http://www.eea.europa.eu These are the search results for the query, showing results 1 to 15. http://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/neonicotinoid-pesticides-are-a-huge?utm_source=EEASubