental Journalists (ANEJ) from Uganda who was also in the team said that the situation had actually improved. �Early this year the structures were not less than two and half meters above the water level.

I think the amount of water has slightly increased,`` he explained. ``But the truth is that with climate change the water supply is diminishing in many parts of Eastern Africa,� he added.

The situation on the Nile is more or less similar to the one that Iringa Region experienced a couple of years ago. The region is still facing the same situation.

By April, which is the peak of the rainy season, the rains are gone and the dry season had already started.

A group of journalists who had traveled between Iringa and Mtera, counted 15 big and small rivers that had dried up, all of which used to pour their water into the Great Ruaha River which flows into the Mtera Dam. Where did the water go?

What we see here is the impact of climate change on water and the subsequent multiplier effect which has a telling effect on the energy sector, food security and poverty alleviation.

Food production has been reduced due to increased temperatures, droughts and floods in Tanzania and indeed in many parts of the East Africa region.

The once famous food baskets- Rukwa, Iringa, Mbeya and Ruvuma regions can no longer claim that title.

Scientists have also said that species of plants and animals are becoming extinct at a rate of 1,000 to 10,000 times greater that the natural rate.

This is an alarming situation which calls for conceited efforts to deal with climate change since combating climate change contributes to sustainable development and both developed and developing economies stand to benefit by working together to take mitigation and adaptation measures.

But as leaders continue to debate what action to take to combat climate change and as scientists still argue about what is right and what is not right about climate change, perhaps the most frightening idea is the time that has been left for us to correct things.

If we cannot act now then we are doomed!

These apart, new generations are coming in, new developments are being made to the extent that what is now being promoted as the most environmentally friendly behaviour will still take an incredibly long time to establish as common practice, more so because millions of children are becoming adults without much understanding of the state we are in, the danger we are facing and what should be done.

A generation ago, for example, the idea that man`s progress was endangering our planet was widely ridiculed; today, however it is generally agreed that the factories, motor vehicles, aero planes, deforestation for whatever purpose and the use of fossil fuels has brought us the climate change catastrophe.

But climate change is not about food and water and agriculture or droughts, floods and diseases.

Since the repercussions have become life �threatening for many people particularly in developing countries and the islands, climate change has become more and more a security problem.

``For instance I am greatly worried by the danger of global migratory flows owing to water shortages. UNEP estimates that in 20 years` time 1.8 billion people could be at risk of absolute water shortages,`` says German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in a recent interview with Our Planet magazine.

She adds that the world can only meet the climate challenge if nations are prepared to work together through international cooperation.

Indeed climate change is the defining issue of the moment and the media should articulate the on going debate as their contribution to keep our planet more habitable.

People have to know the truth about climate change.

SOURCE: Guardian

Ozone Controls Failing To Protect Human Health And The Environment, Warns The Royal Society

Existing controls are failing to reduce the air pollutant ground level ozone to a level that protects human health and the environment, and climate change will make the challenge harder, warns a major new report from the Royal Society(1) - the UK national academy of science - today (6 October 2008).

The report Ground-level ozone in the 21st century(2) highlights that in the UK and other parts of the Northern Hemisphere, background concentrations of ozone have increased by six per cent (two parts per billion in the atmosphere) per decade, since the 1980s(3).

Policies in the EU, Japan and America have successfully reduced the occurrence of very high peaks of ozone in these regions, which occur for short periods under hot, sunny, stagnant weather conditions. During these episodes ozone concentrations can be particularly dangerous, exceeding 100 parts per billion (ppb).

However, ozone is now believed to have an effect on health, food crops and the environment at the background levels currently experienced by people in the UK, and most industrialized countries of the world, on a daily basis (35 - 40ppb).

Professor David Fowler, Chair of the Royal Society's ground level ozone working group (4), said: "Ozone is a global traveller and one of the most pervasive of air pollutants. Weather systems and jet streams transport ozone, and the pollutants that lead to its formation, often far from their point of origin. Here in the UK, for example, we receive most of our ozone from outside of Europe.

"Until we have a globally coordinated approach that addresses the international nature of the problem, national and even regional level controls are unlikely to deliver the kind of reductions that are necessary to protect human health and the environment."

Ozone is formed when sunlight reacts with pollutants and naturally occurring chemicals(5) in the air. These chemicals come from sources such as vehicle exhaust fumes and forest fires. International shipping is a growing source of these pollutants and the sector currently has poor emission controls.

Children, the elderly and asthmatics are particularly vulnerable to ozone which affects the lungs, nose and eyes. In 2003 an estimated 1582 UK deaths were attributed to ozone. Taking future emissions of pollutants and climate change into account, this is projected to rise by 51 per cent to 2391 in 2020(6). However, these figures are based on an assumption that ozone has an impact on health only above 35 ppb and so are considered to be conservative because ozone is now known to have an effect below this level(4).

Ozone can reduce the yield and affect the nutritional quality of major crop species including wheat, rice and soybean. With current concentrations of ozone, significant impacts to crops in Europe and North America have been observed. In the EU in 2000 an estimated €6.7 billion was lost due to impacts on arable crops.

Crop losses due to ground level ozone are likely to increase over the next two to three decades. In some rapidly developing regions such as South Asia the impact of ozone on the production of staple crops such as wheat and rice may present a significant threat to regional food security. Modelling studies have estimated that crop yield losses for India in 2000 were about 13 per cent for wheat, 6 per cent for rice and 19 per cent for soya bean. Experimental data suggest these figures are significant underestimates.

The report highlights that climate change will make it harder to reduce levels of ground level ozone. This is because the changes in climate increase ozone production in the polluted regions of the world.

Furthermore, increased levels of ozone will exacerbate climate change because it is the third most important greenhouse gas contributing to global warming after carbon dioxide and methane. Ozone also reduces the ability of plants to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which may lead to further increases in the levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Professor Fowler said: "Ozone has become a global pollutant, with direct effects on human health, crop production, ecosystems and climate, yet control strategies are country or region based. A coordinated global strategy bringing ozone into international frameworks for controlling air pollutants and greenhouse gases is required. The reduction of methane emissions would for example contribute both to the reduction of climate change and ozone pollution, and all of the associated ecological and human health effects."

When ozone occurs high within the atmosphere, in the stratosphere, it acts as a protective sunscreen that shields the earth from high levels of ultraviolet radiation from the sun. However, in the lower atmosphere - the troposphere - and at ground level ozone it is a major pollutant.

The Royal Society is an independent academy promoting the natural and applied sciences. Founded in 1660, the Society has three roles, as the UK academy of science, as a learned Society, and as a funding agency. It responds to individual demand with selection by merit, not by field. As we prepare for our 350th anniversary in 2010, we are working to achieve five strategic priorities, to:

- Invest in future scientific leaders and in innovation
- Influence policymaking with the best scientific advice
- Invigorate science and mathematics education
- Increase access to the best science internationally
- Inspire an interest in the joy, wonder and excitement of scientific discovery

Concentrations of ozone in the atmosphere have been increasing due to increases in polluting human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels since the industrial revolution

The members of the working group involved in producing the report are: Professor David Fowler, UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology; Dr Markus Amann International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Austria; Professor Ross Anderson, St George's Hospital University of London; Professor Mike Ashmore, University of York; Professor Peter Cox, University of Exeter; Professor Michael Depledge, Peninsula Medical School (Universities of Exeter and Plymouth); Professor Dick Derwent, rdscientific; Professor Peringe Grennfelt, Swedish Environmental Research Institute; Professor Nick Hewitt, Lancaster University; Professor Oystein Hov, Norwegian Meteorological Institute; Dr Mike Jenkin, Imperial College; Professor Frank Kelly, Kings College London; Professor Peter Liss, University of East Anglia; Professor Mike Pilling, University of Leeds; Professor John Pyle, University of Cambridge; Professor Julia Slingo, University of Reading; Dr David Stevenson, University of Edinburgh

Ground level ozone is formed in the atmosphere by the reaction of nitrogen oxides with volatile organic compounds in the presence of sunlight.

Taken from Department of Health report on the Health Impact of Climate Change and Air Pollution in the UK which modelled future ground level ozone concentrations using emissions and weather data. The figures provided are based on an assumption of impact only above 35 ppb and so are considered to be conservative. If no threshold is assumed, the increase in estimated annual ozone concentrations between 2003 and 2020 results in a 15 per cent increase in deaths (from 11 272 to12 930)

The Royal Society
6-9 Carlton House Terrace
London SW1Y 5AG
Registered Charity No 207043


Source: Medical News Today

Starbucks 'wastes 23 million litres of water each day'

The American coffee shop chain Starbucks has been accused of wasting more than 23 million litres of water each day because staff are told to leave taps running non-stop.

The bizarre policy, which is aimed at preventing germs developing in the taps in its 10,000 stores worldwide, has outraged environmental groups.

Every Starbucks branch has a cold tap behind the counter providing water for a sink called a "dipper well" used for washing spoons and utensils and the staff are banned from turning the water off under "health and safety rules", an investigation claims.

In a letter to a customer who complained about the waste, a Starbucks executive revealed that a constant flow stops breeding in the taps.

It means that 23.4 million litres of water - enough to fill an Olympic swimming pool every 83 minutes or sustain the population of drought-hit Namibia - is wasted every day.

In the UK alone, where there are 698 branches open for 13 hours a day, it counts for around 1.63 million litres of water wasted.

It raises questions about the Seattle-based company's much-hyped environmental credentials and will embarrass its legion of celebrity patrons.

Water firms say the policy harms the environment, while hygiene experts dismissed the health and safety-motivated policy as "nonsense" and "bonkers".

A spokesman for UK Water, which represents water companies, said it was "wasteful and unnecessary".

"There is absolutely no need to keep taps running," he said.

Peter Robinson, of Waste Watch, the environmental charity, said: "Leaving taps running all day is a shocking waste of precious water. And to claim you are doing it for health and safety reasons is bonkers.

"Tap water comes from rivers and groundwater and wasting it can cause great harm to the environment and wildlife. Big companies should set an example."

Jacob Tompkins, of Water Wise, said that provided the firm was undertaking all the usual cleaning processes, such a step was unnecessary.

"The chance of a build-up in the spout is extremely remote," he said. "And if there is one, they're not cleaning the tap properly."

A spokesman for Starbucks said the company’s water usage adhered to the World Health Organization, United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the European Union directives.

She said: “The dipper well system currently in use ensures that we meet or exceed our own and local health standards.

“Dipper wells use a stream of continuous cold fresh-running water to rinse away food residue, help keep utensils clean and prevent bacterial growth.”

However, she added: “We recognise the opportunity exists to reduce our total water usage. Starbucks’ challenge is to balance water conservation with the need for customer safety.”

Source: Telegraph.co.uk

C.difficile rates in hospitals

In Ontario, numbers for August show there were 319 cases of C.difficile, a deadly form of infectious diarrhea, found among the 228 hospital sites in Ontario. The provincial C.diff rate was 0.39 per 1,000 patient days.

Information from patientsafetyontario.net.

Listeria reporting rule dropped before crisis

October 06, 2008

Four months before the Maple Leaf outbreak started claiming lives, Canada's food safety agency quietly dropped its rule requiring meat-processing companies to alert the agency about listeria-tainted meat, a Toronto Star/CBC investigation has found.

Twenty people died as a result of the outbreak this past summer, and federal meat inspectors and their union say this rule change likely made the country's listeria outbreak far worse than it had to be.

Before April 1, if a company preparing meat for sale to the public had a positive test showing listeria it "would have had to have been, not only brought to the (federal) inspector's attention, but the inspector would have been involved in overseeing the cleanup," says Bob Kingston, head of the union that represents Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspectors.

Kingston and four veteran inspectors interviewed for this story fear the change, part of the deregulation of Canada's food safety net, continues to pose a public health threat.

The inspection agency confirmed to the Star/CBC that there is currently no onus on companies to alert inspectors about positive bacterial results. The change came as part of a federal decision to allow companies to write their own food safety plans, with federal approval.

"If I walk in as an inspector, the plant doesn't come up to me and say we had positive tests today," said Tom Graham, the safety agency's national inspection manager. But he says the rule likely will be reinstated as a result of the federal investigation into the outbreak.

"That will happen. It's definitely ... on the table. There are a number of recommendations that will come from this," Graham said.

Neither Maple Leaf nor the safety agency will release to the public the specifics of the listeria outbreak at the plant, located on Bartor Rd. near Sheppard Ave. W. and Highway 400, so it is not possible to determine how the reporting rule would have affected the case.

The first of the 20 deaths attributable to the listeriosis outbreak happened in July, officials have said.

One Toronto inspector said there had been a "trend" in positive listeria tests leading up to the outbreak that was never reported by the plant to federal inspectors. The inspector, and three others across the country, spoke on condition of anonymity because they fear disciplinary action if they spoke publicly. "There's something wrong, that an inspector isn't aware of a trend in their own plant," the inspector said.

Inspectors and their union say the rule changes, part of the new Compliance Verification System at the safety agency, have reduced their role to paper auditors, checking the results of company tests when they visit the plant. Under current rules, the inspectors only review bacterial test results twice a month.

Maple Leaf spokesperson Linda Smith said her company makes all of its paperwork and testing available to inspectors but doesn't alert them to positive test results.

"As per the regulations, there is no requirement to inform the CFIA about any listeria test result," she said. "The protocol Maple Leaf had in place was if they found a positive, they would sanitize the area and then you'd need to find three negatives in a row to leave that area alone. In (the Maple Leaf plant from which the outbreak was traced), there were occasional positives. ... They would sanitize and test three subsequent times and in all of those cases, they did not find another positive in that area."

During the outbreak, Maple Leaf president Michael McCain said the company tests the Toronto plant's surfaces 3,000 times a year.

"Positive results for listeria inside a food plant are common," he told reporters at the time, adding that "there was nothing out of the norm" leading up to the outbreak.

Asked for the listeria test results leading up to the outbreak, Smith said last week the company would not release them publicly.

At the union representing federal inspectors, national president Kingston said he has been pushing to have the reporting rule reinstated for the past month.

If inspectors had known about the positive listeria tests, "the CFIA would have been doing their own testing to validate the success of the cleanup," Kingston said, adding after April 1, no rules required inspectors be told of any cleanup activities or repeated positives.


A Toronto-area inspector said that if Maple Leaf had been required to report the listeria test results, alarms would have gone off at the federal food safety agency.

"Bells and whistles would have been sounding if (Maple Leaf officials) had to report positive test findings to an inspector."

"We're seeing (20) people dead. We might not have had anybody dead (if company officials were still obligated to report positive listeria findings). ... It's terrible. My dad eats this stuff all the time. I eat it," the inspector said.

A veteran inspector in the Vancouver area said the safety agency needs to go back to being more hands-on in plants. "(The new system) isn't working. Let's go back to basics, get the inspector back in the plant, spending more time there."

Dr. Vinita Dubey, Toronto's associate medical officer of health, said the reporting change is "absolutely a concern. This may be a perfect example of how self-regulation may not be appropriate."

In the aftermath of the outbreak, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz publicly defended the new inspection regime, saying about 50 per cent of an inspector's time is on the floor of plants and "the other 50 per cent is overseeing paperwork, most of it scientific in nature, test results and the like."

Not so, say inspectors, estimating their time on plant floors is down to between 10 per cent and 20 per cent of their day. "We shouldn't be called inspectors anymore," says one inspector in Vancouver. "We should be called auditors. I think the public wants inspectors on the floor, sleeves rolled up."

Another Toronto inspector says she and her colleagues used to be aware of everything happening in a plant. "Things have changed now. We're more the oversight and they run their own show. The problem ... is, it can all look good on paper, but you've got to be out there to see what's going on."

One inspector was startled to find no reference to mandatory reporting in the safety plans of plants he inspects. "There's nowhere in (the new system) that tells them they have to inform you of a high bacterial load."

That lost oversight, he says, had to play a role in the outbreak.

"I think it would have prevented a preventable situation like the listeria (outbreak). It has alarmed me and it's disappointing. It's a travesty for the department and a shakeup the CFIA needs to get grassroots feedback about what works and what doesn't. (This) isn't working."

But the agency's Graham said the system still protects the public.

"Are we missing things? It's unfortunate what's happened here with the outbreak. There's no doubt about that. None of us are happy about that. But is our system a good system? Yes, it is."

Source: thestar.com - Robert Cribb

Sarah Palin’s record on climate change

When comparing the U.S. presidential candidates' green credentials, both contenders support greater action to address climate change through a cap on U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. While Republican candidate John McCain's reduction targets are more modest than the promises of Democrat Barack Obama, either candidate should offer a significant shift from the largely stalled policies of the current administration. Among the vice presidential candidates, however, the choices offer significant contrasts in ideology and policy. Democrat Joe Biden supports action that reflects the stance taken by Senator Obama. Meanwhile, Republican nominee Sarah Palin has stated that she does not believe global warming to be human-caused - a stark difference from her running mate Senator McCain.

As the country's second-in-command and president of the Senate, the next U.S. vice president could become a crucial player in attempts to pass a sweeping climate change bill through the Congress and reach a diplomatic solution on a new international climate change agreement. During her two years as Alaska's governor, Palin has moved forward efforts to assess the impact of climate change on her state, yet reports indicate that she has resisted, and at times subverted, scientific evidence that would support increased environmental protection in response to climate change.

Palin's stance on climate change is summarized in an August interview with conservative magazine Newsmax. In response to a question about her 'take on global warming,' Palin said, 'A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. I'm not one, though, who would attribute it to being man-made.' Neither Palin's communications director nor the McCain campaign responded to requests for clarity on her views of whether recent climate change is human-caused - a trend that has been affirmed by international scientific consensus.

Despite her reported questioning of the human hand behind climate change, Palin did establish a Climate Change Subcabinet last year to review potential adaptation and mitigation strategies for Alaska. 'Some scientists tell us to expect more changes in the future. We must begin to prepare for those changes now,' Palin said when establishing the subcabinet.

While Alaska has passed no legislation to reduce its emissions, Palin has authorized $13 million to relocate or improve erosion control for six indigenous communities in areas most vulnerable to coastal erosion caused by melting permafrost and rising sea levels. Erosion and flooding affect about 86 percent of 213 Alaska Native villages, according to a 2003 U.S. Government Accountability Office report [PDF].

Michael Black, co-chair of the subcabinet and deputy commissioner for Alaska's commerce department, said Palin's personal views have not influenced the activities of the subcabinet. 'I never heard her address that issue in front of any of these gatherings,' he said. 'Whether [climate change] is related to carbon emissions or a natural phenomenon is less relevant that what its impacts are.'

Larry Hartig serves as Alaska's environmental conservation commissioner and oversees the subcabinet. He previously worked as a lawyer securing environmental permits for industry groups, including his former employer Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. He was unavailable for comment.

Palin's most controversial environmental action as governor has been her opposition to listing the polar bear on the U.S. Endangered Species list. Officially designating the polar bear as 'threatened' would create significant legal hurdles for oil and gas development in Arctic Alaska and could restrict Native subsistence hunting. Alaska's budget is supported largely by revenues from energy development in the state.

Last month, the Palin administration sued the U.S. Department of Interior to overturn its May preliminary ruling to list the species as threatened. In response to nine U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) studies [PDF] predicting that two-thirds of the world's polar bear species - and all of Alaska's - will disappear by mid-century due to ice loss, Palin described the studies as 'highly speculative and questionable' and insisted that U.S. polar bear populations are stable. In a JanuaryNew York Times op-ed, she wrote, 'My decision is based on a comprehensive review by state wildlife officials of scientific information from a broad range of climate, ice and polar bear experts.'

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game's lead biologist for marine mammals, Robert Small, and two other state biologists also reviewed the USGS studies. Their analysis differed significantly from the Palin administration's. 'Overall, we believe that the methods and analytical approaches used to examine the currently available information supports the primary conclusions and inferences stated in these nine reports,' Small wrote in an e-mail.

The e-mail was uncovered by University of Alaska marine conservation professor Rick Steiner through a federal Freedom of Information request. Steiner says the message reveals that Palin opposed the polar bear listing even before she reviewed the science. 'She came into office and a few days later she opposed federal listing of the polar bears. Obviously they want to protect oil and gas revenues in the state budget,' Steiner said. 'I think that bodes pretty poorly about how science will be reviewed if the McCain/Palin ticket were to prevail.'

Since Palin entered the presidential campaign last month, she has contributed to Republican calls for additional drilling in the Arctic Ocean and in the Alaska-based Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). McCain has long opposed drilling in ANWR, and his selection of Palin has led some commentators to suggest he may change his mind.

But on issues from climate change to drilling, campaign energy advisor James Woolsey insists McCain will not budge. 'On a number of issues, such as climate change, John McCain has had well developed views over the years... I see no reason why that would be departed from,' said Woolsey, the former director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.

Other climate change-related measures by the Palin administration have included joining the Western Climate Initiative, a regional cap-and-trade program, as an observer, and opposing a multi-state lawsuit against the Bush administrationthat sought to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act.

Source: Environmental News Network

Revealing hidden meanings to resolve environmental conflict

September 28, 2008

Implementing environmental policy can be difficult when various stakeholders have opposing views. Ecological researchers have suggested that using content analysis to examine the language used by different groups could help reveal the underlying values of all the interested parties and find common ground to manage such conflicts.

In the field of applied ecology, one of the aims is to recommend how policy makers can put scientific research into practice when managing natural resources. But some environmental issues can be controversial, and disagreements between different stakeholders on how to implement policy decisions can cause delays, extra costs and poor publicity. One way to appreciate all viewpoints in an environmental issue is to analyse the language used in the texts produced by these interested groups. Content analysis is a technique used to classify words into categories, which can then help identify and define the issues and values in an environmental debate.

The researchers applied computer-aided content analysis to documents produced by thirteen stakeholder groups and individuals during the proposed cull of hedgehogs on three islands off the Scottish mainland, between 2002 and 2005. Media coverage of the story was also analysed. Hedgehogs had been introduced onto one island to control garden pests, but had spread to the other two islands, multiplied and become invasive. Survival of native wading birds was threatened, as the hedgehogs ate their eggs. The decision to cull the hedgehogs, instead of relocating them back to the mainland, split stakeholder groups into two factions: pro-hedgehog and pro-bird.

Analysis of all the stakeholder documents and 466 media reports showed that the style and vocabulary of the prohedgehog group was emotive, informal and concentrated on animal welfare and the killing of the hedgehogs. Pro-bird texts, by comparison, focused on conserving the birds and wildlife on the islands to protect the ecosystem and used more scientific language. The researchers found that media reports mirrored the pro-hedgehog stance and placed greater emphasis on killing the hedgehogs, the economics of the cull and on animal welfare. This coverage was considered to be unhelpful and contributed to prolonging the conflict.

In addition, the research showed that when the economics of the situation was discussed, the pro-hedgehog groups stressed the cost of the cull, while the pro-bird groups focused on the economic importance of maintaining biodiversity by saving the shore birds or just plainly stated the costs.

Content analysis can, however, only be used once text, such as media coverage, has been produced. It is therefore useful when a debate is ongoing, rather than as a tool to anticipate potential conflicts. The method is a useful approach to monitor progress during mediation to track whether opposing groups are moving together.

The researchers suggest this case highlights some common issues in managing the environment, where greater value is placed on saving individual animals rather than preserving populations or species. It also demonstrates the role that experts, governments and the media play in shaping environmental conflicts.

Source: European Commission, Environment DG

Study claims sea level rises will be less than predicted

September 08 - USA - Research from the University of Colorado at Boulder, the University of Montana and the Scripps Institute suggests global sea levels may be lower by 2100 than is being predicted by some scientists because, the major research institutes note, their projections are not physically possible under the most likely conditions. The work, released in the journal Science, says that that a rise of much more than 2m is not realistic. A total sea-level rise of as little as 0.8m by 2100 is the most plausible scenario, the research notes. Rather than trying to add up individual sources of ice and water discharge from glaciers, their experiment calculated how much ice and water from Greenland and Antarctica it would take to raise the oceans by 2m, and how fast glaciers would need to move to achieve this. The findings showed that a 2m rise would require significantly faster ice speeds than have ever been reported.

Call for posters for membrane bioreactor workshop

September 08 - Germany - The two European research projects Amedeus and Eurombra will present their salient outcomes in a workshop on 31 March and 1 April 2009 in Berlin, Germany. The two-day event, supported by the International Water Association, will be hosted by the international trade fair and exhibition on water and wastewater treatment Wasser Berlin 2009. A call for posters is open for any company or institution involved in the field of membrane bioreactor technology. A prize of €1000 ($1418) will be awarded by an international jury to the best student poster. The deadline for two-page abstract submission is 30 September 2008 and more information on workshop and submission procedure is available at www.kompetenz-wasser.de. Full workshop programme and workshop pre-registration will be available early November on the workshop website.

Green report focuses on Adelaide supply alternatives

September 08 - Australia - A new report from environmental consultants on behalf of Australia’s Greens party claims that the city of Adelaide could have an adequate water supply if it invested in stormwater harvesting and demand management without relying on the river Murray or a desalination plant. The study calls for the state government to change its priorities accordingly, and claims that the alternatives proposed could provide a larger quantity of water, faster and more cheaply than the proposed desal plant and reservoir extension. Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) would be a key element of the city’s supply under the proposals. The report claims 64gigalitres of water per year could be saved with improved water management, with stormwater harvesting adding a further 60 gigalitres. Existing catchments could provide 82 gigalitres, and recycling and greater use of domestic rainwater tanks a further 21 gigalitres – 227 gigalitres a year, more than the city’s 216 gigalitre use.

Researchers warn of Pyrenees glacier melt

September 08 Spain- Spanish researchers have warned that climate change will melt the remaining 21 glaciers in the Pyrenees mountains before 2050. The University of Cantabria led the study, which notes that high mountain areas are particularly sensitive to changes in the climate and environment.

CSIRO finds climate change link to south Australian storms

September 08 - Australia - New research from CSIRO has found a link between climate change and more extreme weather patterns in southern Australia. The federal government-funded report found that an increase in storms off the southern coastline is linked to tropical monsoon weather patterns in the north. It predicts an increase in waves of 3m or higher reaching the coastline. Climate change minister Penny Wong said the research would help planners to improve the country’s coastal developments.

UK donates to new climate change fund

September 08 - Bangladesh - The launch of a new Bangladesh fund has seen a promise from the UK to provide at least £50 million ($88.2 million) to help the country to adapt to climate change. Other European countries such as Denmark and The Netherlands, as well as the World Bank, are also expected to contribute. Bangladesh has pledged £25 million ($44.1 million) to the fund every year, with a target of attracting nearly £100 million ($176.5 million) within three years.

AfDB pledges drinking water and sanitation funds

September 08 - Madagascar - Within the framework of the AfDB’s rural water supply and sanitation initiative the bank has provided UA 51 million ($74.97 million) to help Madagascar to attain its short-term objective of sustainably providing safe drinking water and sanitation services to rural communities in eight regions. The initiative seeks to provide 1250 boreholes, 1000 of which will use standard pumps and 250 solar energy pumps. Work on the boreholes started on 31 July, 2008, in Sambava, the main city for the Sava region in the north of the country.

ADB and Japan help with disaster preparation funding

September 08 - TAJIKISTAN: -Japan and the ADB are helping communities in south west Tajikistan to be prepared for floods and other disasters. The Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, through ADB, will provide a $3 million grant to enable 130 flood-prone villages in Khatlon province to anticipate and cope with floods and other disasters. The villages are situated in the five districts of Farkhor, Hamadoni, Vose, Pyandzh, and Shuroabad.

SERAS urges water companies to spell out supply plans

September 08 - The UK’s South East England Regional Assembly’s Planning Committee has responded to water company consultations on their long-term plans by saying that government must ensure water company plans set out how they will supply water to meet the growth targets in the area’s 20-year plan. The body also observed that Ofwat should only fund new resource projects if companies agree to share supplies where necessary to guarantee supplies across the region. More ambitious targets for metering should be set, it added.

EPA issues 'How To' Guides

September 08 - USA:- The US EPA has issued a ‘how to’ guide for homeowners with wells, noting that they need to take special precautions and actions in the aftermath of hurricanes to ensure a safe return to water well operation. It warns that after flooding and because of the speed and direction of groundwater flows, wells may not be safe sources of water for many months afterwards. Long-range precautions will be needed, including repeated testing. Problems could include wastewater from malfunctioning septic tanks, large debris loosening well hardware, coarse sediment eroding pump components, and contamination by floodwaters if the well is not tightly capped. A similar ‘how to’ guide has been issued for septic tank owners.

USA & Mexico pledge further environmental initiatives

Sept. 08 - USA- Borders meeting pledges further water and sanitation aid
In a ceremony to conclude this year’s Border 2012 National Coordinators meeting in Mexico, the US and Mexico pledged to continue going forward with various environmental initiatives including provision of additional water and sanitation. Successes highlighted at the meeting included bringing potable water and sanitation to over four million people, and providing 8100 homes with safe drinking water or basic sanitation through the US Tribal Border infrastructure programme.

Report highlights Guangdong coastal pollution

september 08-China - A Chinese government report has found that around 20% of the coastal waters near the country’s southern Guangdong province are polluted by industrial and domestic wastewaters. The ocean environment quality report found that 9300km2 of the shore was polluted to some degree – 18.6% of the total inshore area of the province. The heavily-developed Pearl River delta was found to be the worst affected. The report also noted that there had been progress in treating pollution.

Date Grower has water cut-off for exceeding it's allocated supply

September 08-ISRAEL:
A court in Israel has rejected a request by a date growing company to stop the national water company, Mekorot, from cutting off its water supply after it exceeded its allocated water usage. The date cultivators had argued that they had had their allocation cut by 70%, but the judge rejected their plea, saying that Mekorot was not entitled to supply farmers with more water than the total licensed allocation. The option of a fine is also not available to Mekorot, the judge explained, as this would be against the strict water policy the country has implemented.

Conference discusses efficient water use

Septeber 08 - Spain: - A stakeholder conference in Zaragoza has discussed ways of using water more efficiently in the EU. The conference follows a Communication on water scarcity and droughts from the EC in July 2007, and contributions will feed into a report the EC is due to publish at the end of the year as a follow-up to the Communication, tackling implementation and monitoring aspects of the policy options it presented. Stakeholders included high-ranking EU and national water officials, NGOs, industry, private and public organizations.

Minister urges further delay in water charging

NORTHERN IRELAND: Minister urges further delay in water charging
Conor Murphy, the Northern Ireland Minister tasked with introducing water charges to the province, has suggested that the government there will urge Prime Minister Gordon Brown to provide funds to delay their introduction still further, as compensation for the province being missed from the benefits to offset rising fuel costs. Water charges were due to be introduced next spring but have proved highly unpopular.

European Court finds country in breach of UWWTD

September 08 - IRELAND: ECJ finds country in breach of UWWTD
The European Court of Justice has ruled that Ireland is failing to meet the requirements of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive in six areas with populations of over 15,000 PE. The EC argued successfully that the Irish government is failing to ensure that wastewater from a number of urban areas is subjected to secondary treatment before discharge. Ireland must now rectify the situation or face heavy fines. Ireland did not contest the fact that it failed to comply with the Directive at Bray, County Wicklow, Letterkenny, County Donegal, Shanganagh, County Dublin, Sligo and Tramore in County Waterford.

Chorela outbreak causes Disaster Zone

September 08 IRAQ:- Authorities have declared the country’s central Babel province a ‘disaster zone’ as cholera outbreak grows.

So far, five people have died and 90 new cases have been identified.

Iraqi Health Minister Salih al-Hasnawi said that years of water have degraded water treatment facilities in the country and deprived many citizens of clean drinking water.

Survey finds citizens views on climate change

September 08
EU - A special Eurobarometer survey commissioned by the EU and EC reveals that most Europeans feel the EU’s targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the share of renewable energy by 2020 are about right or too modest. However, a significant proportion of people feel poorly informed about climate change and ways to help fight it. In all, 62% of respondents consider climate change to be one of the two most serious problems facing the world today, with only poverty scoring higher (68%). A majority of 56$ feel that fighting climate change can have a positive impact on the economy.

Center for Food Safety plans to sue EPA

USA - September 08
Group plans to sue over sludge to land use.

An advocacy group, the Center for Food Safety, has announced that it intends to sue the US EPA for refusing to ban the use of sewage sludge on farmland. Over 70 food and consumer groups petitioned the EPA in 2003 to stop the practice, but the EPA denied their request, saying there was not sufficient scientific evidence to support claims of harm to farm animals, crops and people.

EPA pledges to protect against more diseases at beaches

September 08
The US EPA has reached a court settlement with the Natural Resources Defense Council that requires the agency to develop criteria by 2012 to protect the public against a wider range of potential diseases than are provided for in the existing 22-year-old standards. Current safety criteria are based on the chances of catching a gastro-intestinal illness, but the new requirement will mean the EPA has to include in its criteria the likelihood of catching a variety of other illnesses including hepatitis, skin rashes, ear infection and pink eye. The results of seawater tests will also have to be delivered the same day the samples are taken, to ensure the public has more timely and accurate information.

USEPA to provide finaning to improve Virginia's Water Quality

US: The US EPA has announced that it is providing $13.9 million to Virginia to improve water quality (16/09/08)
The grant, along with $2.8 million in state matching funds, has been awarded to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to provide further capital for its revolving loan fund, which provides low interest loans for the construction of wastewater treatment facilities, non-point source and estuary projects, as well as other water quality management work.

Donald S Welsh, regional administrator for EPA’s mid-Atlantic region, said: ‘EPA is committed to helping communities get safe, clean water. These grants are important to maintaining public health, protecting and restoring healthy water quality, and combating pollution.’

In Virginia, more than $230 million will be targeted at projects to provide enhanced treatment of wastewater to remove nutrients, ultimately benefiting the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Other projects to be funded will address sewer problems in local areas.

Source: IWA - Lis Stedman

MICRONESIA - ADB and Japan fund water supply improvements

september 16, 2008 - Japan and the ADB are providing $890,000 in funding for a secure and safe water supply to residents of the capital of Chuuk, one of four Federated States of Micronesia.

The grant will support water demand forecasts for Weno island till 2020, identification of potential water sources to meet long-term demand and a tariff study and survey to gauge the willingness of residents to pay for an efficient water service.

The project will also increase the supply of water from groundwater sources; improve water quality through chlorination, reducing the incidence of waterborne diseases; train personnel in maintaining water supply wells; and boost community awareness of the need to conserve water and protect watersheds.

Through the water conservation element of the project, the average per capita demand for piped water is expected to decline from a current 400 litres daily to less than 200 litres two years from now. Water production should also rise from 3.6 million litres daily to about 5.8 million by 2010. This will fulfill about 85% of average daily demand.

Source: IWA -Lis Stedman

Report warns of huge climate change bill

THE NETHERLANDS: september 10, 2008 - A committee with a remit to investigate the potential effects of global warming on The Netherlands has warned that the country needs to spend an extra €1 to 1.5 billion ($1.4 to $2.1 billion) a year till 2100 on extra safety measures to survive the potential problems created by rising sea levels.

‘The rising sea level, declining river drainage in summer, longer dry periods and encroaching salt water via rivers and ground water, puts the country’s fresh water under threat,’ the report states.

The Delta Commission, set up after disastrous flooding in 1953, notes that large-scale works will be needed to extend and strengthen dykes to improve safety levels by a factor of ten by 2050.

Its report warns that there is a backlog of work, that sea level rises are faster than expected, standards are out of date and river flows are showing more extremes.

Other recommendations include that the siting of new buildings on doubtful sites should be based on a cost-benefit analysis, and that developments outside dykes do not limit the capacity of rivers or lakes.

The report also urges the addition of sand to the North Sea coast to increase safety and create more land, monitoring of the coastal Wadden Sea, land reclamation to improve tide activity in the Oosterschelde, and stronger dykes for the Westerschelde.

Other suggestions are to allow the south-west delta to serve as an overflow for the rivers Rhine and Maas, and that these rivers should have a minimum flow of 18,000m3/sec.

The Rijnmond should not function as an overflow, the report adds, and drinking water should come from the Ijsselmeer, which will require infrastructure changes. Water levels in the latter should be increased by 1.5m to aid flows to the Wadden Sea and maintain its function as a sweet water reserve for the north west of the country.

Organisation and funds are needed to achieve these projects, it concludes.

Source: IWA -Lis Stedman

Police investigate wastewater treatment works corpse

September 16, 2008

UK - Police have launched an inquiry after a London woman was found dead in filtration equipment at the capital’s Crossness wastewater treatment works days after she was discharged from hospital.

A post-mortem found Kaylene Lyle had drowned, but had been badly injured by the works’ machinery. Thames Water staff at the works alerted police last Friday after they discovered the body in a part of the system designed to remove large debris.

Police have discovered that the woman fought off staff at the hospital and it is thought she then entered a culvert leading to a section of the capital’s wastewater treatment works around eight miles from the works, but leading to it.

It is believed she may have walked through the tunnels for some distance and been overcome by gases, which would have caused her to collapse and drown.

The death is currently being treated as ‘unexplained’. Culverts are normally protected by heavy covers that would be difficult for a single person to lift.


Source: IWA - Lis Stedman

Interlakers urged to test well water for contamination

September 26, 2008

Glancing out the window and watching water drain across a backyard or field has been a daily occurance for Interlake residents over the summer, but excess precipitation can pay havoc with drinking wells.
Morley Smith, manager of field operations for the office of drinking water, says the danger overland flooding presents is overloading wells with untreated water.
“The danger with overland flooding is when wells are over-topped and the ground is saturated,” said Smith. “Normally the water filters down, but with overland flooding it ponds at the surface and migrates down and it’s not filtered.”
Smith says flooding poses a similar problem with septic fields, as they don't get proper treatment.
“With overland flow and heavy rain, it spreads the bad stuff around when it seeps to the surface,” said Smith. “And if it ends up going down the casing to your ground water, you got trouble.”
Smith says Manitoba Water Stewardship recommends residents test their water to ensure the water is microbiologically safe.
“If there’s an issue we recommend people boil water or get it from an alternate source such as bottled water until tests show it’s safe.”

Smith says if testing finds a well unsafe, owners have a few options to disinfect the well.
“Shock chlorination is one option, and if it works, you can carry on,” said Smith. “If it doesn’t, contact your local drinking officer, who will tell you what to do. They may send a driller to look at your well casing to see if it's cracked.”
Smith says shock treatment is simple.
“You add chlorine to a well, leave it 12 hours to kill the bacteria, though 24 is optimal, pump it off until it doesn’t smell anymore and test it again,” said Smith.
The tests go to the lab, where scientists incubate the sample to determine if bacteria are in the well.
According to the office of the chief medical officer of health, well water needs to be tested for coliform bacteria, which can indicate a contaminated well.
The total coliform and the fecal coliform test or E. coli test are standard bacteriological tests for private wells.
Bottles for water testing can be obtained from a testing laboratory as well as from Manitoba Conservation or the Manitoba Water Services Board offices.
Some municipal offices may provide bottles to residents within their jurisdictions.
According to the chief medical officer, residents testing water need to follow the instructions to prevent contamination of the sample and get a sample to the laboratory within 24 hours of collection.
Interlake residents affected by overland flooding this summer don’t have to worry about the cost of testing as Water Stewartship Minister Christine Melnick announced Sept. 5 the province would pay 100 per cent of the costs, rather than just the normal 70 percent.
“We are urging residents to test their well water as soon as possible, as a precaution, due to record rains,” said Melnick. “Some areas received about twice the normal amount of rain since June.”
The Arborg, Gypsumville, Fisher Branch and Ashern areas received 385 to 474 millimetres of precipitation since June, the highest amount recorded since 1951.

DHH offers free well-water testing

BATON ROUGE, La. -- The Department of Health and Hospitals is offering free well-water testing in hurricane affected areas.


DHH says floodwater and animal carcasses could contaminate drinking water wells. After hurricanes, public water supplies are frequently flushed and tested for bacteria. Until tests show that the water is completely safe to drink, those systems will be under a boil advisory.

However, private sources of drinking water, such as wells, don't have the same safeguards.

DHH says there are thousands of private drinking water wells that have been compromised by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike and may be vulnerable to bacterial contamination.

DHH's Center for Environmental Health Services advises homeowners to disinfect their wells with a chlorine bleach solution and flush them thoroughly. Officials also recommend that they bring a well water sample to their public health unit for testing.

Source: AP

Scientists will co-ordinate with government agencies to treat polluted lakes in the city with a chemical called LTH-100.

September 27, 2008

HA NOI, Vietnam —

LTH-100 is produced by scientists at the Enterprise Nursery in Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park and kills toxic algae and treats waste water. It is reportedly safe for humans and environmentally friendly.

The chemical had been extensively tested before it was used to clean up Van Lake in front of the Temple of Literature earlier this year.

Scientists poured 210 litres of LTH-100 into the 5.600sq.m lake and after 20 days the water didn’t smell.

Scientists also released over 100 carp into the lake and they were found to be healthy ten days later.

Before treatment, Van Lake was seriously polluted with toxic algae and waste water, as are many other lakes in the city. Ha Noi Drainage Ltd Company has just completed a general report on the water quality of lakes in the city, and scientists from the Enterprise Nursery will co-ordinate with Government agencies to plan the treatment phase.

Many scientists hold that lakes in the city are seriously polluted, especially smaller lakes. The two most important polluted lakes in Ha Noi are West Lake and Hoan Kiem Lake.

According to Professor Ha Dinh Duc, from the Viet Nam Nature and Environment Protectors’ Association, this November German scientists will help clean up Hoan Kiem Lake using dredging equipment.

"We are content the cleaning up of Hoan Kiem Lake will be successful with the participation of experienced scientists," he said.

However, Duc said that the West Lake remained polluted even though there had been many previous clean up projects.

"Scientists and authorities have not agreed with one another as to how to clean up waterways," he said, "There has been no complete agreement even among scientists."

According to the Institute of Environment Technology of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Thien Quang, Thanh Cong and Giang Vo lakes have become polluted again even though they were treated.

"It is a good idea to treat all the lakes in the city with proper technology and careful planning. The treatment should ensure the cleanness of the lakes and ecological systems, otherwise it will be a waste of time and effort," said Duc. "The most important thing is that after treatment, waste water should not run into the lakes again," he said.

There are 100 lakes in Ha Noi, 20 of which are located in the centre of the city.

The Kim Nguu, Lu, Set and To Lich rivers have suffered from long-term pollution, with around 500,000 cubic metres of waste water - 100.000 cubic metres of which are toxic - being discharged into the rivers daily.

Only a third of waste water from industrial and service enterprises is treated while the rest is discharged into lakes and rivers.

Rivers in danger

More than 500,000 cu.m per day of waste water discharged from industrial areas and trade villages is seriously polluting Ha Noi’s rivers, according to Nguyen Cong Thanh, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has completed a comprehensive check of the waste water practices of 11 industrial areas, seven trade villages and 55 manufacturers.

The Ministry has noted that the United Motor Viet Nam Ltd Company in Noi Bai Industrial Area discharges 300 cu.m of untreated waste water per day into the Cau River, exceeding the allowed level of pollutants such as coliform by 21 times and iron by over 19 times.

According to Thanh, Ha Noi Electronics Corporation is one of four companies in the Sai Dong B Industrial Area seriously polluting the Cau Bay River with over 2,000 cu.m of waste water every day.

According to the Ministry’s Environment Department, trade villages also contribute to the pollution of Ha Noi’s rivers by discharging waste water.

Phu Do Vermicelli Trade Village discharges 120 cu.m of waste water into the Nhue River daily.

Only 80 out of 400 factories and more than 15,000 manufacturers and six out of 42 hospitals have waste water treatment systems.

Many rivers in Ha Noi such as the To Lich, Set, Lu and Kim Nguu are now seriously polluted.

Environmental pollution exceeds allowed levels and Ha Noi’s rivers are dying, said Dang Kim Chi, deputy head of the Science Technology and Environment Institute.

"In the past, I used to go fishing in the Lu River. However, now, it is impossible because the water is black and smells very bad," said Dang Dinh Thuc from Thanh Liet Commune, Thanh Tri District.

People who use water polluted with heavy metals such as iron and zinc might suffer from kidney and liver related diseases, said Dang Kim Chi.

"These companies should install waste water treatment systems before years’ end," said Deputy Minister Thanh, " so that pollution falls back to allowed levels."

Source: Vietnam News

Water Department Looking for $3.1 Million In Capital Projects

HARWICH, Ma. – The water department has an aggressive improvement plan for the next fiscal year which includes funds for exploration of a new well source and to design and engineer an iron and manganese treatment plant for the Chatham Road wells.

Water Superintendent Craig Wiegand distributed the capital budget for FY 2010 this week. It seeks $3,162,400 for the projects, which also includes rehabilitation and repainting of the Lothrop Avenue and Route 39 storage tanks.

The new water source exploration seeks only $100,000 in the upcoming year and will focus its exploration in the northwest section of town. Wiegand said it is important to seek a location in a separate area from the main well site on Chatham Road, where 60 percent of the town water is drawn.

“Our priority and concern is that if we were to ever experience a hazardous chemical spill of any type of environmental impact on either Route 6 or Route 39 this would have the potential of disrupting drinking water delivery to our town,” Wiegand said.

“It is for this reason that we are seeking a site which will serve two purposes. The first situation would afford us a redundant system should we ever lose the ability to pump from the Chatham Road complex,” the plan states.

The superintendent said this would allow continued supply of the 60 percent which might be lost from the Chatham Road well site due to a catastrophic event. Having a redundant system would allow the town meet the required demands needed to continue growth and supply of both drinking water and fire protection.

“The second would allow us to meet the needs of supplying water to Harwich for the next 50 years,” Wiegand said. “With the new wells we will have to build a new treatment plant in FY 2012. In addition, it will relieve the stress being placed on our current well fields during peak pumping periods.”

The $100,000 would be used to complete modeling for the Herring River as well as starting any environmental studies which are required by the state Department of Environmental Protection. The money would be paid out of the department’s enterprise fund.

The capital budget also seeks $500,000 for design and engineering for treatment of the Chatham Road wells. The plan is to build a four million-gallon a day iron and manganese green treatment facility.

“For the past several years we have been observing the increase of iron and manganese,” Wiegand said.

The DEP drinking water standards for iron and manganese are 0.30 mg/l and 0.05 mg/l respectively. Concentrations in some of the wells at the main well field are in an order of magnitude greater than these standards (1.10 mg/l for iron and 0.60 mg/l manganese). Treatment is necessary to meet these standards and ensure that high quality water is produced from the well field, the plan states.

The storage tank work will include interior and exterior painting and renovations. The estimated cost for the Lothrop Avenue tank $1,251,500, and the Route 39 tank is $1,310,900. Wiegand said the tanks are expensive to paint because they have six legs. Once completed, he said the work should last 15 to 20 years.

The plan is to issue a bond over an eight-year period to fund the projects. The bond will be paid out of the water department enterprise fund, the superintendent said.

Lettuce may be linked to Michigan E. coli cases

September 27, 2008


LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Michigan health officials might be closing in on the source of an E. coli outbreak that has sickened 26 people.

The Department of Community Health issued a public health alert yesterday as a precaution. It says the recent E. coli illnesses are thought to be associated with bagged, industrial-sized packages of iceberg lettuce sold to restaurants and institutions.

Some of the people who got sick ate lettuce supplied by Detroit-based Aunt Mid's Produce Company. There is no evidence that bagged lettuce sold at grocery stores is affected.

Some of the E. coli cases occurring this month are at Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and the Lenawee County Jail.


Source: AP

Drinking Water: The Need For Constant Innovation

Sep. 17, 2008 — Most western countries' drinking water is of excellent quality, but there is no room for complacency. The challenges are growing: undesirable contaminants are found in rivers, lakes and groundwater.

Climate change is also warming waterbodies, with implications for water quality, and in developing countries more and more people are reliant on groundwater containing natural contaminants. In industrialized countries water utilities are ageing and need to be renewed. In partnership with the water sector, the aquatic research institute Eawag is identifying ways of ensuring that high-quality drinking water supplies remain available in the future.

Challenges of climate change

Various models predict that rising atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases will lead not only to increases in air temperatures but also to warming of waterbodies. This prediction has been confirmed by observations: since 1945, for example, water at a depth of 5 m in Lake Zurich has warmed by around 1°C in the winter and by almost 2°C in the summer. The same trend is apparent in rivers. For the first time, researchers have now also compiled long-term time series for groundwater temperatures. Taking the example of groundwater at Rheinau (Switzerland, Canton Zurich), they have shown that the temperature of the water in the winter has risen by about 3°C since the 1950s. At the same time, the oxygen content has constantly declined.

During the 2003 summer heatwave, water completely devoid of oxygen was pumped from certain wells in the Thur and Glatt valleys. In the absence of oxygen, however, iron and manganese are dissolved below the surface. These substances then have to be removed before the water can be supplied to users. In lakes, higher temperatures can also have adverse effects on water quality: the spread of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) is promoted. This may be problematic since these growths include species that produce toxins or taste and odour compounds. In addition, microorganisms generally grow more rapidly in warmer water. In future, more elaborate treatment methods could be required in places where drinking water has previously been supplied untreated or after only simple processing.

Facilitating rapid alerts

The safety of water supplies depends crucially on continuous monitoring. However, traditional methods for microbiological analysis of drinking water involve the growth of visible colonies of bacteria on nutrient plates. The plating method is time-consuming and underestimates the number of microorganisms contained in water samples. Eawag has now developed an analytical method based on flow cytometry. This process, in which cells pass through a laser beam, has mainly been used to date in medicine, e.g. for blood cell counts. At Eawag, it was adapted so as to permit reliable enumeration of bacterial cells.

Rather than having to wait for 18–24 hours, results are now available within 15 minutes. In close cooperation with Zurich Waterworks (WVZ), the researchers demonstrated that the results stand up well in comparison with conventional methods. In fact, they even provide a considerably more realistic picture, since special labelling means that the method also detects microorganisms which do not reproduce on nutrient media and have therefore been incorrectly considered to be inactive or dead. What makes the new method especially attractive – particularly for monitoring the microbiological safety of drinking water in developing countries – is the fact that, using specific antibodies, it is possible to screen samples for pathogens such as intestinal parasites and legionella or cholera bacteria. This would facilitate a rapid response in the event of contamination.

New treatment methods

In Switzerland, 43% of drinking water is sourced from springs, 40% from groundwater and 17% from lakes. Treatment is required mainly for lake and spring water. Together with partners from the engineering sector and WVZ, Eawag researchers have sought to identify the methods and combinations of processes best suited for meeting future challenges. Substantial investments are required to renovate water utilities, and new facilities are expected to have a lifetime of 30 or even 50 years. At a pilot plant in the WVZ Lengg lake water facility, it was shown that space-intensive sand filters could be replaced by ultrafiltration membranes with a pore size of 10 nm (1 nanometre = a millionth of a millimetre).

Apart from the saving in space, membrane filters offer the additional advantage of representing an absolute barrier to microorganisms. The combination of ultrafiltration with ozonation and activated carbon filtration, both of which are already used today, adds up to an extremely effective process chain for water treatment. It guarantees microbiologically safe drinking water, which can be supplied without chlorination – a process frowned upon by consumers. Any trace contaminants are efficiently removed.

Taking precautions and identifying risks

Experts are agreed that the most important type of protection for drinking water is provided not by technical treatment processes, but by careful management of water resources. Pollution needs to be prevented wherever possible. Since many groundwater wells in Switzerland are located close to a river, Eawag researchers have investigated what happens when riverbeds are widened in restoration projects. Using a specially developed method, it is possible to predict how likely it is that the water at a nearby pumping station is no longer “genuine” groundwater, but river water which has not been sufficiently purified as a result of a short residence time in the subsurface. Depending on the risks involved, this may mean that it is necessary to abandon or impose restrictions on a given river widening project.

Risk identification of a quite different kind is the subject of the “Water Resource Quality” research project (WRQ). Worldwide, millions of people rely on groundwater contaminated with health-threatening arsenic or fluoride of natural (geogenic) origin. With the aid of geological data and computer modelling, Eawag researchers have produced global maps indicating areas with a high risk for the occurrence of arsenic- or fluoride-contaminated groundwater. This mapping procedure, which has also already been successfully applied on the regional scale, is a valuable instrument for authorities, aid organizations and water suppliers. The WRQ project also involves efforts to develop and test simple, low-cost treatment methods particularly suitable for use in developing countries.


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Source: Science Daily
Adapted from materials provided by EAWAG: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology.
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EAWAG: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (2008, September 17). Drinking Water: The Need For Constant Innovation. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 27, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/09/080912091736.htm

Company Apologize For Discolored Water

Davidson Water Inc. who provides water to customers in parts of Davidson County says the red and yellow water is safe.

Welcome, NC-- Davidson Water, Inc. has sent a letter to the media apologizing to customers about their water periodically being red or yellow.

The discolored water has been happening for several months. A copy of the letter sent to WFMY News 2 says they are working with several engineering companies, the EPA and NC Dept of Environmental Health and Natural Resources to find and fix the problem.

Davidson Water say they have had the water thoroughly tested and it is safe to use.

Copy of Davidson Water, Inc.'s letter:

"Davidson Water, Inc. provides water 365 days a year to over 130,000 people. We have provided exceptional quality for many years. We want to apologize to the customers of Davidson Water, Inc. who have been experiencing periodic red and yellow water conditions during the past several months. We deeply regret this condition has persisted and are working on a solution. We are working with several engineering firms, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Health and Natural Resources, and the EPA to resolve this situation. The water has been thoroughly tested and is safe for use but we realize it is esthetically unpleasing and an inconvenience.


Usually red and yellow water quality problems are a result of galvanized and unlined cast iron pipe in the distribution system. Most studies that have been conducted relating to red and yellow water conditions were done to understand why unlined cast iron and galvanized pipe creates red water, making it very perplexing as we do not have either in our distribution system.


New regulations passed by the EPA for total organic carbon (TOC) removal created the need to switch coagulants to stay in compliance. In 2002 we switched from aluminum sulfate to ferric chloride which greatly enhanced our removal of TOC and reduced disinfection byproduct levels. In 2006 testing showed that lead levels in water in homes that used lead solder in their plumbing or had fixtures that contained lead was on the rise. After talking with several experts and hiring an engineering firm specializing in water quality, we switched to ferric sulfate at their recommendation to prevent lead from leaching from home owners plumbing components while still having good TOC removal.


In 2007 and 2008 due to extreme drought conditions and low river flows, the normal flushing of water lines was halted by our regulating agency and governor. Ferric Sulfate contains iron and manganese properties that seem to be collecting in our distribution system. In the summer when water velocities in the pipe network increase because of increased demands and water temperatures rise the build up of ferric sulfate releases from piping causing red and yellow water conditions, which you, our customers, have experienced.


River flow has greatly improved in recent weeks which will allow for a thorough flushing of our distribution system this fall and winter. A method of oxidizing the ferric sulfate where it will not reappear in the distribution system as red and yellow water will be developed or a switch to another coagulant that will not produce red and yellow water and still keep us in compliance with all EPA regulations will be tested and proven before next summer when red and yellow water conditions can be more prominent.


Again, while red or yellow water discoloration is not a safety issue, we do apologize for the inconvenience and will diligently continue to make improvements."


Customers who still have questions or concern should contact the company at 731-2341 or go to www.davidsonwater.com.




Source: WFMY News 2/Davidson Water, Inc.

Homestake lab leader says plans on track despite iron in water

September 15, 2008

More water from precipitation and more iron than expected in the underground water has delayed the opening of the state lab at the former Homestake Gold Mine in Lead (LEED).

But director Ron Wheeler of the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority says it won't delay or change design plans for a national underground science lab.

He says they should be ready as scheduled by December 2010.

Wheeler says the iron discovery has increased the cost of pumping out the water that had seeped into the mine since it closed in 2003 -- but it's a problem workers are dealing with.

Although the National Science Foundation picked Homestake as its preferred site for the deep lab last year, construction won't start until 2012 at the earliest.


On the Net:
Homestake DUSEL: http://www.lbl.gov/nsd/homestake/
Sanford Lab at Homestake: http://sanfordlaboratoryathomestake.org/

Source: AP

Iron making water is unfit to drink

September 27, 2008

YORK
For years, Edward Woodley has watched reddish-brown muck pour out of his faucets, swirl in his toilet, and permanently stain his clothes and linens.

Woodley, who lives at 1300 Penniman Rd., is frustrated by the lack of action or communication from his water company, Aqua Virginia, over the dirty water.

“Don’t nobody do nothing,” he said in a recent interview. “All they do is promise.”

The water has turned Woodley’s toilet bowl and showerhead the color of rust. White shirts and towels put in the washing machine come out a cream color.

Woodley, 75, refuses to drink the water and worries that it might be making him and his neighbors sick. He buys water to drink and cook with, but bathes in the water that comes through the pipes.

“Everybody on this street has had cancer,” he said, adding that even he has had a bout with the disease. “I’m not going to continue to pay my water bill. It really doesn’t make any sense.”

Ethel Hill, who lives a few houses away from Woodley, is also tired of the dirty water.

“We are senior citizens,” said Hill, who is 71. “We don’t want to drink stuff like that. What am I drinking? Where is this back-up coming from?”

Adding to their frustration is that Aqua Virginia is nearing the end of a complete overhaul to the water system in nearby Queens Lake.

According to Aqua Virginia spokesman Donna Alston, the water company has spent $1.2 million to replace all the major distribution mains within Queens Lake.

Aqua Virginia still has to connect the new pipes with a main across the interstate to form a loop system. It must also connect to a Newport News Waterworks line near Queens Lake Middle School.

That work is expected to cost around $200,000 and is scheduled to start this year after all the proper permits are in place.

Alston said once all the connections are in place, water pressure from fire hydrants should improve, which has been a concern among Queens Lake residents.

To add insult to injury, Woodley watched as Newport News Waterworks installed a new water main on the other side of his street for the new High Grove subdivision off Penniman Road.

“It’s not fair,” Woodley said.

The Office of Drinking Water, a division of the Virginia Department of Health, has oversight of private water systems and does routine testing of the Aqua Virginia system in upper York.

Dixon Tucker, who monitors water in greater Williamsburg, said there are no routine water samples taken from the section of the system on Penniman near Woodley’s home. Homes from 1212-1302 Penniman are connected to the same main. The closest testing has been at 1209 Penniman. Most testing is done in the York Terrace subdivision.

Tucker said the system tested positive for bacterial coliform once nearly 10 years ago. The system does consistently test positive for copper and lead, but has never exceeded acceptable levels.

The concentration of disinfectant chemicals in the water is also tested. The primary maximum contaminant level for those chemicals is .06. The average for this system is .044.

“The results we have do not indicate a threat to the residents’ health,” Tucker said. “In that the cast iron main is probably unlined and is rusting on the inside, they could very well be experiencing discolored water and some tuberculation that has formed in the pipe and gotten in the passing water.”

Tucker said there used to be a flushing point at the end of a dead-end line in the area, but it was removed after work was done to a drainage ditch. Aqua Virginia now manually flushes the line periodically, which is less efficient than the continual flushing in place before.

Tucker said Aqua Virginia is planning to replace the cast iron main with a nonmetallic main in the future, but he wasn’t sure of when that would be. Greg O’Dell, a division manager for Aqua Virginia, did not respond to e-mails or phone calls seeking comment.

Alberta Jones, who lives between Woodley and Hill, said she’s heard water technicians from Aqua Virginia promise a new water main before.

“[So far] it’s not happening,” Jones said of getting a new water main.

Jones and her husband, John, have lived on Penniman Road for more than 40 years. She said their water has always been substandard.

“I ain’t never had no good water,” she said.

The Joneses, like many of their neighbors, are senior citizens and are having to buy drinking water while also paying a monthly water bill for water they are afraid to drink or cook with.

“My husband has cancer and Parkinson’s disease, and he can’t use that water,” Jones said.



Source: The Virginia Gazette, Amanda Kerr

Funds may evaporate for water quality tests

The number of beaches tested weekly for water quality in San Luis Obispo County is likely to be reduced because of funding cuts in the state’s recently approved budget.
The budget eliminates $29,000 allocated annually for bacteria testing at popular swimming beaches in the county, said Rich Lichtenfels, who supervises the monitoring program for the county Department of Environmental Health. That sum is about 22 percent of the county’s total budget for beach water testing.

“I don’t think we will continue to be able to do all 20 sites we now do every week,” he said.

The cutback will not affect testing at Pismo Beach. That area will remain a high priority, Lichtenfels said.

The beach just south of the

pier, one of the most popular stretches of sand in the county, consistently fails state water quality standards.

The eliminated state funding is earmarked for testing from April 1 through Oct. 31. However, the county also gets funding from the federal Environmental Protection Agency and pays for testing from its own general fund.

The county has enough flexibility in its remaining funding sources to allow the year-round program to continue, only with fewer beaches tested, he said.

Pismo Beach is also the site of a yearlong study by Cal Poly to identify the source of the frequent high bacteria counts. Testing needs to continue there in order to support the study.

“We can’t connect the dots down there if we don’t do testing,” Lichtenfels said.

The study began in May, and Cal Poly professors give progress reports to Pismo Beach officials every three months.

The first update showed that the bacteria are likely coming from pigeon feces and not humans.

Source: http://www.sanluisobispo.com

FDA Proposes to Amend its Bottled Water Regulation

September 22, 2008

According to EPA, fecal pathogen-contaminated ground water was demonstrated by data to be associated with 68 waterborne disease outbreaks and 10,926 illnesses between 1991 and 2000, and CDC identified source water contamination and inadequate treatment as the likely cause of the outbreaks. Because of that data, EPA On Nov. 8, 2006, EPA published a new National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) on Nov. 8, 2006, relating to fecal contamination, which required the U.S. Food and Drug Administration either to issue a standard of quality regulation for that contaminant in bottled water or find such a regulation not necessary by Dec. 1, 2009. As reported in the Sept. 17 Federal Register, FDA has chosen to amend its bottled water regulation (at 21 CFR 129 and 165), making it at least as protective of public health as EPA's drinking water standards.

Under the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, FDA is required to issue a standard of quality regulation for fecal pathogen contaminants in bottled water. As such, in its latest rulemaking FDA proposes to:

Require that source water, which is currently subject to weekly microbiological testing, be tested specifically for total coliform as is done for finished bottled water products.
Require bottled water manufacturers to test for the bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli), an indicator of fecal contamination, if any coliform organisms are detected in source water or finished bottled water products.
Amend the adulteration provision of the bottled water standard to reflect the possibility of filth. Bottled water containing E. coli would be considered adulterated, and source water containing E. coli would not be considered to be of a safe, sanitary quality and would be prohibited from use in the production of bottled water.
Require bottlers to rectify or eliminate the source of E. coli contamination in source water and keep records of such actions. Existing regulatory provisions would require bottled water manufacturers to keep records of new testing required by this rule.
FDA tentatively concludes that this proposed rule, if finalized, will ensure that its standards for the minimum quality of bottled water, as affected by fecal contamination, will be no less protective of the public health than those set by EPA for public drinking water. To access the proposed rule, go to

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-21619.pdf

Fisheries not taking fish from Rainy Lake

By LISA KACZKE
Staff Writer

Fish processed at Can-Am Fisheries is not coming from Rainy Lake, with the exception one load that has come from an Ontario commercial fisherman.
Koochiching Economic Development Authority Board members said Wednesday that they were concerned about fish being taken out of Rainy Lake. They also clarified that they never said that no fish would be taken out of the lake.
Rainy Lake commercial netter Blaine Tucker of Ontario has sold one load of fish to the company, according to DeNucci.
The company is now bringing in 2,500 pounds of fish, mostly walleye, a week from Ontario lakes other than Rainy Lake, DeNucci said. Once the company can process more, it plans to increase that number to build up the business, she said. The company does not now have any contracts in place with commercial netters.
Falls resident Curt Wagner voiced his concern that fish were being taken out of Rainy Lake to provide fish for the fisheries company.
“All I’m here for is trying to protect our lake,” Wagner said. “It’s a beautiful lake, a beautiful fishery and I don’t want to see it changed.”
DeNucci said Tucker is required to report his take to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, which has placed a quota on the number of fish he takes out of the lake.
“I enjoy the lake as much as the next person,” DeNucci said.
From an economic development standpoint, the company wants to receive the fish at the best price and offer it at the best price. Tucker does not offer what the company wants, so the company will no longer purchase from him, DeNucci said.
Audience member Arden Barnes said the KEDA should stick to its previous commitment. If board members said no fish would be taken out of Rainy Lake to supply the company, then no fish should be taken out of the lake, she said.
Fisheries employee Teddy Pearson said the ultimate goal of the company is to not buy fish locally. The company staff understand that tourism brings in money for the community and the company doesn’t want to impact the fishing, he said.
“We’re just trying to do something for the community,” Pearson said.
Board member Mike Hanson said he welcomes companies to the community that can provide employment opportunities. And, he reiterated, the board did not say that no fish would come out of the lake.
KEDA Director Paul Nevanen also clarified that it is a privately financed deal. The KEDA only provided the location for the company in the business park.
Meanwhile, the board rejected a motion to continue using Joe Boyle for legal services in 2-3 vote.
Board members Tim “Chopper” McBride and Mike Fairchild voted for the motion and board members Hanson, Wade Pavleck and Allen Rasmussen voted against the motion. McBride removed himself as board chairman so he could second the motion for Boyle to provide legal representation.
Earlier, the KEDA sought proposals from attorneys, but did not receive responses from attorneys other than Boyle. The board plans to call a second time for proposals.
Boyle said after the meeting that as an attorney, he needs to be professional and he is the only attorney in the area that has the training “in this subject matter.”
“I will work with the KEDA for the good of the people in our area,” Boyle said. “My parents raised me not to be petty and vindictive.”
He continued on saying that if he has to turn the other cheek, he will do so, and that he will stay on the high road.
As a representative of the Koochiching County Board, Hanson said he could not support Boyle’s representation. The county commissioners have stated that Boyle has a conflict of interest in representing both the KEDA and the city of International Falls as a result of a dispute between the city and county over the construction of new alignment for Minnesota Highway 332.
McBride told the board members that he doesn’t know what they’re going to do because the KEDA needs legal representation.
Rasmussen said if half of the partnership in the KEDA is uncomfortable with the attorney, the board doesn’t have much choice.
Pavleck said the county has clearly stated that its participation in the KEDA is contingent on Boyle not representing the KEDA.
But, Pavleck said, the issue is about more than Boyle.
“This is about the mayor and her administration. The county board doesn’t trust her administration,” Pavleck said. Falls Mayor Shawn Mason has “her thumb” on Boyle, he added. If Boyle’s job depends on Mason, Boyle isn’t likely to ever have an opinion that differs from the mayor’s, he said.
For the past three years, the relationship between the city and county has “totally disintegrated,” Pavleck said. The county had “great relationships” with the past two administrations before Mason. He added that the only Falls city councilor concerned about the taxpayers in the Highway 332 issue is McBride.

Hydrogen-producing bacteria provide clean energy

A new 'green' technology developed cooperatively by scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and North Carolina State University (NC State) could lead to production of hydrogen from nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Renewable sources of energy—such as hydrogen—that don't produce pollutants or greenhouse gases are needed to solve global energy shortages. Fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas are nonrenewable energy sources implicated in global warming.

The invention holds promise as a source of hydrogen for use in fuel cell technology. Fuel cell devices combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity and water, and are considered efficient, quiet and pollution-free. Fuel cells are now being tested in a range of products, including automobiles that release no emissions other than water vapor.

ARS inventors Paul Bishop and Telisa Loveless and NC State inventors Jonathan Olson and José Bruno-Bárcena developed the patent-pending technology.

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria play a key role in agriculture. They live in soil and on certain plant roots, and convert nitrogen from the air into a chemical form that plants can use to grow. The researchers developed a way to identify strains of these bacteria that produce hydrogen gas.

Bishop first demonstrated novel aspects of bacterial nitrogen-fixing more than two decades ago. Building on that work, the team developed a method that uses a selecting agent to identify these special hydrogen-producing strains. The selecting agent allows researchers to identify these bacterial strains without the need for genomic sequencing or genetic modification.

Using the selecting agent, the inventors identified a gene that inactivates the bacteria's hydrogen uptake system so that all of the hydrogen produced is released. Because the bacterial cells cannot recycle the hydrogen, the hydrogen they produce can be captured and used as a fuel whose byproduct is water and heat.

Licensing information can be obtained by contacting the ARS Office of Technology Transfer or the Office of Technology Transfer at NC State.

ARS is a scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Source: Environmental News Network
Published Aug. 26, 2008

Palestinian water boss reduced to “crisis management”

The occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) continues to suffer from drought, but the head of the Water Authority told IRIN there was a limit to what he could do to help. 'Crisis management is the only strategy that I am able to apply,' Shaddad Attili, the head of the Palestinian Water Authority, told IRIN while attending World Water Week in Stockholm (13-23 August).

He said he did not have the power to plan properly for his constituents, the 3.5 million Palestinians in the oPt, as the Oslo Accords left too much control in Israeli hands.

'We have to go to the Israelis to get permission to do projects, like drilling, building reservoirs or laying pipes,' Attili said this week after attending a round of negotiations with his Israeli counterparts as part of the 2007 Annapolis peace process.

'It is a very complex procedure,' he said, noting that projects have been delayed for over a decade.

Even in the autonomous parts of the oPt, the Palestinians must still bring project proposals before the Joint Water Committee, where Israel can veto plans.

“We suffer the worst”

'We are all suffering from climate change in the region; Israel and Jordan are also affected,' said Attili. 'But we suffer the worst, because we don't have control over our own resources.'

According to an agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians, details of the current talks are kept under wraps so as not to impede progress, but water resources are one of the key final status issues being discussed.

In the south of the West Bank, in Hebron District, where herders and other residents have been harshly affected by the lack of water, some aid groups like the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have stepped in.

'We conducted emergency water trucking for 10 communities in southern Hebron,' said Matteo Benatti, the ICRC head in Hebron, adding that the agency was also looking at long-term solutions.

Gaza

While the West Bank situation was bad, the plight of the Gaza Strip was deemed 'catastrophic' by Attili.

Uncontrolled pumping from the aquifer in the enclave as well as problems in handling waste water - stemming from financial constraints, historic mismanagement dating back to before the existence of the Palestinian Authority and the impact of the sanctions on Gaza since Hamas seized control - has left the territory with polluted water, most of it undrinkable.

Louay Froukh, a senior water consultant, told IRIN during World Water Week that Gaza was facing an increasing health risk due to the lack of well-functioning sanitation systems.

Many people in Gaza rely on leaky septic tanks, he said.

While the tanks can flood into the streets, they also seep into the groundwater, adding to the pollution.

Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Published Aug. 29, 2008

Japan & ADB to help Viet Nam improve water management and irrigation systems

Japan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) are helping Viet Nam improve its water management and modernize its irrigation systems.

The Japan Special Fund, through ADB, will provide a $1 million grant to help design a project to upgrade the quality of water-related public services and improve the management of Viet Nam’s water resources used for irrigation. For its part, Viet Nam will contribute staff, facilities and services equivalent to $250,000.

“The technical assistance will help Viet Nam increase the number of qualified water engineers, help the country better manage its irrigation systems, boost agricultural production, and increase farmers’ income,” said Dennis Ellingson, Senior Natural Resources Management Specialist of ADB’s Viet Nam Resident Mission.

The country faces growing demands on its water resources as a result of a rapidly growing economy and population. The agriculture sector, particularly crop irrigation, currently utilizes the vast majority of available water resources.

The project will support the government’s five-year socio-economic development plan, which promotes sustainable economic development through increased agricultural production to ensure food security and exports, improved crop productivity, quality of high-value products, development of aquaculture, and reduced vulnerability to the impacts of floods and droughts.

It will also be in line with Viet Nam’s national water resources strategy, which primarily seeks to protect, efficiently use, and promote the sustainable development of water resources through integrated management.

The technical assistance will provide detailed design for three components. The first component will support the upgrading of professional training facilities for water resource specialists at the Water Resources University (WRU), the only university that educates water engineers in Viet Nam. WRU has trained more than 18,000 engineers during its more than 50 years of operation, but the situation at the university has stagnated, with the training program, teaching method, and reference materials in need of innovations. Furthermore, the demand for water engineers is growing at an average annual growth rate of 4% owing to the rapid economic growth of the country. If WRU remains the sole source of water engineers, it will have to more than double its enrollment.

The second component will focus on modernizing the management of Bac Hung Hai, one of the oldest and largest irrigation and drainage systems in the country. The Bac Hung Hai system covers 192,045 hectares and serves 2.7 million people.

The third component will be the design of new infrastructure and upgrade of existing irrigation and drainage facilities of Bac Hung Hai. Given its importance to the economy and advanced state of disrepair, the rehabilitation of Bac Hung Hai is a top government priority.

Mr. Ellingson said that future implementation of the water management and irrigation systems rehabilitation project will cost an estimated $140 million.

Source: Asian Development Bank
Published Aug. 29, 2008

Environment agency warns government over climate change damage

Lord Smith, the new head of the Environment Agency, this week gave a cautionary warning to the government over the folly of continuing with climate damaging super projects like the third runway at Heathrow, and the proposed new coal power station at Kingsnorth in Kent. He also highlighted the threat that climate change induced sea level rises and coastal erosion will have on the UK’s coast line and that tough choices would have to be made over whether to defend threatened communities.

The World Development Movement has also put two and two together; stating that plans for a new coal power plant are completely incompatible with plans to tackle climate change. And that huge areas of Kent’s coastline will be seriously threatened by predicted sea level rises, demonstrating the sad irony of stationing a new carbon belching coal power station in the very same area.

Millions of people all over the world are already suffering as a result of climate change. It is usually the poorest people who are left most vulnerable to increasingly severe weather phenomena such as typhoons and flooding. For coastal communities in the UK, Bangladesh, the Philippines and across the globe, whose homes, jobs and unfortunately lives are threatened, the government must be resolute in its ambition to tackle climate change. It cannot be, or even give the illusion of, being serious about this if it says yes to new runways and new coal power stations.


Source: Environmental News Network

Nova Scotia considers drilling proposal

HALIFAX, British Columbia, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- U.S. fishermen and conservationists are voicing concern over a Canadian proposal to drill for oil and gas on the Georges Bank fishing ground.

Nova Scotia Energy Minister Richard Hurlburt recently suggested that fishing and oil drilling can be conducted in environmentally sensitive areas without harming fishing grounds that are just starting to rebound, the Boston Globe reported Monday.

The Nova Scotia government estimates there could be about 1 billion barrels of oil and 5.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas beneath Georges Bank, located about 100 miles off the coast of Cape Cod.

"If there is an opportunity here, we have to look at it," Hurlburt said.

U.S. fishermen and environmentalists were quick to criticize the idea.

"We are saying this is the one place they should leave alone," Denny Morrow, executive director of the Nova Scotia Fish Packers Association, told the newspaper. "It is an incredibly diverse and productive place. We have fish and shellfish spawning 12 months a year. ... There is nothing else like it."

Drilling is currently allowed virtually everywhere off Eastern Canada except Georges Bank, the newspaper said.

EPA to launch program to reduce lead wheel weights

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to launch a voluntary program to get car makers and auto parts suppliers to reduce their use of lead wheel weights, which can become pollutants.

The initiative, to be announced Friday in Detroit with representatives of Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, will include a broad number of auto manufacturers, retailers, tiremakers and tire weight manufacturers.

EPA said they will recognize companies and government agencies pledging to significantly reduce the use of lead wheel weights, which are used to balance tires, by the end of 2011.

Chrysler LLC and three auto parts suppliers agreed to end their use of the weights in a settlement reached last week with a California environmental group. Environmentalists had said the weights were falling off cars and trucks and polluting the state's drinking water.

Under the settlement, Chrysler, Perfect Equipment Inc., Hennessy Industries Inc. and Plombco Inc. will be required to phase out lead wheel weights in the state by the end of 2009.

The weights are clipped to the wheels of nearly all 200 million cars and trucks on U.S. roadways. A 2006 U.S. Geological Survey report estimated that about 2,000 tons of lead from wheel weights ended up on the nation's roads in one year.

BFS Retail & Commercial Operations LLC, which operates Firestone Complete Auto Care, Tires Plus, ExpertTire and Wheel Works service centers, moved to make steel wheel balance weights available to customers this year because the weights are nontoxic.

In addition to Chrysler, automakers participating in the voluntary program include General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., and 12 members of the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers, including Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co., and Nissan Motor Co.

Other participants include tiremakers Bridgestone/Firestone and The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., and government agencies such as EPA, the Defense Department and the U.S. Postal Service. Retailers include Costco Wholesale Corp., Firestone Complete Auto Care, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Sam's Club Tire and Battery Centers.

Source - AP

GOVERNMENTS TOLD TO END FOSSIL FUEL SUBSIDIES

Smart tax breaks, financial incentives and better market mechanisms
would benefit both the environment and economy, according to a UN
study report released to delegates at the climate meeting of
governments in Ghana.

The report said governments should use the smart approach and
abolishing subsidies on fossil fuels that would cut world greenhouse
gas emissions and spur economic growth.

Energy subsidies involving mostly fossil fuels totaled about $300
billion a year or 0.7 percent of world gross domestic product.

"Many fossil fuel subsidies are introduced for political reasons but
are simply propping up and perpetuating inefficiencies in the global
economy," Achim Steiner, head of the Nairobi-based U.N. Environment
Programme told the climate gathering.

Biggest energy subsidies were in Russia where $40 billion a year was
spent to make natural gas cheaper.

Iran spends $37 billion on fuel subsides and China, Saudi Arabia,
India, Indonesia, Ukraine and Egypt spent more on subsidies than on
health care.

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) subsidies in India totaled $1.7 billion
in the first half of 2008.

Energy subsidies were standing in the way of more environmentally
friendly technologies," Kaveh Zahedi, UN climate change coordinator,
told Daily Planet Media.

Thirsty Hybrid And Electric Cars Could Triple Demands On Scarce Water Resources

Eco-minded drivers in drought-prone states take note: A new study concludes that producing electricity for hybrid and fully electric vehicles could sharply increase water consumption in the United States.


In the study, Carey W. King and Michael E. Webber note that policy makers often neglect the impact that fleets of hybrid and electric vehicles could have on already-scarce water resources. They calculated water usage, consumption, and withdrawal during petroleum refining and electricity generation in the United States.

Each mile driven with electricity consumes about three times more water (0.32 versus 0.07-0.14 gallons per mile) than with gasoline, the study found.

"This is not to say that the negative impacts on water resources make such a shift undesirable," King and Webber emphasized. "Rather this increase in water usage presents a significant potential impact on regional water resources and should be considered when planning for a plugged-in automotive economy."

The article, "The Water Intensity of the Plugged-In Automotive Economy" is scheduled for the June 1 issue of Environmental Science & Technology.

Adapted from materials provided by American Chemical Society, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

EI fears keep Japanese horses from Cup

For the second year in a row, Japanese horses will not compete in the Melbourne Cup.

Fears of equine influenza (EI) being reintroduced have caused Biosecurity Australia to ban them from coming into the country for the Spring Carnival.

In 2006 Japanese horses dominated Australia's most famous race, with Delta Blues taking line honours ahead of Pop Rock.

Malaria researchers identify new mosquito virus

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Malaria Research Institute have identified a previously unknown virus that is infectious to Anopheles gambiae—the mosquito primarily responsible for transmitting malaria. According to the researchers, the discovered virus could one day be used to pass on new genetic information to An. gambiae mosquitoes as part of a strategy to control malaria, which kills over one million people worldwide each year. The study was published August 22 online in the peer-reviewed open access journal PLoS Pathogens.

Malta’s nitrate levels eight times WHO’s safe standard

In a global context, the reported levels of nitrate contamination in the groundwater of Gaza are worrying but not exceptional, says Marianne Stuart of the British Geological Survey, who is to carry out a similar survey in the region.

“In a recent study of groundwater contamination in Malta, nitrate levels as high as eight times that of the WHO’s safe standard were recorded.” She added: “In the case of Malta however, the comparatively healthy economy meant authorities have been able to avoid using the most heavily contaminated sources, by importing clean water supplies from abroad, or investing in desalination plants.”

As a comparison, levels of nitrate contamination in UK water supplies are at worst two times the WHO standard.

Source: Malta Independant

World's farmers turn to raw sewage for irrigation

18 August 2008

The future may not smell too rosy – it may lie in sewage. As cities and industries suck up ever more of the world's scarce water resources, agriculture is destined to rely increasingly on recycling the contents of urban sewers, according to a new international study of "wastewater agriculture".
The good news – for farmers at least – is that the irrigation water from sewers comes with free fertiliser in the form of the nitrates and phosphates bound up in human faeces. The bad news is that this coprological cornucopia is filling vegetables sold in city markets with heavy metals, pathogenic bacteria and worms.
An estimated one fifth of the world's food is growing in urban areas, with perishables like vegetables to the fore. But a 50-city study by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) – a World Bank-backed research agency based in Sri Lanka – finds that often the only source of the essential irrigation water to grow many of those crops is city sewage.
A market near you?
Half of urban fields are irrigated with sewage, suggesting that a tenth of the world's food is already grown this way. IWMI's director Colin Chartres warned this week: "This figure is bound to increase as growing cities coincide with escalating food shortages to create a squeeze on agricultural water supply."
Theoretically, irrigating food crops with untreated wastewater is banned in many countries, one reason why there is virtually no research on the practice. But "while it may be theoretically forbidden, it is unofficially tolerated", says the report's authors, who found that city authorities in Faisalabad in Pakistan auction untreated sewage to farmers during droughts.
Some countries, including Israel, Mexico and Tunisia, treat sewage before delivering it to farmers, which removes bacteria and lumps, at least. But this is rare. In the Ghanaian capital Accra, 200,000 people buy vegetables grown on urban fields irrigated with tanker loads of wastewater that is untreated because the city's sewage treatment works long since ceased to function.
Toxic build-up
"I am worried about the toxins, especially heavy metals, accumulating in foods like root crops," says Chartres. "But often there is simply no other water. In many ways it is a great use of the waste and the nutrients it contains." He says the best answer is not to ban the practice, but to improve it.
"Even without expensive infrastructure, common sense measures can make wastewater irrigation safer." Storing the wastewater in ponds allows solids to settle out, including the eggs of intestinal worms. And farmers should wash vegetables in clean water before selling them to markets.
The bottom line is that increasing numbers of people will starve, and many more will lose their livelihoods, without the benefits of recycled sewage.
Fred Pearce, NewScientist

In many cities, sewage is used for cultivation: study

Global study covers Chennai and Bangalore

STOCKHOLM: Cities in developing countries around the world, including at least some in India, are using untreated or partially treated wastewater for agriculture, posing serious health risks to urban consumers, a study released on Monday said.

"Irrigating with wastewater isn't a rare practice limited to a few of the poorest countries," said researcher Liqa Raschid-Sally, a researcher for the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). "It's a widespread phenomenon, occurring on 20 million hectares across the developing world, especially in Asian countries, like China, India and Vietnam, but also around nearly every city of sub-Saharan Africa and in many Latin American cities as well."

The IWMI said wastewater was most commonly used to produce vegetables and cereals, especially rice.

The study looked at 53 cities in Latin America, West Asia, Africa and Asia. In a report released to coincide with an annual water conference in Sweden, it found that 80 per cent were using untreated or partially treated wastewater. At the same time, the IWMI noted that wastewater agriculture contributes to urban food supplies and helps provide a livelihood for the urban poor.

Few developing countries reported having official guidelines for use of wastewater in agriculture and in the cases where they did exist there was little enforcement, the IWMI said.

The institute saw no quick fixes. "In the face of water scarcity generally and a lack of access to clean water, urban farmers will have no alternative except to use diluted or untreated wastewater or polluted river water," it said.

One option is to build on local practices. In Indonesia, Nepal, Ghana and Vietnam, for example, farmers store wastewater in ponds to allow suspended solids to settle out.

Some experts said that 1.4 million children die every year from diarrhoea-related diseases and poor hygiene, and described the global sanitation crisis as "the world's largest environmental problem."

An increasing demand for water and food has spurred the use of sewage to water crops but in many cases is the only form of irrigation for farmers who lack clean water, the study showed.

Conference participants stressed the need to increase transparency in the water production chain. Up to 45 per cent "of costs for providing clean water around the world go toward corruption," Transparency International global programmes director Christiaan Poorter said on the sidelines of the meetings.
In India

The 53 cities covered by the survey included Bangalore and Chennai.

As far as Bangalore is concerned the study has pointed out that as hi-tech professional demand good quality infrastructure and services, the city is not moving at the pace with which the demands have been registered.

"This has resulted in significant increase in pressure on natural resources and infrastructure and also several inadequacies." the study on Bangalore said, pointing to the fact that the city faces several health and environmental problems.

"One such inadequacy is water resources, and the problem is compounded due to its location in the water deficit zone. In fact, inefficient urban and environmental planning have sealed off additional water potentials which would have other wise solved the city water problems in a much easier way. The use of untreated waste water in agriculture has been posing health problems to the farmers in the city region," the study has said.

The study pertaining to Bangalore listed several policy recommendations that includes the rehabilitation and extension of sewage network in the city and its extension areas for proper and cent percent collection of all sewage water generated in the city, and its 100 per cent treatment up to the tertiary level for effective reuse in agriculture, industry, residential and commercial use. This would reduce the pressure on fresh water resources.

World Water Week is a conference attended by 2,500 scientists, politicians and officials from 140 countries. On the Net it is at http://www.worldwaterweek.org/.

— Agencies

Winner of Stockholm Water Prize criticizes biofuels and urges vegetarianism

August 18, 2008

STOCKHOLM, Sweden: The winner of the Stockholm Water Prize criticized the growing use of biofuels Monday and urged people to eat less meat to help cut the amount of water used in food production.

British professor John Anthony Allan said the effect of the growing use of biofuels "is too frightening to even begin to realize."

Allan, 71, of King's College, London, was awarded the 2008 water prize for his concept of "virtual water," which measures the amount of water used in industrial and food production.

He said meat consumption was bad for the environment.

"Non-vegetarians consume five cubic meters (176 cubic feet) of water per day; your bath is a tiny puddle compared to that. It is the water for food that is the big problem," Allan told The Associated Press. "Be rational and eat less meat."

He was speaking on the sidelines of the World Water Week, a conference attended by 2,500 scientists, politicians and officials from 140 countries. Allan will receive the US$150,000 (€95,000) cash award at a ceremony in Stockholm City Hall on Thursday.

A report unveiled earlier Monday showed that people in developing countries are facing growing health risks caused by the widespread use of raw sewage to irrigate crops.

The International Water Management Institute, which published the findings, said that more than half of farmland near 70 percent of cities in Third World countries is watered with sewage that threatens to spread epidemics.

"Irrigating with wastewater isn't a rare practice limited to a few of the poorest countries," said Liqa Raschid-Sally, a researcher at the institute. "It's a widespread phenomenon, occurring on 20 million hectares (50 million acres) across the developing world, especially in Asian countries, like China, India and Vietnam, but also around nearly every city of sub-Saharan Africa and in many Latin American cities."

An increasing demand for water and food has spurred the use of sewage to water crops but in many cases is the only form of irrigation for farmers who lack clean water, the study showed. It is mostly used to produce vegetables and cereals, and poses a major health risk to consumers of uncooked vegetables.

However, the report said sewage also provides a livelihood for many by making possible the cultivation of land, and it recommends an increase in purifying water supplies rather than a total ban on the use of wastewater.

Conference participants also stressed the need to increase transparency in the water production chain.

Up to 45 percent "of costs for providing clean water around the world go toward corruption," Transparency International global programs director Christiaan Poorter told The Associated Press.

Most people unaware of Listeria infection, others need quick attention

August 21, 2008

TORONTO — A massive recall of deli meats likely has many Canadians checking their refrigerators and scouring their memories of past meals over fears they may be among those afflicted with the bacterial illness listeriosis.

An outbreak of the disease caused by Listeria monocytogenes is being investigated, prompting the recall of 23 meat products by Maple Leaf Foods. Officials have yet to establish a link between the outbreak and the food produced at the company's meat plant in Toronto.

So far, the infection has sickened 16 people and killed one, but some health officials believe the number of those affected will likely rise.

So what should you do if you know or think you've eaten any of the products - including ham, smoked turkey and roast beef - pulled by the company this week from grocery store shelves?

That depends on whether someone has developed symptoms, how serious they are and if the person falls into certain risk groups for severe disease, says Dr. Andrew Simor, head of microbiology at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto.

"In most cases, the infection is pretty mild, people might not even be aware they have it. They might have a mild flu-like illness, maybe some mild abdominal pain and diarrhea," Simor said Thursday, noting that symptoms usually subside within a few days.

"I think if people have eaten (any of these foods) but feel perfectly well, they have nothing more to worry about and the vast, vast majority of people who have eaten these products will not get sick."

However, eating foods laced with Listeria can lead to life-threatening forms of the disease in vulnerable groups, among them the elderly, those with compromised immune systems and the unborn fetuses of pregnant women.

Anyone in a high-risk group should seek medical attention if they suspect they've eaten a potentially contaminated food and have developed diarrhea and other symptoms of mild disease, "just to make sure that isn't a warning of more severe disease to follow," Simor said.

Listeria, which first infects the gastrointestinal tract, can invade the bloodstream, causing blood poisoning, and then travel to the brain and spinal cord, resulting in meningitis or encephalitis.

In pregnant women who are infected, the organism can proliferate in the placenta and cause fetal death or premature birth, with "severe, overwhelming infection of the newborn," Simor said.

Simor said that if a person has symptoms suggestive of listeriosis and has also developed fever, headache or a stiff neck, they should seek immediate medical attention.

"Those would be the manifestations of the severe form of the disease. ... When it happens - and it's fortunately not common - but when it happens it can be a very serious, life-threatening disease."

To diagnose listeriosis, doctors test a blood sample or, in more severe cases of disease, take a spinal tap and culture the spinal fluid for signs of the bacterium.

But Dr. Michael Gardam, medical director of infection control at Toronto's University Health Network, said there are other organisms that can cause the same symptoms - including meningitis and encephalitis - as Listeria.

"There's nothing specific about those symptoms that make you say, 'Aha, that's what this is,' nothing that really twigs you to say this is Listeria," he said. "A lot of people eat cold cuts every day and it doesn't mean that they're getting Listeria from it."

When the bug is identified, antibiotics are used to treat the infection. For patients with serious disease, the drugs are administered intravenously in hospital. Recovery takes about two to three weeks.

"Listeria is kind of unique," Gardam said. "The antibiotics of choice are very simple, plain, garden-variety antibiotics that we don't use much for other things. The big drug is ampicillin and the other drug is Septra, which we use to treat urinary tract infections."

As bacteria go, L. monocytogenes is a bit of an oddity in another way. It has an extremely variable incubation period of two to 90 days, so tracing listeriosis back to the ingestion of a particular food can be tricky, Simor explained.

"It can be as short as a few days but it may be as long as a couple of months, complicating investigation of an outbreak because it's very difficult for people to remember what they've eaten a few weeks or a few months before," he said.

"And certainly the food they ingested weeks or months before is not likely to be around in order to do cultures to determine the source."

Listeria, a common organism found in soil, water and animals like cattle, can end up contaminating meat, vegetables and unpasteurized dairy products like milk and cheese. One of the biggest outbreaks in history was traced to commercial coleslaw.

And unlike most bacteria, which thrive in warm temperatures, L. monocytogenes prefers cooler climes.

"Storage is of particular concern because Listeria is somewhat unique as compared to other organisms," Simor said. "So in refrigeration, which is how most food products are stored, that gives a perfect opportunity for Listeria if it's present to actually grow and multiply."


Source: Canadian Press

Australian farms face 'agro-terror' attack threat

21/08/2008
Australian agriculture's strength of being relatively disease-free also makes the nation more vulnerable to a terrorist attack on the sector, a report warns.
An Australian Strategic Policy Institute analysis issued this week said little consideration had been given to threats to the agriculture sector, which was an integral part of the Australian economy responsible for 4per cent of gross domestic product.

''A major disease outbreak in the agricultural sector, therefore, would have substantial economic repercussions from the farmyard to the kitchen table,'' author Carl Ungerer said.

He pointed to the inquiry into last year's equine influenza outbreak and its finding that there were ''continuing vulnerabilities in Australia's biosecurity systems''.

''Fixing these systemic problems is a high priority.''

Australia's status as being free of most agricultural diseases meant an attack would have a greater impact.

''A lack of previous exposure to these organisms, and therefore a widespread lack of immunity, only increases the vulnerability of Australian agricultural commodities to accidental introduction or a deliberate attack,'' he said.

Although the probability of the sector coming under attack was low, there was a threat, as shown by the discovery of information on chemical and biological agents found during a raid on a terrorist financier associated with Jemaah Islamiah in the Philippines recently. Jemaah Islamiah was responsible for the two Bali bombings.

''The threat of agro-terrorism the deliberate introduction of a biological agent, either against animals or into the food chain, for the purposes of undermining socio-economic stability and/or creating fear amongst the general population continues to receive higher attention in comparable countries such as the United States,'' he said.

The threat of a foot-and-mouth outbreak, such as the one in Britain in 2001, would cost the Australian economy up to $13billion.

''The consequences of the deliberate introduction of an infectious disease, potentially at multiple sites around the country, could be much higher,'' he said.

Dr Ungerer expressed concern about lack of training for vets to identify foreign diseases and the strong economic disincentives for farmers to report suspected outbreaks because their stock would be killed.

He offered several suggestions to mitigate the threat.

Biosecurity standards and procedures at laboratories and research centres ought to be improved, authorities ought to pay more attention to foreign outbreaks and train more people in recognising and treating exotic diseases. .

Source: Canberra Times

New Zealand keeps guard up over Australia equine flu outbreak

New Zealand biosecurity officials have yet to pin down a timeline for relaxing import standards for horses from Australia after that country's equine influenza (EI) outbreak.
Any relaxation of import requirements is increasingly looking like a Christmas present for New Zealand horse owners.

It appears any relaxation will be months away and may well ultimately coincide with guidelines from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) which suggest a country can consider itself formally free of a disease 12 months after its last known case.

For Australia, that would be Christmas this year. The last known case was recorded last Christmas in Queensland.

Australia formally declared itself free of the disease on June 30, some six months earlier than the OIE general recommendation.

However, even if New Zealand does free up imports before Christmas, it is unlikely to be any time soon.

Any new import health standard for horses - which has yet to be drafted - requires a six-week public consultation period. Time would then be needed to review submissions before a provisional version is formally issued. This can then be finalised 10 days later.

While New Zealand now allows imports, horses are required to spend five weeks in quarantine - three weeks in Australia and two weeks here.

Limited quarantine facilities have shut out the sea-freight option, meaning horse owners have been using air freight.

The higher costs involved in air freight, together with the substantial costs around quarantine, have seen horse owners paying more than $10,000 - some four times more than the cost of the sea-freight option before the outbreak.

Biosecurity New Zealand spokeswoman Helen Keyes said the department had asked the Australian Veterinary Authority to provide supporting documentation following Australia's claim of freedom from equine influenza.

"We are currently assessing this information and different parties within MAFBNZ are involved with the assessment," she told Horsetalk.

These include the animal imports team, animal response team and risk analysis team.

"Once this internal review is finished, we will agree upon conditions of importation of horses from Australia.

Keyes said the conclusions of the assessment will set the basis for the new import health standard for horses from Australia.

"Therefore any change that will affect the new import health standard cannot be done before completion of the assessment.

"Given the procedure surrounding the issuing of import health standards, it is likely to take some time before the conditions applied at the border may change.

"This could well meet the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) recommendation of 12 months freedom from EI before declaring a country free from the disease."

Keyes said Biosecurity New Zealand's intention is to put appropriate requirements in place to minimise any chance of introducing equine influenza here.

"The assessment of the current situation in Australia will determine what requirements the new import health standard for horses from Australia should include."


Source: Horsetalk

Blood protects against long-gone killer 1918 flu

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly a century after history's most lethal flu faded away, survivors' bloodstreams still carry super-potent protection against the 1918 virus, demonstrating the remarkable durability of the human immune system.

Scientists tested the blood of 32 people aged 92 to 102 who were exposed to the 1918 pandemic flu and found antibodies that still roam the body looking to strangle the old flu strain. Researchers manipulated those antibodies into a vaccine and found that it kept alive all the mice they had injected with the killer flu, according to a study published online Sunday in the journal Nature.

There's no pressing need for a 1918 flu vaccine because the virus has long since mutated out of its deadly form and is extremely unlikely to be a threat anymore, experts said. What's more important in this research, they said, is that it confirms theories that our immune system has a steel-trap memory.

"It's incredible. The Lord has blessed us with antibodies our whole lifetime," said study co-author Dr. Eric Altschuler at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey. "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger."

This is the longest that specific disease-fighting cells have lasted in people, said study lead author Dr. James Crowe, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn.

But these antibodies don't just survive; they have mutated tremendously and now bind tighter to disease cells than other antibodies. That makes them more potent, he said.

Crowe said he hopes to use similar techniques to boost the potencies of vaccines that would be more useful now against newer bird flu strains that could become epidemics.

The 1918 flu killed about 50 million people worldwide and nearly everybody else was exposed to the virus, Crowe said. The specific 1918 virus was lost to the world for decades, until it was reconstructed about three years ago using genetic material from victims. When scientists tested the antibodies from survivors on infected mice, they did so in a high level biosecurity lab at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

The idea for the new study came from an old TV show, said Altschuler. In an episode of the since-cancelled TV series "Medical Investigation," a town improbably gets infected with the 1918 flu and the doctors treat everyone with the reluctantly donated blood of an old butler who survived the original pandemic, he said.

That prompted Altschuler, a professor of rehabilitation medicine who doesn't normally study flu, to look into the idea of testing people more than 90 years old for antibodies. The National Institutes of Health, which paid for much of the study, connected Altschuler with experts in the field and he found the elderly antibody donors.

The findings make sense, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Md., who wasn't involved with the study. Recent studies have estimated that the human immune system should last many decades, but this gives real proof, he said.

"This is the mother of all immunological memory here," Fauci said.



Source: Nature.com via AP

EPA to award US$2m grant for research on nanoparticles and human health

On August 20, 2008, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will announce the award of a $2 million grant to the University of Kentucky to study nanoparticles. This is the largest EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) grant ever awarded to the University of Kentucky as well as the largest single grant ever awarded by EPA STAR for nanotechnology research. Nanotechnology is the science of manipulating extremely small particles – ranging in size from 1 to 100 nanometers. As nanotechnology progresses from research and development to commercialization and use, it is likely that manufactured nanomaterials will be released into the environment. EPA is charged with protecting human health and the environment, as well as ensuring that the uses of engineered nanotechnology products occur without unreasonable harm to human health or the environment. This research will provide relevant information needed for risk assessments that can inform decision making related to nanotechnology products.

Source: US EPA - Environmental Protection Agency
Published Aug. 20, 2008

New mobile laboratory to support UN environmental emergency response inaugurated

An innovative mobile laboratory developed by the Netherlands to support international response to environmental emergencies was officially inaugurated by the Ministers of Environment and Development Cooperation in The Hague today. The modular unit, known as the Environmental Assessment Module (EAM), can be rapidly deployed for disasters involving hazardous substances, together with the relevant technical expertise and two fully-equipped off-road vehicles. The one vehicle contains a mobile measurement and analysis unit, the other contains materials for logistical support such as satellite equipment and GPS. The entire unit can be transported in a cargo aircraft. When deployed, the EAM will be supported by a knowledge network of research institutions and Ministries in the Netherlands to ensure affected countries receive the best available support.

Angela Cropper, the Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, said: 'This rapidly deployable mobile laboratory will help us to fulfil the urgent need to address environmental emergencies from their onset. This is an excellent example of integrating environmental and humanitarian concerns'.

The EAM will be used to assess effects of environmental disasters. It will mainly be deployed in countries that lack the specialist knowledge or capacity needed to deal with environmental disasters. The development of the EAM is a joint initiative of the Netherlands’ Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, following recommendations by the international Advisory Group on Environmental Emergencies. Its development and deployment over a five-year period involves a commitment by the Netherlands of €1 million. Staff to operate the EAM will be taught how to work under difficult circumstances, deal with different cultures, and work as a team to assist the United Nations.

The Environmental Assessment Module will be deployed only at the request of the UN or other international organisations wishing to make use of the expertise it provides. Countries themselves may also ask the Netherlands for help directly. A primary client of the EAM will be the Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit (JEU), a collaborative effort between two UN bodies – the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). A leader in the field of environmental emergencies, the JEU works with affected countries to identify and mitigate acute negative impacts stemming from disasters, providing independent, impartial advice and practical solutions. The Jeu most recently responded to assist the Government of the Philippines with a capsized ferry full of toxic pesticides.

“I wish to extend heartfelt thanks to the Netherlands for their long-standing commitment to supporting our endeavour to respond even more rapidly and effectively,” said Gerhard Putman-Cramer, Chief of OCHA’s Emergency Services Branch and Deputy Director of OCHA-Geneva. “In doing so, they continue to set an important example for the international community, and raise the quality standards for international response to humanitarian and environmental crises around the world.”

Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Aug. 18, 2008

Troubling Amazon Paradox: Continuing the Dialogue

Council on Hemispheric Affairs

The Troubling Amazon Paradox: Continuing the Dialogue

On July 21, 2008, a COHA researcher met with the Brazilian ambassador to Washington, Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, and his consular official for environmental and energy issues, Neil Benevides. Their purpose was to discuss a recent COHA publication on Brazilian government policy concerning the Amazon, titled “Contemporary Brazilian Government Attempts to Address the Amazon Paradox.” The COHA publication will be supplemented in light of new information received from the embassy and further research into the subject.

At the meeting, the Ambassador stated that, as a successful democracy, Brazil’s policy decisions are dictated by the desires of its electorate. The Brazilian people, he maintained, have demonstrated their concerns regarding the conservation of the Amazon and their government has responded by formulating policies which aim to conserve the rainforest.

The Ambassador expressed misgivings about COHA’s analysis, which maintained that the Brazilian government’s newly elaborated conservation policy was in response to international pressure to end deforestation. It is conceivable, however, that the Brazilian electorate’s wish to see an end to deforestation is rooted in international influence and the electorate is, as a result, placing pressure on Brasília. Either way, it is apparent that a majority of the Brazilian electorate, as well as much of the international community, wish to see an end to deforestation and that Brasília has taken positive steps to begin to mitigate the problem. Nevertheless, it must be said that the primary Brazilian government initiative for the region, the Plan for a Sustainable Amazon (PAS), has focused too heavily on self-defeating economic development projects, while ostensibly also promoting conservation.

As was discussed on the occasion of the embassy meeting, the Brazilian government has a considerable dilemma on its hands; it needs to both develop the economy of the Amazon for the region’s 25 million inhabitants, while simultaneously preserving the vital forest mantle. According to the Ambassador, the best way to do this is to discuss both development and conservation programs with the local population.

The Ambassador stressed the importance of cooperation, transparency and open dialogue concerning the issue on both the national and international level. His willingness to discuss Amazon policy with think tanks such as COHA is proof of the Lula government’s desire to work towards a constructive dialogue on this matter.

Over the course of the meeting, it became clear that the Brazilian government seeks the support of the international community in designing development projects within the region. One of these is a proposed carbon credits scheme. The potential means to preserve the rainforest and to gain support for the fair trade of biological resources extracted from the area was outlined in a 2006 document issued by the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment, titled “The Amazon and Brazilian Development”:

In order for the efforts Brazil is undertaking to create an environment in the Amazon that respects local populations and that aims to conserve environmental and biological attributes, to the benefit of the entire planet, it is necessary that the international community adopts a consistent attitude to support the structural initiatives the country advocates. And these are initiatives that Brazil does not undertake alone, but together with the countries that hold the largest remaining rainforests of the world.

It is, above all, necessary for developed countries to support efforts to create an international regime of access to biodiversity resources, with fair remuneration of local populations who hold traditional knowledge associated to [sic.] this biodiversity, being negotiated under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CDB). Another initiative deserving international attention was proposed by Brazil, Papua New Guinea and Costa Rica to the Climate Convention: the creation of a mechanism for economic compensation for the efforts to reduce the loss of rain forests, that is, maintaining standing forests, and the ensuing reduction of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere, a greenhouse gas.

International support for this type of measure is decisive for consolidating the efforts that countries such as Brazil are undertaking, even with severe economic restrictions. This support is an effective and consistent demonstration that the developed nations are really committed to contributing to the preservation of rain forests and ensuring global environmental benefits.
Lula and Sovereignty
Despite the aforementioned desire of the Brazilian government to increase international cooperation concerning the combating of deforestation, President Lula da Silva continues to make statements asserting Brazilian authority over the Amazon region. On Aug. 1, 2008 he said (as translated from the Portuguese) “Brazil certainly will assume all of the responsibilities for preservation of the Amazon, because we want to assume sovereignty over our territory. There are a lot of people abroad that speak about the Amazon as if they are its owner. We are conscious of what the Amazon represents for humanity and for Brazil and that destroying it would be against our country and our products.” Clearly, and rightfully, Lula finds much of the international criticism pejorative. Somehow, he suggests, the international community has developed an attitude that does not respect Brazilian authority over the region. However, such sparring impedes effective conservation. An avenue must be devised by which the international community can help Brazil address the problem without impinging on Brazil’s sovereignty.

A nettled Lula further stated, “It has been a long time since the Kyoto protocol was signed and there is a country that tries to give Brazil a lesson but hasn’t even signed the protocol.” This statement clearly suggests the undeniable hypocrisy of the United States’ policy. Although Lula is justified in pointing out this double-standard, again, arguing this point is not exactly constructive. This argument is exemplary of U.S.-Brazil ties that are continuing to rift. Unfortunately for the Amazon’s—and the planet’s—well-being, this relationship cannot progress as it is. The next U.S. president must move to heal this situation. Signing the Kyoto Protocol would take some of the hypocrisy out of U.S. policy. With it signed, the U.S. would be in a better position to assist Brazil in solving its Amazonian dilemma.

Presently, there are many international critics who look at the Amazon issue as being separate from greater environmental issues. Lula and other Brazilians see Amazon policy as part of a more comprehensive environmental policy that, with the increased use of sugarcane ethanol, needs to be reviewed. Washington and the various international institutions collaborating with Brazilian authorities in developing Brazil’s Amazon policy must see the issue on the Brazilian government’s terms as well as their own. The Amazon is only one part of Brasília’s environmental policy and Washington must better its own environmental policy to give it traction when speaking to the world on an issue that deeply affects the troubled steward of the Amazon.

DETER
One of the Brazilian government’s most effective and progressive strategies of the last decade was the founding of Deter in 2004 (as mentioned in the above quoted document, “The Amazon and Brazilian Development”). The project—a real-time satellite imaging of the Amazon which tracks deforestation activity—was undertaken by Inbe, the Brazilian government’s space program. This initiative has increased the flow of information concerning rates of destruction of the rainforest while allowing the Brazilian government to more effectively combat this illegal activity.

Sugarcane Ethanol
The Ambassador referenced Brazil’s ethanol program as an example of his country’s positive environmental record. The program annually saves the equivalent of the carbon emissions Norway produces per year, by using highly efficient sugarcane ethanol to fuel automobiles instead of fossil fuels.

Some environmentalists have raised serious questions concerning the environmental impact of Brazil’s ethanol program, claiming that the increase in sugarcane production is actually causing deforestation in the Amazon. They argue that increased sugarcane production in the Southeast of the country is forcing cattle and soybean production to relocate to the Amazon region.

In response to this relocation thesis, Consular Benevides referred to a report from the Brazilian government entitled, “Ethanol and the Environment,” stating that there is a vast quantity of unused arable land in Brazil. The amount of unused arable land, however, is uncertain, as the document provides two different and conflicting sets of statistics. The document also provides figures from two different periods of time, although this is not explicitly stated. In the first half the document, the current area being used for cultivation is 66 million hectares (out of a total of 320 million hectares of arable land in the country). This leaves 254 million hectares of arable land unused. However, it is unclear from the study whether this 254 million hectare figure includes forested land. Also, of the 66 million hectares currently used for agriculture in Brazil, 7 million are utilized for sugarcane, and, of that, 3.7 million is used for the production of ethanol. This figure indicates that slightly more than 5% of the total acreage cultivated in the country is used for ethanol.

If this data is accurate, and 254 million hectares of land are indeed available, this provides compelling evidence that ethanol production does not bring on deforestation, as sugarcane grown for ethanol uses a very small percentage of Brazil’s available arable land. A logical development plan would allocate any increased demand for ethanol and other crops to make use of this 254 million hectares of available land.

As further evidence that ethanol production is not causing deforestation, the document states that 83% of the crop’s cultivation is concentrated in the Center-South of the country, far from the Amazon. The Northeast region produces the second largest amount of sugarcane at 16.5% and less than 0.4% is currently produced in the North region (or Amazonia).

The first half of the document convincingly makes the case that the increase of sugarcane production for ethanol production does not directly lead to deforestation because it is not “economically competitive” to grow sugarcane in the Amazon region. This is because growing sucrose-rich sugarcane requires a drier environment. Sugarcane cultivation in the extremely rainy climate of the Amazon produces a crop that is bamboo-like and very low in sucrose content.

The second half of this Brasília document, which presumably is based on data collected before the data utilized in the first half of the document, states that 5.3 million hectares of land are currently being used to grow sugarcane, with 4.2 million hectares of this terrain located in the Southeast and Center-West regions of the country. The document estimates that 10 percent of cultivated land in the country is occupied by sugarcane. A total of 62 million hectares are currently being cultivated by all crops in Brazil, with another 100 million hectares estimated to be available for farming without cutting down any virgin forests.

Again, it is uncertain regarding exactly how much land is available for the expansion of agriculture, because two different sets of figures are provided by the documents. The lower estimation stresses that there are at least 100 million hectares available which, theoretically, would provide nearly double the amount of land now in use for increased agriculture. This un-forested land, which is presumably located in savannah regions of Central Brazil, and which, presumably, is suitable for sugarcane cultivation should—if these figures are correct—be more than enough land for both the expansion of sugarcane cultivation and the increase in cultivation of other crops and products deemed essential by experts.

Marina Silva’s Resignation
The resignation of Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, was also discussed at the Brazilian embassy meeting. According to the Ambassador, Silva quit after a long, six-year tenure in order to return to the Senate, where she formerly held office, because she believes she can be more effective in promoting her pro-environment beliefs in that venue. The Ambassador also noted that her replacement, Carlos Minc, is a strong environmentalist, even though his previous experience was working for the state of Rio de Janeiro, and thus he has no particular ties to the Amazon region.

His statement about Silva seems counter-intuitive. In fact, COHA maintains that minister Silva was frustrated with her failed attempts to conserve the Amazon—a view shared by Brazilian and international news sources.

Conclusion
The Brazilian government’s efforts towards transparency and its desire to cooperate with the international community for a solution to the Amazon paradox—in spite of arguments made for sovereignty over the region—must be applauded. The government has taken important steps towards conservation of the Amazon rainforest and has compelling evidence to prove that its sugarcane ethanol program is not contributing deforestation. However, as stated in “Contemporary Brazilian Government Efforts to Address the Amazon Paradox,” COHA insists that if a judgment must be made, PAS (Plan for a Sustainable Amazon), favors economic development over environmental conservation. Although the Brazilian government is certainly justified in seeking to provide economic opportunities for an otherwise impoverished region, economic development must be addressed with the utmost concern for environmental conservation. Finally, the Lula government must guard against the crushing influence of the country’s agribusiness and development interests, which caused the weariness that led to Marina Silva’s resignation in the first place.

This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Fellow Jared Ritvo
August 20th, 2008

Environment Agency welcomes findings of Pitt review

Author:
National Press Office

Date published:
25-Jun-2008

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Environment Agency today warmly welcomed Sir Michael Pitt’s comprehensive final review into the 2007 summer floods as a significant contribution to managing the future flood risk in England and Wales.

In welcoming the report, Chief Executive Paul Leinster said the Environment Agency had highlighted the need for further clarity on the responsibilities for flooding from surface water drains, infrastructure protection, more publicly available information on flood risk, and additional resources to help adapt to climate change as key issues to be swiftly taken forward.

“Sir Michael’s report puts the spotlight back on the need for the country to be prepared and able to respond to the devastating impacts of flooding. He covers a wide range of topics – many directly related to our work – and all of which are essential to better protecting people and the environment from flooding into the future,” Paul Leinster said.

“In particular, we’re pleased with Sir Michael Pitt’s confidence that the Environment Agency is the right organisation to be given a strategic overview role for all types of flood risk in England. We now need the Floods Bill to give us the proper tools and legislation to finish the job. Urgent action is needed now to clarify our role and that of the local authorities, and to explore the new resources that will be needed to do this job.”

The Environment Agency has highlighted progress over the past 12 months in a number of areas that are a focus in Sir Michael Pitt’s report:



Flood forecasting and flood warning – The number of people receiving a flood warning via the Floodline Warnings Direct service has increased by 29% (73,000 people), and from July, the Environment Agency and the Met Office will pilot a new service to forecast and warn emergency services and critical infrastructure providers about extreme rainfall which could lead to surface water flooding.
Strategic overview and Floods and Water Bill – A clear strategic overview role for all types of flood risk will be given to the Environment Agency in England, and the new Floods and Water Bill will be drafted to reflect this. The strategic overview role will also assist the Environment Agency in working closer with others to ensure that surface water flooding is better managed, and the Environment Agency is working to provide a predictive indication of “hot spots” that are naturally vulnerable to surface water flooding.
Data sharing – The Environment Agency has been further developing its close relationship with the Met Office and through access to 110 of the Met Office’s real time rain gauges, coupled with its own network, the Environment Agency is now developing more detailed river forecasting models, leading to more timely flood warnings being issued and better decisions by flood forecasters.
Reservoir safety legislation – Work is underway to make flood plans available to emergency planners about the flood risk from dam failures.


“It’s also important that the real risk of climate change has been acknowledged by Sir Michael Pitt. Recent flood events have highlighted the urgency of adapting to the potential effects of climate change to protect lives, property, the economy and the environment. Now that the Government’s Foresight report has been reviewed, and it’s clear that we are going to face less predictable weather and more extreme events such as flash flooding, investment in flood risk management should continue to rise to keep up with the changing climate,” Paul Leinster said.

“This report is comprehensive and well researched, and overall we’re pleased it’s raised issues of importance and ways forward, for not only the Environment Agency, but for local authorities, utilities and emergency responders.

“It’s also encouraging that the report reinforces the importance of individuals in taking responsibility for protecting themselves and their properties. We can’t stop the rain but we can all work together to reduce the impacts of flooding,” Paul Leinster said.

People can check their flood risk and find advice on how to prepare for flooding at www.environment-agency.gov.uk. To sign up to the Environment Agency’s free Floodline Warnings Direct, call 0845 988 1188.

Sourc: National Press Office, Environment Agency UK

Release Date: 25-Jun-2008

Salmonella outbreak winds down, but questions remain

August 15, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nationwide salmonella outbreak is finally winding down but federal health officials can't yet say how the few tainted Mexican peppers they've found could explain such widespread illness.

The outbreak isn't considered over yet, Food and Drug Administration food safety chief Dr. David Acheson cautioned Friday. The outbreak strain has been confirmed in 1,423 patients, with the latest known illness beginning July 24.

The FDA is focusing its probe on some farms in Mexico where a handful of jalapeno and serrano peppers, and some irrigation water, tainted with the outbreak strain of salmonella were traced. At least one of the farms also grew tomatoes — the initial suspect — as well as peppers. And two of them sent produce to a common packing facility, raising the prospect that contamination there could have spread to a much higher volume of food.

The FDA said Friday it is still working with Mexican authorities to determine exactly what happened in that packing facility.

And the agency has expanded testing of certain Mexican produce, uncovering more cases of salmonella contamination — just not the same strain that caused this particular outbreak — in jalapenos, basil and cilantro. While Acheson wouldn't say how much salmonella is being found, the agency has put a dozen Mexican growers or distributors on its "import alert" list for tougher border screening this month alone.

Source: Associated Press

FDA releases Food Protection Plan progress report

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unveiled its Food Protection Plan just months ago with the intention of maintaining a safe food supply for Americans.

FDA’s Food Protection Plan Progress Report, released on July 2 in conjunction with the Interagency Working Group on Import Safety Action Plan Update, demonstrates areas of activity to further improve the safety of the nation’s food supply (see “Food safety plan emphasizes ‘effective action’ to prevent food supply contamination,” CleanRooms, December 2007, page 8).

The FDA Food Protection Plan focuses on prevention (building safety in from the start), intervention (using targeted risk-based inspections and testing), and response (responding rapidly when problems are identified). FDA has been working with federal, state, and local partners as well as foreign governments to execute a number of the action steps laid out in the plan.


Activity progress in report

Prevention. FDA’s prevention activities highlighted in the progress report include implementing FDA’s landmark China Memoranda of Agreement (MOA). FDA has provided registration materials to the Chinese government, identified points of contact for the MOA, and drafted the first five-year work plan. FDA held its first bilateral meeting in March 2008 in Beijing, China. The meeting solidified the relationship with the General Administration of Quality, Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine (AQSIQ). Verbal agreements were made to focus the present efforts in fulfilling the MOA to aquaculture (five species plus Tilapia) and ingredients (wheat gluten, corn gluten, and rice protein). FDA is moving forward to establish an FDA presence in China.

An FDA delegation has also visited Indian counterparts to discuss requirements for an FDA presence in India. In addition, the agency is exploring current existing third-party certification programs.

In 2007, FDA began working in collaboration with the State Health and Agriculture departments in Virginia and Florida, several universities, and the produce industry on a multi-year Tomato Safety Initiative. As part of the initiative, FDA says, it has led assessments of grower practices focusing on the factors believed to be associated with contamination of tomatoes with Salmonella. FDA has conducted assessments in Virginia and began assessments in Florida in April.

The agency is also developing ingredient, processing, and labeling standards for pet food, as well as developing ingredient and processing standards for animal feed.

Intervention. Activities that have begun to take place include working with New Mexico State University to develop a prototype system for improving electronic screening, using open-source intelligence, of imported products offered for entry into the U.S. The evaluation of the prototype system, PREDICT (Predictive Risk-Based Evaluation of Dynamic Import Compliance Targeting) has been completed and the final pilot evaluation document is under review.

A rapid detection method has been developed using flow cytometry to identify E. coli and Salmonella in food. This system is being used in poultry processing facilities to detect and prevent bacterial contamination during food processing.

FDA has completed a three-year plan to increase state inspections and will hire at least an additional 130 employees to conduct food field exams, inspections, and sample collections using FY08 appropriated dollars. It also plans to conduct an additional 327 state contract food inspections in FY09 over the FY08 estimate. In FY09, the agency plans to conduct an additional 20,000 food import field exams above the FY08 performance goal.

Response. FDA is collaborating with other federal agencies; state, local, tribal, and foreign governments; and industry to develop the science and tools necessary to better understand the current risks of the food supply and to develop new detection technologies and improved response systems that rapidly react to food safety threats, including traceability.

The agency issued a Request for Applications (RFA) for funding to establish state Rapid Response Teams to investigate foodborne illness outbreaks, perform tracebacks of implicated foods, and evaluate data from investigations to identify trends.

FDA says it is currently exploring the use of multiple and targeted channels to quickly alert consumers of a threat to food safety.

For additional information on the Food Protection Plan Progress Report, visit www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/advance/food/progressreport.html.

Source: CleanRooms August, 2008

Test to protect food chain from BSE

August 19, 2008


The American Chemical Society (ACS) has reported that scientists are developing the first test for instantly detecting beef that has been contaminated with tissue from a cow's brain or spinal cord during slaughter -- an advance in protecting against possible spread of the human form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). The study was scheduled to appear in an August issue of ACS' bi-weekly Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry.

Jürgen A. Richt and colleagues from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Animal Disease Center and Iowa State University pointed out that removal of brain, spinal and other central nervous tissue after slaughter is "one of the highest priority tasks to avoid contamination of the human food chain with BSE. No currently available method enables the real-time detection of possible central nervous system (CNS) tissue contamination on carcasses during slaughter."

They describe a test based on detection of the fluorescent pigment lipofuscin, a substance that appears in high concentrations in the nervous tissue of cattle. The researchers found that it was a dependable indicator for the presence of brain and spinal tissue in bovine carcasses and meat cuts. "Small quantities of bovine spinal cord were reliably detected in the presence of raw bovine skeletal muscle, fat and vertebrae. The research lays the foundation for development of a prototype device allowing real-time monitoring of CNS tissue contamination on bovine carcasses and meat cuts," the report said.

Food contamination suspected as two children die in Madinah

MADINAH: A Pakistani family here lost two children while three other members are still in hospital in critical condition due to food poisoning that may involve insecticide.

Khaled Husain, the father of the two children, told Arab News that he bought a fast food meal from one of the famous restaurants in Madinah at around 2 p.m. last Sunday.

He said his children started showing symptoms of sickness immediately after taking the food.

"The condition of my five-year-old son, Hisham, was very critical so I took him to the ER at the Ansar Hospital," said Husain. "While there my wife called and told me that our daughter Aisha is facing the same problems."

He said an ambulance went and picked up the rest of the family to the hospital, but Aisha's condition was getting worse.

Police have not released the name of the restaurant, but said they were investigating the possibility that the poisoning may have had a different source.

Arab News cannot publish the name of the restaurant without the authorities doing so first in order to protect against potential defamation complaints.

According to Husain, his son died at 4 a.m. and his daughter two hours later. His other two children, Sami, 3, and Wafa, 1, and his pregnant wife are still receiving treatment at the hospital.

Muhsin Al-Radadi, the spokesman of Madinah police, said that investigations were still proceeding to know the causes of the poisoning.

Ahmad Barbushi, the acting general supervisor of the Medical Information Department in Madinah, said the doctors made every effort to save the children.

"The Health Affairs office sent a team to the home of the victims and found a highly poisonous insecticide, which might have affected the family," said Barbushi, who also added that they had sent blood samples in for lab tests.

Source: Arab News

Maple Leaf Recalls Deli Meats Amid Listeria Outbreak (Update1)

Aug. 20, 08 - Maple Leaf Foods Inc., Canada's largest food processor, said it recalled 23 delicatessen meat products as authorities warned of an outbreak of Listeria bacteria that was responsible for one death in Ontario.

A small number of Sure Slice meat products made at the company's Bartor Road plant in Toronto tested positive for listeria, Maple Leaf said today in a statement. The Toronto-based company said the move is an expansion of a previous Sure Slice recall announced on Aug. 17.

``The company has initiated a voluntary recall of these products, and as a precautionary measure expanded the recall to include all products produced on the two manufacturing lines involved from June 2,'' Maple Leaf said in the statement.

Maple Leaf spokeswoman Linda Smith couldn't be reached for immediate comment.

The Public Health Agency of Canada said in a separate statement it's working with provincial and local health authorities, Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to investigate an increase in Listeriosis cases.

There have been 17 confirmed cases, including one death in the province of Ontario, attributed to the same strain of Listeriosis, the agency said today. Of the cases, 13 were in Ontario, two in British Columbia and one each in Saskatchewan and Quebec, it said.

Deli Products

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency released a list of suspect deli products, warning the public not to eat them.

``No direct link has been made between the affected products and human illness,'' the food-inspection agency said in its own statement.

Maple Leaf fell 11 cents, or 1 percent, to C$10.59 at 4:10 p.m. in Toronto Stock Exchange trading. The shares have declined 29 percent this year.

About 2,500 people develop serious infections from listeria each year in the U.S., and 500 die, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Source: Bloomberg

Contaminated water kills 4 in Shastri Nagar

20 Aug 2008


JAIPUR: Alleged water contamination in ward 63 of the city claimed two more lives on Tuesday, taking the toll to four.

More than 80 other people have been admitted to the Kanwatia satellite hospital complaining of stomach ailments.

Most of the patients are from Parvati, Telipada and Vyas colony of the Shastri Nagar area. People in the area allege that sewerage water has been seeping into drinking water supply lines. The administration denies this and claims that control measures have been initiated.

There are many families with more than one patient suffering from stomach diseases in this ward. Residents of the colony had earlier complained of water problems, but it was not until a few deaths were reported that the administration took up the matter.

"Water supplied to the area stinks like sewerage water and the smell lingers even after boiling it. The water is also light orange in colour. Two days ago we staged a demonstration but there has been no improvement in the supply," said Suresh Sahu, a resident of Telipada. Suresh and three other members of his family are undergoing treatment at the hospital.

However, the Public Health Engineering Department has been unable to detect any contamination in water. "It will be premature to arrive on any conclusion as some test reports are still to arrive. It has not been clear if the deaths being reported have actually occurred due to contaminated water," the collector said.

Source: Times of India

The false images of the Beijing Olympics

The hoax of the little girl lip-synching the song at the opening ceremony of the Games is only one of the many deceptions of these Olympics, which favor image over reality, in order to cover up the environmental and human disasters created by the ruling communist party. The intention is to eliminate the individual and the people, and in order to do this, religious freedom is denied. The advice of Benedict XVI.

Beijing (AsiaNews) - Lin Miaoke, the girl who sang the hymn to the motherland at the opening ceremony for the Beijing Games, only mouthed the words to the song. Chen Qigang, the musical director for the ceremony, says that little Lin's only contribution was her image. The voice was that of another girl, Yang Peiyi, with a more beautiful voice but with imperfect teeth and a less charming face. Chinese blogs are accusing the organizers of the ceremony of preferring image over content, and are asking what could possibly be objectionable about the simple face of a seven-year-old girl, who not only sings but also paints and loves the Beijing opera. Chen Qigang emphasizes that the choice of image over content was made for the sake of "national interests".

Another revelation - confirmed by the Olympic organizing committee - is that the fireworks displays seen on television all over the city were not real, but were generated by computers. The illusion was necessary because on the evening of August 8, the Beijing sky was cloudy and hazy - because of the pollution and heat - and visibility was poor.

In order to avoid embarrassing questions about pollution, in this case as well - again, out of "national interest" - the preference was to deal with image rather than substance.

None of this is surprising. China has used the entire spectacle of the Olympics to promote an image of a modern, open, joyful, clean, young country, possibly in order to attract new investments and tourists, and seeking to dismiss problems and contradictions that nonetheless remain pressing for the population.

The environment
Remaining with the opening ceremony, the device of the children drawing the sun (rarely seen in Beijing) or the white clouds (also rare) is at odds with the concrete situation in present-day China. According to a recent survey, more than 90% of Chinese say that the environmental emergency is the most serious problem facing the country, creating a lack of drinking water in cities and in the countryside, and killing at least 400,000 people a year through respiratory problems.

During these days, foreign visitors are being bombarded with television images of a tourist's paradise, in Zhejiang or Sichuan, with peaceful blue lakes, green forests, playful pandas, while the reality is one of industries that are polluting entire earthquake-stricken regions at risk of disease and nuclear contamination.

Culture
A similar image-polishing operation is taking place in the area of culture. There is no television broadcast or daily paper without its features on ancient Chinese culture: calligraphy, music, opera, ritual, celebration, tradition . . . But all of this is explained as "things" to be done. Rituals, foods, traditions are presented without any deep exploration of the factors that brought them about. All that is given are "instructions for use" (today we're eating dumplings; today we're eating noodles, today we're eating this vegetable . . .) without ever approaching the reason why: why should these things be done today?

The opening ceremony also glorified the Confucian sages, the writing system, the printing press, the silk road, the architecture of the past, and then launched itself toward the future with the spaceship, the hope for a world of brotherhood, without saying anything about a present that is so painful for hundreds of millions of Chinese.

A glaring omission: the communist party

At the opening ceremony, the entire communist period of ideological purism was set aside: the survey of the great moments in Chinese history went from the costumes and red pillars of the Ming and Qing dynasties to the space exploits of Yang Liwei, the first Chinese astronaut.

All of this is due above all to the fact that the communist party in China is suffering through the most profound ideological crisis since its foundation, undermined as it is by corruption and by departure from its "service to the people". But it is also due to the fact that the most criticized - and perhaps most hated - institution in China is the party itself. The tens of thousands of revolts that take place every year - coming closer and closer to unseating the party, to slashing and burning it to the ground, clashing with the police and army because of the expropriations, deceit, pollution, job losses, injustice - tell just how much the people love their party. In order to "improve the image", the ministry of propaganda, preoccupied by this trend, has said it is ready to pay 5 maos (5 euro cents) to anyone who includes words of praise for the party on his internet blog. At the opening ceremony, because of questions of "image", there was no reference at all to Mao - who promoted the disastrous Leap Forward and the bloody Cultural Revolution - or to Deng, who imposed economic modernization without democracy. This avoids making any effort for the "purification memory": by reviewing history in order to confess one's own mistakes.

No room for man or his freedom
What was lacking from any part of the Olympics ceremonies was man and the people. All of the torchbearers were chosen from among figures from the communist party, from business, from entertainment, and from sports. There was no trace of the millions of migrant workers who for years have been exploited in order to construct the pharaonic Olympic facilities; no trace of any of the people of Beijing forced to endure the problems of the Olympics (traffic, safety, difficulty of movement, surveillance . . .) without enjoying any of the advantages.

The people are told to obey: don't spit on the ground, don't shout in the streets, don't express your opinions . . . They're not asked to be involved. The people of Beijing are suffering and struggling with the Olympics, but they're not participating in them. The proof is the many empty seats in the stadiums: the tickets were given to the sponsors, who didn't even take the trouble to hand them out. The only important thing is the image, that the sponsor's logo appears on television.

Involvement and participation imply an appeal to personal responsibility. But this is what those in power fear most.

But even the results that China would like to see, like cleaning up the environment, are in danger of slipping away without an emphasis on personal responsibility.

Religious freedom

After the criticism from the international media on China's censorship of the internet, religious websites still remain blocked, especially those of Catholics and of the Falun Gong. I think that this is because religion is the path to the rediscovery of the individual, which the Chinese regime is seeking to eliminate. What the regime is offering to young people is nothing more than consumerist materialism: things to possess, wealth to hope for, Chinese power to be expanded, and nothing for the soul. And religion is eliminated. When the pope said a few days ago "it is urgent that China open itself to the Gospel", this was not only a call for religious freedom: it is a necessity for China, in order that the responsibility of the individual be exalted, without which no ideal, not even that of a vibrant market, can ever be fully attained.

Source: Asia News.it Author: Bernardo Cervellera

Robin Bell fears water contamination in Beijing

ONE of Australia's hottest gold medal hopes, Robin Bell, has raised fresh health concerns in Beijing by admitting he's at risk of contamination every time he hits the water.
As debate rages over the air quality engulfing Beijing, the world champion C1 canoe-kayaker plunged every water sport at the Games into an unwanted spotlight.

"Yes, the water quality is an issue,'' Bell said.

"They're filtering the water.

"I remember before 2000 at Penrith, some of the people that were training in the water were drinking it. So the water in Sydney was pretty good.

"Yes it is an issue, but we paddle on some pretty grotty rivers in Europe so we are used to not ingesting water.

"You've just got to hold your breath sometimes or make sure you go around the big waves.''

Bell said he hadn't been warned by the Australian health officials to avoid the water, but said he remained vigiliant in avoiding swallowing the water at the Shinyu whitewater stadium.

"It's just common sense,'' Bell said.

"You definitely hold your breath when you jump in the water.

Bell, who finished a heartbreaking fourth in Athens, said he was prepared for this latest hurdle after similar challenges faced four years ago.

"Athens was saltwater, it was our first saltwater course and I actually got snow blindness because the water use to make this white foam,'' Bell said.

"The sun was so bright that I tried so many different types of sunnies, but nothing worked.

"Here though, you've just got to hold your breath sometimes or make sure you go around the big waves.''

Source: The Australian

EPA summit addresses uranium cleanup

GALLUP — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Navajo EPA, along with four federal agencies, outlined a five-year plan Wednesday to clean up 50 years of uranium contamination on the Navajo Nation.

Originally slated for two days, the Navajo Uranium Contamination Stakeholder Workshop compressed two days of information into one because of today’s Navajo Nation Code Talker holiday. Among federal presenters were EPA, the Department of Energy, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Indian Health Service, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

“Three years ago it would have been difficult to imagine a gathering such as this,” said Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. “The enormity of the task before us is big — it’s huge, humongous.

“There are between 500,000 and 875,000 cubic yards of uranium-contaminated materials at the northeast Churchrock Mine site alone that must be disposed of properly to protect Navajo land and people.

“We also know there are contaminated waters from the former Shiprock mill site that are entering the San Juan River. We believe that somewhere between 1.3 million and 2.5 million gallons of uranium-contaminated water is leaching out of the Shiprock mill site each year. That’s a lot of gallons.

“We know, too, that there are uranium-contaminated waters not only beneath the former Tuba City Rare Metals mill site, but also beneath the former Tuba City open dump. The federal government failed to adequately identify all the vicinity properties associated with former mill sites, such as evidenced by what is referred to as the Highway 160 site,” Shirley said.

Dr. Johnnye Lewis, Ph.D., from the University of New Mexico and Dr. Diane Stearns from Northern Arizona University presented information on health studies and research projects related to environmental exposure to uranium.
Alfred Dennison of Rock Point, for one, was appreciative.

Dennison, who was born in 1949, told Stearns, “Back in 1970, something happened to me. I couldn’t understand that. I got what they called a benign tumor. It changed my life. There had to be something that caused that. And lately I got leukemia. I still didn’t understand that. Why? How?

“When I looked into my past, we had lived right under a mine, and we got exposed that way. I didn’t understand, but I connected it to uranium — uranium from the mountain. Good things come from the mountain, but also bad things. But back then, we didn’t know.

“Where I live they drilled two wells. Contaminated. Thank you for telling me how the uranium works to break up the DNA strand. What I got is what they call ‘Philadelphia.’ They told me that the DNA is breaking up,” he said.

“It’s devastating — and we’re still going through it. My grandpa died of lung cancer. My grandma died of stomach cancer. My aunt, stomach cancer. $50,000 (compensation) is just a drop in the bucket. I’m still being treated every day, every month. Other illnesses are starting to come in. So, thank you for the information.”

Dennison’s story is not unique. Unfortunately, such illnesses have become the price many pay for being Diné and living on the uranium-rich Navajo Nation.

Last October, U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman and members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform heard testimony from representatives of the Navajo Nation about the uranium-mining legacy and commanded the five federal agencies to work together with Navajo to devise a cleanup plan.

The result was the five-year plan which details how the agencies will assist Navajo in cleaning up contamination from 520 identified abandoned uranium mines, along with contaminated water sources and structures.

In the first year, EPA will address the most urgent risks, such as residents living in potentially contaminated structures, and those drinking from contaminated water sources.

Thirty percent of Navajo households are not connected to a public water system, leaving approximately 14,347 households, or 54,000 people, faced with the prospect of hauling water for household and livestock use.

EPA and the Centers for Disease Control have sampled approximately 150 unregulated water sources, such as livestock wells. Of those, 22 sources exceeded the federal drinking water standard for uranium, and in some cases, arsenic, according to EPA.

Though the wells are for livestock watering purposes only, it was found that 21 were being used for human consumption.
U.S. and Navajo EPA along with members of DiNEH Project staff have been conducting public outreach at chapters to inform citizens, posting permanent warning signs, and helping chapter officials identify alternate water sources.

“This is probably one of the biggest issues identified within this five-year plan,” said Mike Montgomery of EPA’s Superfund Division.

Shirley said his grandmother once told him, “Grandson, you never know, one of these days you might get into a position of influence, and I’m going to share with you a truth. The truth is that we’re all on the same side.

“Because we’re all families, we’re all relatives, it behooves us to make war against the real culprits, against the real monster,” she told him, adding that the real monster is “hunger, famine, thirst, the lack of water, the jealousy, the ignorance, the greed, the apathy that is out there — and all manner of disease.

“It preys on everybody. It preys on the elders as well as the babies. That’s a truth. The sooner we come to this truth, the sooner we live this truth, the better it is going to be for all of us, because the only way you can make progress in the world is to stand side by side and make war against the real monster,” Shirley related.

“I think it’s good that we’re coming together,” he added. “The task before us is daunting, it’s great. No one man, no one nation or government can hope to put a dent in it, because it’s too big. But working together as a people, as governments and agencies, we have a chance.”

Source: http://www.gallupindependent.com

EPA Proposes Cleanup Plan for Computer Circuits Superfund Site

News Release
EPA Proposes Cleanup Plan for Computer Circuits Superfund Site

Release date: 08/13/2008

Contact Information: Beth Totman (212) 637-3662, totman.elizabeth@epa.gov



(New York, NY) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a plan to clean up contamination at the Computer Circuits Superfund site in Hauppauge, New York. The two-acre property, which is bordered by Marcus Boulevard to the west, is home to a facility that formerly manufactured circuit boards.

“EPA has been working on this site for some time now and we are seeing to it that this cleanup is solidly under way,” Regional Administrator Alan J. Steinberg said. “We feel that this proposed plan will further advance the work that EPA has been doing.”

EPA’s proposed plan calls for the continued operation of a soil vacuum extraction (SVE) system that extracts volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from soil near the north side of a one-story building on the property, as well as from underneath the foundation of the building. Furthermore, an additional SVE system is being installed to clean up a second area off the southeast corner of the building, which was also found to have residual VOC contamination. This work began as an interim cleanup to minimize the possibility of vapors from the soil seeping into the building through the foundation. EPA is also recommending long-term ground water monitoring through an existing network of monitoring wells. This will allow EPA to make sure the low levels of VOCs in the ground water continue to decline as the sources of the ground water contamination are cleaned up by the SVE systems.

Additionally, EPA is proposing to continue monitoring air inside the building to be certain that concentrations of volatile organic vapors in indoor air remain at levels that are safe for the occupants of the building.

EPA will hold a public information session to explain the proposed action on August 19, 2008 at 7:00 pm at the Smithtown Library in Smithtown, New York.

The site was owned by MCS Realty from 1969 to 1991. The Computer Circuits Corporation was the first tenant and occupied the entire property from 1969 to 1977. Computer Circuits was a manufacturer of circuit boards for both military and commercial applications. Waste liquids from the circuit board manufacturing process were discharged to five industrial leaching pools located off the southeast corner of the building. These waste liquids contained metals, acids, and solvents. Photographic chemicals and waste liquids were also discharged to a single industrial leaching pool adjacent to the north side of the building.

In the mid to late 1970’s, the Suffolk County Department of Environmental Control became concerned about the handling of the discharge and ordered Computer Circuits to remedy the situation. The five industrial pools were excavated and backfilled, and the discharge pipe of the industrial pool on the north side of the building was capped and the discharge ceased. Computer Circuits Corporation vacated the premises shortly thereafter.

In 1989, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation investigated the soil and ground water at the site. Two years later, MCS Realty sold the property to 145 Marcus Boulevard, Inc., the current owner. Additional soil and ground water monitoring was completed in 1989, as well as in 1994 and 1995. Metals including lead, silver, copper, nickel and zinc were detected in the soil samples, and certain VOCs, including trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethene were detected in the ground water samples.

EPA placed the Computer Circuits site on the National Priorities List of the most contaminated sites in the country in May 1999. In September 2000, EPA entered into an agreement with 145 Marcus Blvd, Inc. to perform a soil and ground water investigation to determine the type and extent of contamination at the site. The company hired a contractor to conduct an investigation. Three additional monitoring wells were installed and sampled as were all the other monitoring wells associated within the site. This investigation found the presence of TCE in soil and ground water samples and in air samples that were collected from inside and outside the building. Based on these results, EPA decided to begin a short-term action to reduce TCE concentrations in on-site soil and within the building.

This work began in December 2005 and focused on cleaning up contaminated soil on the north side of the building where residual soil contamination remained and vapors collect below the slab foundation of the building. An additional SVE system is being installed in an area off the southeast corner of the building that was also found to have soil contaminated with VOCs. A cleanup of these areas helps reduce the amount of vapors that are entering the building.

A 30-day public comment period on the proposal began August 8, 2008 and will close on September 6, 2008. EPA will select a final plan for the site after reviewing and considering all comments submitted during the public comment period. Interested individuals can send comments to:

Mark Dannenberg, Remedial Project Manager
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
290 Broadway, 20th floor
New York, New York 10007-1866
dannenberg.mark@epa.gov

For further information on the Computer Circuits Superfund site, visit http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/npl/computercircuits/. For more information on the Superfund program go to: http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund.

EPA Proposes Cleanup Plan for Computer Circuits Superfund Site

PRESS RELEASE

Release date: 08/13/2008

New York, NY) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a plan to clean up contamination at the Computer Circuits Superfund site in Hauppauge, New York. The two-acre property, which is bordered by Marcus Boulevard to the west, is home to a facility that formerly manufactured circuit boards.

“EPA has been working on this site for some time now and we are seeing to it that this cleanup is solidly under way,” Regional Administrator Alan J. Steinberg said. “We feel that this proposed plan will further advance the work that EPA has been doing.”

EPA’s proposed plan calls for the continued operation of a soil vacuum extraction (SVE) system that extracts volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from soil near the north side of a one-story building on the property, as well as from underneath the foundation of the building. Furthermore, an additional SVE system is being installed to clean up a second area off the southeast corner of the building, which was also found to have residual VOC contamination. This work began as an interim cleanup to minimize the possibility of vapors from the soil seeping into the building through the foundation. EPA is also recommending long-term ground water monitoring through an existing network of monitoring wells. This will allow EPA to make sure the low levels of VOCs in the ground water continue to decline as the sources of the ground water contamination are cleaned up by the SVE systems.

Additionally, EPA is proposing to continue monitoring air inside the building to be certain that concentrations of volatile organic vapors in indoor air remain at levels that are safe for the occupants of the building.

EPA will hold a public information session to explain the proposed action on August 19, 2008 at 7:00 pm at the Smithtown Library in Smithtown, New York.

The site was owned by MCS Realty from 1969 to 1991. The Computer Circuits Corporation was the first tenant and occupied the entire property from 1969 to 1977. Computer Circuits was a manufacturer of circuit boards for both military and commercial applications. Waste liquids from the circuit board manufacturing process were discharged to five industrial leaching pools located off the southeast corner of the building. These waste liquids contained metals, acids, and solvents. Photographic chemicals and waste liquids were also discharged to a single industrial leaching pool adjacent to the north side of the building.

In the mid to late 1970’s, the Suffolk County Department of Environmental Control became concerned about the handling of the discharge and ordered Computer Circuits to remedy the situation. The five industrial pools were excavated and backfilled, and the discharge pipe of the industrial pool on the north side of the building was capped and the discharge ceased. Computer Circuits Corporation vacated the premises shortly thereafter.

In 1989, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation investigated the soil and ground water at the site. Two years later, MCS Realty sold the property to 145 Marcus Boulevard, Inc., the current owner. Additional soil and ground water monitoring was completed in 1989, as well as in 1994 and 1995. Metals including lead, silver, copper, nickel and zinc were detected in the soil samples, and certain VOCs, including trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethene were detected in the ground water samples.

EPA placed the Computer Circuits site on the National Priorities List of the most contaminated sites in the country in May 1999. In September 2000, EPA entered into an agreement with 145 Marcus Blvd, Inc. to perform a soil and ground water investigation to determine the type and extent of contamination at the site. The company hired a contractor to conduct an investigation. Three additional monitoring wells were installed and sampled as were all the other monitoring wells associated within the site. This investigation found the presence of TCE in soil and ground water samples and in air samples that were collected from inside and outside the building. Based on these results, EPA decided to begin a short-term action to reduce TCE concentrations in on-site soil and within the building.

This work began in December 2005 and focused on cleaning up contaminated soil on the north side of the building where residual soil contamination remained and vapors collect below the slab foundation of the building. An additional SVE system is being installed in an area off the southeast corner of the building that was also found to have soil contaminated with VOCs. A cleanup of these areas helps reduce the amount of vapors that are entering the building.

A 30-day public comment period on the proposal began August 8, 2008 and will close on September 6, 2008. EPA will select a final plan for the site after reviewing and considering all comments submitted during the public comment period. Interested individuals can send comments to:

Mark Dannenberg, Remedial Project Manager
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
290 Broadway, 20th floor
New York, New York 10007-1866
dannenberg.mark@epa.gov

For further information on the Computer Circuits Superfund site, visit http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/npl/computercircuits/. For more information on the Superfund program go to: http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund.

Lake of the Ozarks E.Coli Testing Finds No Samples Over Recommended Levels

Jefferson City, MO - The most recent round of water testing at the Lake of the Ozarks found no samples with E. coli bacteria in excess of the federal recommendation for waters used for whole body contact for recreation, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

The department tested 53 samples drawn from the lake Aug. 4 at sites between the Lake of the Ozarks Community Toll Bridge and mile marker 30. The samples were the fourth of six scheduled monthly for the Lake of the Ozarks.

The areas sampled in August were the same as those tested in June, when two samples were found with E. coli bacteria at levels higher than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recommended maximum level for a single sample taken at a beach or designated swimming area.

EPA's suggested maximum level for test results of a single sample taken at a beach is 235 E. coli colonies per 100 milliliters of water. The highest result from August's testing was less than one-tenth of EPA's suggested maximum level.

Missouri's water quality standard for such waters is a geometric mean, which is a statistical method used to analyze data collected over a period of time. Because multiple results are required to generate a geometric mean, a single test result cannot be compared to the state standard. A geometric mean based on this season's testing will be determined after the October testing is completed.

The state water quality standard is 126 E. coli colonies per 100 milliliters of water during the entire recreational season of April 1 to Oct. 31. This standard is based on the current risk level accepted by EPA of eight people in 1,000, or less than 1 percent, over the recreational season becoming ill as a result of swimming in the water.

The department's Division of State Parks operates two public beaches at Lake of the Ozarks State Park -- Public Beach #1 and the Grand Glaize Beach. The department samples water weekly at both beaches and posts warnings if warranted to ensure a safe public swimming area. Neither beach is on a cove being tested as part of this year's larger monitoring project. While the larger project is to assess the overall condition of Lake of the Ozarks, the weekly sampling of the state park beaches is a separate effort to determine the week-to-week suitability for swimming at those specific beaches.

E. coli is a bacteria found in the intestinal tract of warm-blooded animals, including humans. Some strains of E. coli can cause gastrointestinal illness. These bacteria can reach lake water from many different sources, both human and animal. For some people, such as children, elderly or those with weakened immune systems, even low levels of these bacteria may cause illness.

Between now and October, the Department of Natural Resources, in partnership with the Department of Conservation, Ameren UE and the Lake of the Ozarks Watershed Alliance, will test coves from the Community Toll Bridge to mile marker 30. This is the second year of testing for the Lake of the Ozarks. When completed, the water testing will include coves from Bagnell Dam to Truman Dam.

For more information on E. coli and the testing program ( PDF ). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site has additional information on swimming-related illness: www.cdc.gov/healthyswimming/general_pub.htm.

You may contact the Department of Health and Senior Services' Bureau of Environmental Regulations and Licensure at 573-751-6095 for more information on the possible health effects of E. coli.

Soure: Kansas City InfoZine

China on alert to try to stop deadly virus

BEIJING–China's Health Ministry issued a nationwide alert Saturday calling for heightened efforts to control a virus that has caused the deaths of 22 children in one city and shows signs of spreading.

Health bureaus around the country must step up monitoring for hand, foot and mouth disease following a "relatively large'' outbreak in the central city of Fuyang, the Health Ministry said in notices on its Web site.

The ministry warned that cases were more numerous this year than in recent years, and the peak for transmission would likely come in June and July.

The outbreak is another concern for China's communist government as it gears up to welcome hundreds of thousands of foreigners for this summer's Beijing Olympics. It's also an uncomfortable reminder of the SARS pneumonia outbreak in 2003, which Beijing tried to cover up but then adopted drastic measures to control.

Saturday's warning was prompted by a jump in cases in Fuyang of Enterovirus 71, or EV-71, a type of hand, foot and mouth disease.

Up to Thursday night, 3,321 cases of EV-71 were reported in Fuyang, a fast-growing city in largely rural Anhui province. Besides the 22 deaths, 978 people remain hospitalized, 58 of them in serious or critical condition, the ministry said in a separate statement.

The state-run Xinhua News Agency also reported that preliminary tests showed an 18-month-old boy who died Friday in southeastern Guangdong province was infected with EV-71, and a second suspected death was under investigation. Cases of hand, foot and mouth outbreaks, but not necessarily EV-71, have been reported in at least two other provinces.

"Health bureaus at all levels must recognize the importance and urgency of preventing the spread of infectious diseases," the ministry said in its nationwide order.

Enterovirus 71 is one of several viruses that cause hand, foot and mouth disease, which is characterized by fever, mouth sores and a rash with blisters. It is spread by direct contact with nose and throat discharges, saliva, fluid from blisters, or the stool of infected persons.

The illness mainly strikes children young than 10 and is not related to foot and mouth disease, which infects cattle, sheep and swine.

The nationwide order said preventing the spread of infectious diseases was necessary "to guarantee the smooth staging of the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics and to practically preserve social stability.''

The order targeted hand, foot and mouth disease, as well as hepatitis A, measles and other infectious diseases commonly spread in the spring and summer.

Mindful of the SARS experience, the order vowed to punish any person or agency who tried to cover-up or delay disclosure of outbreaks.

State media cited the SARS experience in reports this past week that said people in Fuyang had criticized the government's response as slow, allowing rumors to spread about the outbreak.

A press officer with the World Health Organization said representatives were not available for comment on Saturday. The WHO in a statement on Thursday said that while cases in Fuyang cropped up in early March, they increased sharply starting April 19 but a rapid response from China also steeply decreased the rate of fatalities in the second half of April.

With no vaccine or specific therapy developed for EV-71, the WHO recommended better hygiene, with more frequent hand-washing and disinfecting areas – something that it said China was doing.

State-run television footage showed workers spraying disinfectant around houses in rural areas outside Fuyang and medical teams visiting families with small children.

Since the SARS crisis, the government has increased spending on the detection and monitoring of communicable diseases. The Health Ministry has ordered regular reports on outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth diseases and has sent expert teams to Anhui province to lead treatment and prevention.

May 03, 2008
CHARLES HUTZLER
The Associated Press

EU removed 53% more dangerous products from market in 2007

The number of dangerous products removed from the EU market rose by 53% in 2007 compared to in 2006, the Commission's annual report on the Rapid Alert System (RAPEX) reveals. This rise from 1,051 notifications in 2006 to 1,605 last year shows that Member States' surveillance capacities are improving year on year, and that European consumers are better protected today than ever before. Toys were by far the most notified product category in 2007, confirming that child safety is a top-ranking priority for market surveillance authorities, although motor vehicles, electrical goods and cosmetics also featured prominently in the RAPEX system.

Once again, China was the country of origin for more than half of all risky products found (700 notifications). This can be partly explained the high number of products imported into the EU from China and the intensified focus of market surveillance authorities on Chinese products following the 'summer of recalls' last year. In this light, Commissioner Kuneva presented an update on the extensive work which is being done to strengthen enforcement controls following the recommendations of the Commission's product safety 'stocktaking' review last autumn (see IP/07/1746). She also set out plans for major initiatives for 2008, including a upgrading of the current EU-China Memorandum of Understanding and an EU-US-China trilateral product safety summit to be held in Brussels in November 2008.

Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuneva said: 'The summer of recalls prompted a winter of evaluations which has paved the way for a spring and summer of change. Today's RAPEX report shows that more and more products are being detected and destroyed before they can harm EU consumers. Public authorities are clearly stepping up to their responsibilities when it comes to consumer protection. The point of RAPEX and our other safety mechanisms are to ensure that EU citizens can shop in peace, without having to worry about distinguishing safe products from dangerous ones.'

A 53% increase in notifications is a positive trend

The number of RAPEX notifications has risen steeply over the last few years and has more than tripled from 468 in 2004 (when a new product safety legislation came into force) to 1 605 in 2007. The steady growth in RAPEX alerts can be ascribed to more effective product safety enforcement by national authorities, greater awareness amongst businesses of their obligations, enhanced cooperation with third countries, and network-building actions coordinated by the Commission.

Gap closing on Member States' performances

The gap between the most frequently notifying countries and those with the lowest number of notifications significantly decreased last year, showing a more even participation in the RAPEX system amongst the the countries involved.

This is confirmed by the fact that the total share of the five most active countries amounted to 61% in 2006, but only 44% in 2007. Germany was the most active Member State in the RAPEX system (163 notifications, approx 12%), followed by Greece (115 notifications, approx 8% ) and Slovakia (114 notifications, approx 8%), Hungary (109 notifications approx 8% and Spain 108 notifications approx 8%) .

Toys and motor vehicles top the list
Toys (417), motor vehicles (197) and electrical appliances (156) alone accounted for more than half of all notifications in 2007. More than one out of three products notified was either a toy or a childcare article, showing the importance that market surveillance authorities place on checking this category.

China still the main source of dangerous goods

The People's Republic China remains the country from which the highest number of products posing a serious risk was detected. This figure should be seen in the context of the fact that a very large proportion of all EU imports come from China (for example, 80% of all toys), and surveillance on Chinese products is tighter than for many other countries. Also, the number of unknown origin notifications through RAPEX fell in 2007 compared to previous years (20% in 2005, 17% in 2006 and 13% in 2007) and it is likely that certain products which had been notified as being of unknown origin before were identified in 2007 as being of the Chinese origin.

The Commission has significantly intensified its cooperation on product safety with China in the last year. In particular, since Commissioner Kuneva first visited China in June 2007, a new system of quarterly reporting on Chinese enforcement actions - to track down at source dangerous goods notified within RAPEX China system - has been put in place. The first trends are positive. The Chinese authorities investigated 184 RAPEX cases between July and September 2007 compared with just 84 cases in the previous 12 months. Corrective actions were taken in 43% of the cases. The quarterly report for September to November 2007 shows that the Chinese authorities sustained the follow-up activity and investigated 89 further notifications from the EU. In addition, it was reported that China made a significant effort to strengthen controls on toys. In a relatively short period, 3540 export licensed manufacturers were audited and, where necessary, were forced to improve their safety control systems. A total of 701 companies lost their export licenses. (see attached Memo for full details of initiatives to strengthen EU-China co-operation in 2007). Commissioner Kuneva will visit China in June 2008, to review progress over the last 12 months and to look at how to step up co-operation.


Source: European Commission, JRC, Institute for Health and Consumer Protection (IHCP)
Published Apr. 17, 2008

Safety of pesticides at golf course debated

Citizens criticized water testing at Cooperstown siteBy Jim Austin

New York State - COOPERSTOWN - The Leatherstocking Golf Course greens superintendent on Tuesday defended the use of chemical pesticides at the course that borders Otsego Lake.

Bernie Banas spoke during a media conference in the office of Otesaga Hotel General Manager John Irvin, organized in response to comments about water testing made by Michael Whaling and Andy Mason on Monday night during the village board meeting.

Whaling, a longtime lake advocate and environmentalist from Sharon Springs, expressed his concerns about the use of chemical pesticides on the 120-acre public course at the Otesaga. The water testing, which the village is required to do by the state Department of Health because the lake is a drinking water source, is not adequate, he said.

The tests, which have not indicated the presence of turf management chemicals in the lake water, have been conducted every three years in March or April. According to Whaling, one Department of Environmental Conservation official said it was ``a great time to test for pesticides if you don’t want to find them.’’

Whaling told the board of trustees the testing should be done later in the year while the chemicals are in use.

He and Mason obtained a list of the chemicals used on the golf course from the DEC, which requires licensed applicators and strict recordkeeping.

The records indicate the golf course applied 1,616 pounds and 137.1 gallons of 23 pesticides during 2006 _ some of which are listed as having acute toxicity. ``These are not benign materials,’’ said Mason, who is involved with the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society. ``They have potential health and environmental negative impacts. I think (the golf course has) reduced usage and commend them for that, but there is still more that could be done.’’

Previous testing has revealed ‘nothing’ Irvin said that in 2001, Leatherstocking Corporation asked Dr. Theodore Peters, a longtime member of both the village water and sewer boards, to test lake water for the presence of chemicals.

Peters, who attended the media briefing, said samples were taken in May and August in Blackbird Bay and at the village water intake.

``We found nothing,’’ he said, adding that nothing had shown up in 25 years.

Banas, who has been a certified pesticide applicator for 22 years, said they have created a buffer zone along the shore in an effort to prevent any runoff from reaching the water.

``We have a no-spray zone 25 feet from the edge of the lake,’’ he said. ``If you compare us to some of the high-end golf courses, we’re more tolerant. They don’t want to see a dandelion out there.’’

Peters said the lawns around the lake may pose a greater risk. ``We go to classes. We’re educated. We’re handling this safer than the average homeowner,’’ Banas said.

He said he could not confirm the amount of pesticide used without checking records, adding that it is spread over 120 acres. ``We purchase and use the safest products out there,’’ he said. ``We are doing everything humanely possible to minimize the risk.’’

Dan Spooner, director of golf at the Otesaga, said there have been discussions about testing the lake water on annual basis to ``dispel rumors.’’

Annual testing would address the concerns of Whaling and Mason, who asked the village board to change the testing schedule. Having the golf course marginally greener is not worth the potential health risks, Mason said.

Source: Cooperstown Crier

Keeping it clean: Reports of pharmaceutical residue in nation's water supply don't worry Truckee sanitation officials

Standing in an odorless field above nearly 80,000 feet of underground pipelines moving Tahoe-Truckee sewage, Jay Parker unravels the intricate wastewater treatment processes that help maintain the integrity of the Truckee River — located just one mile away from the indirect discharge of reclaimed water.

Parker — chief engineer and assistant general manager of the Tahoe-Truckee Sanitation Agency — backs the advanced water reclamation plant despite tests being done to detect pharmaceuticals in the Truckee River.

The Truckee Meadows Water Authority decided to sample the major water supplier for Reno and Sparks in March after reports surfaced of an Associated Press investigation into pharmaceutical residue in major metropolitan water supplies, said Paul Miller, manager of operations and water quality for Truckee Meadows Water Authority.

Miller said he expects the results back within the next two weeks, and said he doesn’t believe the tests will show contamination of the Truckee River water.
While there are no direct discharges of treated water into the Truckee River like there are in other municipal areas that are under investigation, there is an indirect discharge, Miller said.

The Tahoe-Truckee Sanitation Agency’s wastewater treatment plant, located east of the Highway 267 Bypass, discharges an average of 4.5 million gallons a day into a disposal field about one mile from the Truckee River by spray irrigation, Parker said.

“We have more treatment processes than any other plant in the state,” Parker said Monday while giving a tour of the facility. “We’re such an environmentally sensitive area so we have to treat the water to a stringent standard higher than the typical treatment plant.”

The sewage water is collected from the region’s five member districts and is purified through nearly a dozen filtration systems — double the processes at an average treatment plant, Parker said.

As the sewage filters through the extensive purification stages, nitrogen — which serves as a fertilizer for algae growth — and phosphorous — which is a salt — are removed, Parker said.

After traveling through this series of biological, chemical and physical treatment units, the reclaimed water is then discharged into a disposal field where it filters through the soil for several weeks before entering the Truckee River, he said.

In addition, the agency recently completed a $66 million expansion to keep up with regional development, as well as to increase the quality of discharge that flows into the river, Parker said.

The new biological nitrogen removal process has replaced the plant’s reliance on chemicals, which will reduce the level of pollution by eliminating salts, Parker said.

However, Parker said whether the state-of-the-art treatment plant removes pharmaceuticals is unknown as the Environmental Protection Agency does not require testing for drugs under the safe drinking water act.

But Parker said he remains optimistic in the agency’s ability to purify the water.
“We have many barriers that other treatment plants don’t have,” Parker said. “There’s no direct discharge into the river, which really sets us apart.”

Even if the test results show a presence of pharmaceuticals in the water, Miller said the findings would be in the parts-per-trillion range.

“It would be at a level that people should not be concerned about,” Miller said.

Based on recent research of the nation’s water utilities using the highest concentrations found, reports showed one human could safely consume more than 50,000 eight-ounce glasses of water per day without experiencing any health effects from pharmaceuticals, according to a statement by Dr. Shane Snyder, a scientist with the Southern Nevada Water Authority.

“The fact that more pharmaceuticals are detected today is not due to greater contamination of our nation’s water, but a reflection of the increasingly sensitive analytical technology that allows us to identify ... these chemicals in water,” Snyder said in the statement.

Source: Sierra Sun

New York - Push is on to test water for drugs

Amid heightened concerns about traces of pharmaceuticals in drinking water supplies, New York state and Rochester-area officials say they're beginning to study the issue — but are not yet taking action to address the potential health hazard.

Almost no testing for pharmaceuticals has been done in Rochester-area water supplies, and none is planned. Local and state officials say they can't and won't do much until the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or other higher authorities step in.

"It's an emerging issue. It's a national issue. I don't know if any water system by itself can try to decide what pharmaceuticals they should test for and what the acceptable levels should be. That's EPA's job," said Paul Holahan, Rochester's environmental services commissioner.

The EPA currently has no regulations that require water suppliers to test for or remove pharmaceuticals, and no limits on environmental releases of these drugs.

In one local effort, Monroe County, EPA and other officials are to announce Monday a program to collect unused pharmaceuticals from consumers this spring and dispose of them in environmentally sound ways. In a broader effort, state Sen. James Alesi, R-Perinton, has introduced legislation that would require drug manufacturers to fund programs to collect unused prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

The presence in the nation's water supplies of tiny amounts of compounds from pharmaceutical drugs, personal care products, household cleaners and some unregulated industrial processes is not a new issue. Researchers, including at least a few in western New York, have been looking into the matter for years.

But public concern was focused on the subject after publication last month, in the Democrat and Chronicle and many other media outlets, of an investigation by The Associated Press. The three-part series reported that prescription drugs had been found in drinking-water supplies in very low levels at various locations and that some water-system operators had failed to inform consumers.

Some states and cities reacted to the series by saying they would begin voluntary testing of water supplies. New York City Council members recently urged that their city's water be tested, though no decision was made to do so. State and federal agencies also are studying sewer plant discharges and fish in streams near New York City's upstate water supplies.

There has been no similar outcry in the Rochester area or in Albany. "It's not in drinking water," declared Jeffrey Hammond, spokesman for the state Department of Health, which oversees drinking-water supplies in New York. He added that the department sees no need for testing to verify that declaration, though health officials are attending meetings on the topic.

People should have no concerns about consuming tap water, said Hammond and other experts.

EPA officials said the agency is involved in various studies and surveys to assess the potential environmental and health impacts of pharmaceuticals.

"We're clearly concerned and looking at the issue," said Suzanne Rudzinski, deputy director of science and technology in the EPA's Office of Water. The question of whether new regulations are coming "is a hard one to answer."

She said the agency currently is accepting public comments on possible additions to EPA's list of contaminants for which water supplies must be screened. Virtually no pharmaceuticals are on the list, but Rudzinski said that could change if scientists, environmental groups and others make a case for their inclusion.

In the meantime, the EPA is encouraging drinking-water purveyors to test their supplies voluntarily and report the results to consumers. But as Rudzinski and others noted, some see a disincentive to do that: If a water agency informs the public that it's found traces of drugs in its supply, no standards are in place by which people can judge whether those traces constitute a health concern.

'Million-dollar question'

Meanwhile, experts say that many lakes and streams likely contain antibiotics, hormones or other pharmaceuticals. But in many cases the concentrations might be so low — a few parts per billion, say, or even a few parts per trillion — that only the most sensitive instruments could detect them. Whether trace amounts of antibiotics or hormones reach consumers who drink from those waters, and whether that does any harm, remain open questions.

"I think the real worry is not that any one glass of water is going to dose you with something that ... could be potentially harmful. It's the chronic exposure to low levels. There's no data, no knowledge anywhere, of what the chronic effects of very low levels of estrogens are over a lifetime," said James Ryan, a biology professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges who found possible traces of that human hormone in two creeks that feed Seneca Lake.

The degree of testing and research on pharmaceuticals in upstate New York water supplies has been limited in part by lack of funding and top-notch lab equipment.

"There should be funds put into capacity-building to look at these issues. Nobody is doing it," said Joseph Makarewicz, distinguished professor of environmental science and biology at the State University College at Brockport.

His own search for pharmaceuticals in Lake Ontario and near Conesus Lake, like Ryan's work at Seneca Lake, was hobbled by a lack of sophisticated analytical equipment.

Experts say metropolitan Rochester's two main water sources — Lake Ontario, the enormous volume of which dilutes pollutants, and Hemlock Lake, which is carefully protected — are not immune to the problem but also are unlikely to have appreciable levels of pharmaceuticals in most locations. Anything that might be present probably does not reach consumers, they say.

"After going through treatment, through carbon filtration, it's pretty much gone," said Diana S. Aga, a chemistry professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo whose work focuses in part on the environmental fate of pharmaceuticals.

Her lab at UB found antibiotics in wastewater being discharged from several Buffalo-area sewage plants but detected none in drinking water drawn from Lake Erie.

In most communities, the primary sources of environmental pharmaceuticals are people who take prescription or over-the-counter drugs and excrete some portion of them in urine and feces. That waste goes to sewage treatment plants, which are not required to test or treat their discharges for pharmaceuticals.

These releases, as well as other sources of pharmaceuticals in lakes and rivers, have had documented effects on fish and other wildlife. Environmental releases of antibiotics also can create resistant bacteria in the wild. Scientists have detected antibiotic-resistant bacteria at beaches and in male perch "feminized" by exposure to pharmaceuticals or similar substances in the Canadian waters of Lake Ontario.

"It's pretty well documented there are some strange things going on there that are probably due to these substances," Makarewicz said.

But are people being affected as well? "That's the million-dollar question," said Makarewicz. "Frankly, nobody really knows."

Three lakes, one test

Of the two main water supplies for Rochester, one has been tested — once — for pharmaceuticals.

That was Hemlock Lake, the largely undeveloped Finger Lake that has been a source of Rochester drinking water for more than 130 years.

In 2001, city officials asked the U.S. Geological Survey to test Hemlock water for prescription drugs and other unregulated chemicals. No pharmaceuticals were found.

"One sample is better than nothing. We thought that the city was very progressive back then," said David Eckhardt, a USGS hydrogeologist in Ithaca.

City officials, who have no plans for further tests, say the nature of Hemlock and neighboring Canadice Lake helps to protect them.

Rochester owns 7,100 acres of undeveloped land around the two lakes in Livingston and Ontario counties. The lakes' watershed has no large residential developments and only a scattering of private homes that use septic tanks to handle household waste.

One small municipal wastewater treatment facility discharges into Springwater Creek, which flows into Hemlock's southern end. There are some farms in the watershed, though it isn't clear whether any of them use antibiotics on their animals, another potential source.

"The good news is that our source is in much better shape than most would be for this particular problem, if it is a problem," said Dale Kriewall, the city's manager of water production.

The area's other large water system, operated by the Monroe County Water Authority, draws upon Lake Ontario.

While two Monroe County wastewater plants and numerous others discharge treated sewage into the lake, its size dilutes contaminants: At more than 400 trillion gallons, Ontario is the 14th-largest freshwater lake in the world.

In addition, the water authority's Shoremont treatment plant in Greece, like the city's at Hemlock Lake, uses activated charcoal filters, which are "generally effective against this class of chemical," said Richard Metzger, the authority's director of production and transmission.

The Shoremont plant is one of about 15 facilities nationwide taking part in a study to assess how well their carbon filtration systems remove pharmaceuticals and other contaminants.

The authority currently has no plans to test its water regularly for their presence. In part, that's because the EPA has not developed standard methodology to test for pharmaceuticals in drinking water, Metzger said. Those protocols are crucial so that results are reliable and comparable from one water supply to the next.

Once they're available, labs must acquire the right equipment and be certified as capable of doing the work.

Then there's the question of what the results would mean. "Just because you can find it doesn't mean it's bad," Metzger said.

Research must be done on possible human health effects, and, if needed, legal limits must be set for drugs in drinking water. "A lot of that has to come together with EPA," Metzger said.

The federal agency also must step in on the wastewater front, said officials at Monroe County's Pure Waters Division, which operates the sewage treatment system.

A few months ago, the EPA finalized a standard methodology for testing wastewater for pharmaceuticals, though it has issued no rules for when testing must be done or what should be looked for. Pure Waters officials are starting to learn about the testing regimen, though they're not sure when it would be used, said Drew Smith, technical director of the Pure Waters environmental laboratory.

Several hundred pharmaceutical compounds could become subject to regulation. "Which ones of those do we test for? We don't know. We're kind of guessing at this point," Smith said.

Federal rules require some industrial companies to remove harmful constituents from their wastewater before dumping it into the sewer system, but the regulations do not cover pharmaceuticals. Because of that, Pure Waters operators do not know what types or quantities of drugs are entering their system from larger customers.

That is the case with UCB, a Belgian company that operates a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant on Jefferson Road in Henrietta. A company spokeswoman said the plant makes seven products ranging from cough suppressants to therapies for hypertension and epilepsy.

The spokeswoman, Antje Witte, did not respond when asked if any pharmaceutical residues enter the sewer system at the plant.

The area's two largest hospitals, Strong Memorial and Rochester General, do not voluntarily pretreat sewer discharges to remove pharmaceuticals excreted by patients. Lori Barrette, a spokeswoman for Strong, pointed out that quantities in the wastewater from any one hospital would be a small fraction of all the prescription drugs flushed down toilets and sinks in the community as a whole.

Both hospitals employ companies that remove unused, expired drugs and dispose of them properly.

Source: DemocratandChronicle.com

Water levels prompt well warning

Don’t drink the water, the Hastings Prince Edward Counties Health Unit says. The warning comes from the desk of the Dr. Richard Schabas, the Medical Officer for the Health Unit, and refers to private wells that are impacted by flooding.

The warning does not apply to municipal water supplies.

Specifically, the Health Unit says wells could be contaminated if floodwater comes within 50 feet of the well. Indicators of potential contaminiation include changes in well water quality, including taste, colour, or odour.

The risk of contamination to wells is high in flooding situations and therefore residents are encouraged to use an alternate source for domestic purposes. If you choose to treat the water for drinking and other domestic purposes, a Health Unit press release, suggests bringing water to a boil and letting it continue to a rapid boil for at least 10 minutes.

Erik Serwotka, of the Health Unit, says the most common illnesses associated with contaminated wells is gastro-intestinal in nature, causing a wide-range of symtoms. In severe cases it can cause diarrhea and some vomiting, but it is almost never fatal.

He says to date hospitals have recorded no cases of flood-born illnesses but sometimes the parasites that live in the water can survive in an intestinat tract for some time and that some cases could come to light in a couple of weeks.

There is a contamination test available. Well owners can acquire a water sample bottle from the Health Unit from Monday to Thursday between the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the office at 179 North Front Street, Belleville, or at 1 Millennium parkway, Belleville.

There is no fee for the testing process. The Health Unit suggests that well owners test their wells at least three times a year, or once seasonally for a total of four times.

If the test comes back positive, then they can help owners through a remedial action plan.

Serwotka also says that seasonal cottagers should test their wells when they open their properties for the summer season.

Of course, all of the concern comes from recent warm weather that has accelerated snow melt.

In the upper York River watershed, melting snow from an above average winter snowfall has resulted in elevated water levels in Elephant and Baptiste Lakes along with the York River, including the Town of Bancroft.

Baptiste Lake is currently 40 centimetres, (16 inches) above normal for this time of year.

The Ministry of Natural Resources anticipates that the high levels will remain until the end of the week of April 25.

They recommend that residents monitor their local situation closely and contact their municipality if a threat of flooding exists.

The Ministry also reminds the public that spring water conditions pose a serious threat. Water levels can rise in a short period of time and near freezing water temperatures can quickly produce hypothermia. Further they remind parents to warn children to stay away from fast moving watercourses during this time.

The Ministry continues to monitor the situation and is anticipated to update their April 22 flood advisory.

Source: Bancroft This WeekPosted April 23-08

Southampton’s drinking water deemed best-tasting in country

Southampton’s drinking water deemed best-tasting in country


SOUTHAMPTON - If you happen to be passing through the small western Massachusetts town of Southampton, you just may want stop for a drink. A drink of water, that is.

A panel of judges at the Great American Water Taste Test has decided that Southampton has the best-tasting drinking water in the country. The contest is held each year on Earth Day during a meeting of the National Rural Water Association in Washington.

Using the same standards as wine testers, the judges sampled drinking water entries from 39 states for bouquet, clarity and taste.

Southampton Water Superintendent Joseph Slattery told the Republican newspaper of Springfield that he personally drew the sample from a town well that draws water from the Barnes Aquifer. He said the water is so clean and natural it doesn’t even have to be treated.

Gaya water full of nitrate

GAYA: The nitrate content in underground water in several localities of the town is as high as 250 mg per litre, as against the maximum permissible limit of 45 mg per litre. The revelation was made by the test report of underground water in the Pita Maheshwar locality of the town. The sample test was conducted by public health and engineering department (PHED) of the state government. The test report has caused alarm in health circles.

More than 60 per cent of the nearly half-a-million residents of the Gaya Municipal Corporation (GMC) area depend on underground water sources, as the municipal water supply system caters to only about 40 per cent of the estimated 45,000 households of the town area.

The presence of nitrate and other harmful substances is said to be more in the areas located on the Falgu bank as, besides municipal waste, all the effluents of drains contaminate water sources. Sometime back, the Magadh division commissioner K P Rammaiah even threatened municipal authorities against action under the provisions of Pollution Control Act (PCA) for dumping municipal waste in Falgu river, but no tangible changes have taken place.

According to Dr Shahid Siddiqi, visiting gastroentrologist, higher level of nitrate content in water is more harmful for children. It reduces the level of oxygen leading to breathing problems, repeated respiratory tract infections and repeated diarrhoea. "Prolonged use of water with high nitrate content can also cause cancer," said Siddiqi.

When contacted, PHED executive engineer Ajay Kumar Sinha said it was for the municipal corporation to work out a strategy to combat the nitrate menace as water supply in the town comes under the purview of the municipal bodies and PHED was concerned only with the water availability in rural areas.

Passing the buck on the PHED city commissioner S K Tiwari, the chief executive of Gaya Municipal Corporation said PHED has not forwarded the test report to the municipal body and as such, in the absence of authentic report, little can be done in the matter. The GMC would work out the strategy only after the PHED makes the report available, said Tiwari.

Incidence of diseases caused by the consumption of contaminated water is very high in the town.

According to A N Rai, former principal of Magadh Medical College and a leading medical practitioner of the town, about one third of the patients coming to him and other treatment centres, suffer from diseases caused by water impurities.

23 Apr 2008,IST,Abdul Qadir,TNN

Michigan - Health officials warn about water testing scam

Health officials warn about water testing scam


Mid-Michigan District Health Department officials are warning residents that the agency, which covers Gratiot, Montcalm and Clinton counties, has received information regarding individuals posing as health department employees in an effort to gain access to area homes.
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The imposters come to the door and tell the occupant that a "new law requires them to have their water tested," MMDHD Health Officer Kim Singh said.

"We have received three calls so far," she said. "All have been in Montcalm County with the last one near Sheridan. They claim they are from the health agency and don't mention the Mid-Michigan District Health Department specifically."

Two calls reported the imposters were two men but the third said there was a man and a woman, but no physical or vehicle descriptions were given..

"So far as we know no one has allowed them into their home," Singh said. "We just want to get the word out. They are apparently targeting rural areas and could move elsewhere."

Area law enforcement agencies have been notified of the scam, she added.

Singh noted that all MMDHD workers have picture identification cards and there is "no new or existing law" that requires anyone to have their water or well tested.

"It's a concern when someone is misrepresenting themselves has our employees," she said. "You can never be too cautious. We just want everyone to be aware of what is going on."

If the imposters attempt to contact anyone else, residents are urged to call the Montcalm County Sheriff's Department at 831-7591, Gratiot County Sheriff's Department at 875-4128 or Clinton County Sheriff's Department at 224-5200.

They can also call MMDHD branch office in Ithaca, at 875-3681; Stanton, 831-7071; or St. Johns, 224-2195, during normal business hours.

U.S. wants airlines to improve water quality

The Environmental Protection Agency issued a 29-page proposed rule April 9 to make the nation's airlines follow a schedule for sampling water used in galleys and restrooms, as well as keeping records, notifying the public of problems and taking corrective action. The aim is to control illnesses by limiting the level of bacteria, such as coliform, in the water.

Coliform germs, though not harmful in themselves, can signal the presence of serious pathogens such as E. coli. The EPA and the airlines said there is no documented evidence of anyone becoming sick from airline drinking water. Still, regulators say the water has to meet federal mandates.

"We're upgrading airline drinking-water standards to first- class status with better testing, treatment and maintenance," Benjamin Grumbles, EPA assistant administrator for water, said when the proposal was issued.

The EPA estimates 63 air carriers and 7,307 public water systems serving 708 million passengers a year would be affected. The total annual cost to comply would be about US$8-million, or about 1 cent per ticket.

Nancy Young, vice president of environmental affairs at the Air Transport Association, which represents U.S. carriers, said the trade group started testing aircraft water under EPA supervision in 2003.

'Well Within' Ranges

"We were well within testing ranges of any municipal drinking water supply system," Young said. The airlines stress the water is as safe as the supplies from which it is drawn.

Not everyone thinks the government plan is strong enough. A safety official at the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents 55,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines, said the airlines would be given too much freedom to inspect themselves and that notification procedures are slow and not retroactive.

"We are a little concerned," said Dinkar Mokadam, a safety specialist with the Washington-based union. "I don't think carriers can be relied upon to do self-audits, especially in this economic climate."

Flight attendants have had many cases of unreported gastrointestinal upsets that may have come from washing their hands or drinking the water onboard, Mokadam said.

Science Project

The problem might never have come to light if a 13-year-old California high school student hadn't done a science project that found seven water samples collected on nine flights contaminated by E. coli, fecal coliform, or salmonella.

The Wall Street Journal picked up on those findings, did some testing of its own and published a story in 2002 that led the EPA and air carriers to put together a task force.

After the Air Transport Association conducted tests, the EPA ran its own samples from 327 aircraft and found 15 percent had total coliform bacteria.

Regulators, who implement the national primary drinking water rules, had to tailor any proposal to a mobile water source, where quick turnaround times between flights and refills from multiple sources are the norm.

"We found there wasn't very good compliance" with the maintenance airlines were supposed to be doing, said Rick Naylor, the EPA's manager for the drinking water rule. "The idea was to keep their tanks clean."

So the agency entered into legally binding agreements with 45 of the airlines. The carriers agreed to follow a specific protocol to clean and test water supplies and notify the agency of the results.

Improvement Shown

In the current rulemaking, the EPA said preliminary sampling of 15 airlines' drinking water showed improvement. The flight attendants said that means some airlines haven't begun water testing yet, while others want the agency to treat the results as confidential business information.

The proposal says the more times a carrier disinfects and flushes its airborne water tanks, the fewer times it has to conduct tests.

Air carriers had varied responses to the EPA proposal. Caroline Boren, a spokeswoman for Seattle-based Alaska Airlines Inc., said the carrier sanitizes its potable water tanks every 90 days and has never had a problem using it to make coffee or for hand washing.

Purified Water

Marilee McInnis, a spokeswoman for Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co., the largest low-fare carrier, said the company uses "purified" water to make coffee or tea. Spokeswoman Tim Wagner, of Fort Worth-based American Airlines Inc., the world's largest air carrier, referred questions to the Air Transport Association.

There's no health problem for short-hop carriers because there often isn't time to serve water or brush your teeth, said Roger Cohen, the president of the Regional Airline Association in Washington. Members of the trade group fly half the nation's scheduled daily flights.

"I've been in the airline business for 35 years and I haven't given it a second thought," Cohen said of the issue precipitating the new rule. At home, he added, he drinks only bottled water.

Source: Bloomberg.com

Salmonella Outbreak Kills One

ALAMOSA CO., N.M. -- One person is dead following a salmonella outbreak in Alamosa County, Colo.

Health officials said this is the same type of bacteria found in Alamosa's water supply.

However, the victim also suffered from other health conditions.

This is the first death of anyone infected from the March outbreak.

Last month the city of Alamosa disinfected the water following reports of salmonella infection.

The tap water was declared safe April 11.

So far, there have been 411 reported cases of salmonella linked to the outbreak.

Source: Koat 7 News

Over 130 Infected as Vietnam Battles Cholera Outbreak

A cholera outbreak - Vietnam's third major outbreak since October - has infected over 130 people in the Southeast Asian nation and prompted the government to launch a month-long public hygiene drive. The dangerous bacterial disease has spread in recent weeks from Hanoi to southern Ho Chi Minh City and 16 provinces, officials said. To date, no deaths have been reported from the three outbreaks.

The disease, spread through unsafe food, has resulted in 1,335 acute diarrhea cases reported since early March, of which about 10 percent have tested positive for cholera. Poor hygiene conditions have exacerbated the problem specifically in open food markets and street side restaurants where ground-level cooking areas are often situated near toilets. Public health officials suspect cholera has spread rapidly along Vietnam's north-south railway line, where many train carriages have inadequate waste removal services.

As part of the month-long public awareness campaign, the government will stress key public hygiene messages, such as the need to wash hands after using toilets or handling garbage and before touching food, keeping kitchens clean, cooking food well, boiling drinking water, and avoiding unsafe street side restaurants.

Cholera is an acute intestinal infection transmitted through water or food contaminated by the bacteria vibrio cholerae. It causes diarrhea and dehydration and can lead to kidney failure and death if untreated.


Source: waterandhealth.org

Efficiency, equity and liberalisation of water services in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Now Available

Report:
"Efficiency, equity and liberalisation of water services in Buenos Aires, Argentina"

prepared for the OECD–World Bank Fifth Services Experts Meeting, by Miguel Solanes, Regional Adviser on Water Resources Legislation and Regulation of Public Services of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

You can download this document at:

http://www.eclac.org/drni/noticias/noticias/3/32683/water_solanes.pdf

Push is on to test water for drugs

Amid heightened concerns about traces of pharmaceuticals in drinking water supplies, New York state and Rochester-area officials say they're beginning to study the issue — but are not yet taking action to address the potential health hazard.

Almost no testing for pharmaceuticals has been done in Rochester-area water supplies, and none is planned. Local and state officials say they can't and won't do much until the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or other higher authorities step in.

"It's an emerging issue. It's a national issue. I don't know if any water system by itself can try to decide what pharmaceuticals they should test for and what the acceptable levels should be. That's EPA's job," said Paul Holahan, Rochester's environmental services commissioner.

The EPA currently has no regulations that require water suppliers to test for or remove pharmaceuticals, and no limits on environmental releases of these drugs.

In one local effort, Monroe County, EPA and other officials are to announce Monday a program to collect unused pharmaceuticals from consumers this spring and dispose of them in environmentally sound ways. In a broader effort, state Sen. James Alesi, R-Perinton, has introduced legislation that would require drug manufacturers to fund programs to collect unused prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

The presence in the nation's water supplies of tiny amounts of compounds from pharmaceutical drugs, personal care products, household cleaners and some unregulated industrial processes is not a new issue. Researchers, including at least a few in western New York, have been looking into the matter for years.

But public concern was focused on the subject after publication last month, in the Democrat and Chronicle and many other media outlets, of an investigation by The Associated Press. The three-part series reported that prescription drugs had been found in drinking-water supplies in very low levels at various locations and that some water-system operators had failed to inform consumers.

Some states and cities reacted to the series by saying they would begin voluntary testing of water supplies. New York City Council members recently urged that their city's water be tested, though no decision was made to do so. State and federal agencies also are studying sewer plant discharges and fish in streams near New York City's upstate water supplies.

There has been no similar outcry in the Rochester area or in Albany. "It's not in drinking water," declared Jeffrey Hammond, spokesman for the state Department of Health, which oversees drinking-water supplies in New York. He added that the department sees no need for testing to verify that declaration, though health officials are attending meetings on the topic.

People should have no concerns about consuming tap water, said Hammond and other experts.

EPA officials said the agency is involved in various studies and surveys to assess the potential environmental and health impacts of pharmaceuticals.

"We're clearly concerned and looking at the issue," said Suzanne Rudzinski, deputy director of science and technology in the EPA's Office of Water. The question of whether new regulations are coming "is a hard one to answer."

She said the agency currently is accepting public comments on possible additions to EPA's list of contaminants for which water supplies must be screened. Virtually no pharmaceuticals are on the list, but Rudzinski said that could change if scientists, environmental groups and others make a case for their inclusion.

In the meantime, the EPA is encouraging drinking-water purveyors to test their supplies voluntarily and report the results to consumers. But as Rudzinski and others noted, some see a disincentive to do that: If a water agency informs the public that it's found traces of drugs in its supply, no standards are in place by which people can judge whether those traces constitute a health concern.

'Million-dollar question'

Meanwhile, experts say that many lakes and streams likely contain antibiotics, hormones or other pharmaceuticals. But in many cases the concentrations might be so low — a few parts per billion, say, or even a few parts per trillion — that only the most sensitive instruments could detect them. Whether trace amounts of antibiotics or hormones reach consumers who drink from those waters, and whether that does any harm, remain open questions.

"I think the real worry is not that any one glass of water is going to dose you with something that ... could be potentially harmful. It's the chronic exposure to low levels. There's no data, no knowledge anywhere, of what the chronic effects of very low levels of estrogens are over a lifetime," said James Ryan, a biology professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges who found possible traces of that human hormone in two creeks that feed Seneca Lake.

The degree of testing and research on pharmaceuticals in upstate New York water supplies has been limited in part by lack of funding and top-notch lab equipment.

"There should be funds put into capacity-building to look at these issues. Nobody is doing it," said Joseph Makarewicz, distinguished professor of environmental science and biology at the State University College at Brockport.

His own search for pharmaceuticals in Lake Ontario and near Conesus Lake, like Ryan's work at Seneca Lake, was hobbled by a lack of sophisticated analytical equipment.

Experts say metropolitan Rochester's two main water sources — Lake Ontario, the enormous volume of which dilutes pollutants, and Hemlock Lake, which is carefully protected — are not immune to the problem but also are unlikely to have appreciable levels of pharmaceuticals in most locations. Anything that might be present probably does not reach consumers, they say.

"After going through treatment, through carbon filtration, it's pretty much gone," said Diana S. Aga, a chemistry professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo whose work focuses in part on the environmental fate of pharmaceuticals.

Her lab at UB found antibiotics in wastewater being discharged from several Buffalo-area sewage plants but detected none in drinking water drawn from Lake Erie.

In most communities, the primary sources of environmental pharmaceuticals are people who take prescription or over-the-counter drugs and excrete some portion of them in urine and feces. That waste goes to sewage treatment plants, which are not required to test or treat their discharges for pharmaceuticals.

These releases, as well as other sources of pharmaceuticals in lakes and rivers, have had documented effects on fish and other wildlife. Environmental releases of antibiotics also can create resistant bacteria in the wild. Scientists have detected antibiotic-resistant bacteria at beaches and in male perch "feminized" by exposure to pharmaceuticals or similar substances in the Canadian waters of Lake Ontario.

"It's pretty well documented there are some strange things going on there that are probably due to these substances," Makarewicz said.

But are people being affected as well? "That's the million-dollar question," said Makarewicz. "Frankly, nobody really knows."

Three lakes, one test

Of the two main water supplies for Rochester, one has been tested — once — for pharmaceuticals.

That was Hemlock Lake, the largely undeveloped Finger Lake that has been a source of Rochester drinking water for more than 130 years.

In 2001, city officials asked the U.S. Geological Survey to test Hemlock water for prescription drugs and other unregulated chemicals. No pharmaceuticals were found.

"One sample is better than nothing. We thought that the city was very progressive back then," said David Eckhardt, a USGS hydrogeologist in Ithaca.

City officials, who have no plans for further tests, say the nature of Hemlock and neighboring Canadice Lake helps to protect them.

Rochester owns 7,100 acres of undeveloped land around the two lakes in Livingston and Ontario counties. The lakes' watershed has no large residential developments and only a scattering of private homes that use septic tanks to handle household waste.

One small municipal wastewater treatment facility discharges into Springwater Creek, which flows into Hemlock's southern end. There are some farms in the watershed, though it isn't clear whether any of them use antibiotics on their animals, another potential source.

"The good news is that our source is in much better shape than most would be for this particular problem, if it is a problem," said Dale Kriewall, the city's manager of water production.

The area's other large water system, operated by the Monroe County Water Authority, draws upon Lake Ontario.

While two Monroe County wastewater plants and numerous others discharge treated sewage into the lake, its size dilutes contaminants: At more than 400 trillion gallons, Ontario is the 14th-largest freshwater lake in the world.

In addition, the water authority's Shoremont treatment plant in Greece, like the city's at Hemlock Lake, uses activated charcoal filters, which are "generally effective against this class of chemical," said Richard Metzger, the authority's director of production and transmission.

The Shoremont plant is one of about 15 facilities nationwide taking part in a study to assess how well their carbon filtration systems remove pharmaceuticals and other contaminants.

The authority currently has no plans to test its water regularly for their presence. In part, that's because the EPA has not developed standard methodology to test for pharmaceuticals in drinking water, Metzger said. Those protocols are crucial so that results are reliable and comparable from one water supply to the next.

Once they're available, labs must acquire the right equipment and be certified as capable of doing the work.

Then there's the question of what the results would mean. "Just because you can find it doesn't mean it's bad," Metzger said.

Research must be done on possible human health effects, and, if needed, legal limits must be set for drugs in drinking water. "A lot of that has to come together with EPA," Metzger said.

The federal agency also must step in on the wastewater front, said officials at Monroe County's Pure Waters Division, which operates the sewage treatment system.

A few months ago, the EPA finalized a standard methodology for testing wastewater for pharmaceuticals, though it has issued no rules for when testing must be done or what should be looked for. Pure Waters officials are starting to learn about the testing regimen, though they're not sure when it would be used, said Drew Smith, technical director of the Pure Waters environmental laboratory.

Several hundred pharmaceutical compounds could become subject to regulation. "Which ones of those do we test for? We don't know. We're kind of guessing at this point," Smith said.

Federal rules require some industrial companies to remove harmful constituents from their wastewater before dumping it into the sewer system, but the regulations do not cover pharmaceuticals. Because of that, Pure Waters operators do not know what types or quantities of drugs are entering their system from larger customers.

That is the case with UCB, a Belgian company that operates a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant on Jefferson Road in Henrietta. A company spokeswoman said the plant makes seven products ranging from cough suppressants to therapies for hypertension and epilepsy.

The spokeswoman, Antje Witte, did not respond when asked if any pharmaceutical residues enter the sewer system at the plant.

The area's two largest hospitals, Strong Memorial and Rochester General, do not voluntarily pretreat sewer discharges to remove pharmaceuticals excreted by patients. Lori Barrette, a spokeswoman for Strong, pointed out that quantities in the wastewater from any one hospital would be a small fraction of all the prescription drugs flushed down toilets and sinks in the community as a whole.

Both hospitals employ companies that remove unused, expired drugs and dispose of them properly.

Source: DemocratandChronicle.com

UMass Dartmouth hopes to turn water's power into energy

UMass Dartmouth wants to lure renewable energy companies to the region by offering an offshore site for testing ways to convert the power of water into electricity.

The university would offer innovators the means for testing prototypes without going through expensive regulatory hurdles. The planned site, Muskeget Channel located between Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, would already have the necessary permits, as well as underwater cables available to transit power created by the prototypes.

The initiative is a collaboration between two UMD institutions: the Advanced Technology & Manufacturing Center in Fall River and the School for Marine Science and Technology in New Bedford.

The regulatory process represents 70 percent of costs for doing tests in the ocean, said John Miller, director of operations at the ATMC.

"You have to spend $5 (million) to $10 million, and no one is going to do that just for a test generator," Mr. Miller said. A pre-permitted site "would allow people to get generators in the water for a lot less money."

The proposal would offer opportunities for onshore and in-water testing of wave, tidal, current and offshore wind renewable energy projects.

The town of Edgartown, a partner in the effort, already received federal approval for tidal power generation. The next step is to win approval for other types of renewable energy. Edgartown officials hope to be able to use marine power to meet their needs, Mr. Miller said.

Currently, a tidal and wave energy test site in Scotland is the only one of its kind, he said.

One example of such technology is generators that turn tidal currents into power with a spinning turbine at or near the floor of the ocean.

The project could turn the region into a hotbed for research and testing of marine renewable energy and, in turn, encourage businesses to stay when it comes time to manufacture and market their inventions, the initiative's leaders said.

"A city like New Bedford could become a real hub for the future deployment of these technologies," Mr. Miller said.

That could give SouthCoast a boost in the long run.

"This could become a significant source of economic growth for this specific region," said Dr. Brian Howes, director of the coastal systems program at SMAST.

The plans include a consortium of interested parties — including businesses, local governments and environmental groups — to guide the project, and a clean energy laboratory at the ATMC for additional testing, Mr. Miller said.

The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's Renewable Energy Trust Fund awarded $250,000 for the proposal, which will help with the early stages.

The project's leaders are laying the groundwork to access federal funding for such initiatives, Mr. Miller said. Asked about costs, he said a planned wave test site in Ireland has a price tag of $25 million.

He anticipates it will take two to three years before testing can start.

Once the test site is completed, UMass Dartmouth would charge companies for its use, university spokesman John Hoey said.

SMAST is lending its expertise, both for the development of the site and, eventually, users of the site. It will take measurements at the site, test the currents and make sure there is no potential harm to the environment, Dr. Howes said.

When developers are testing prototypes, SMAST will help evaluate the technology. For example, if someone is testing an underwater turbine, SMAST's researchers could study the current to determine the potential for electrical production, Dr.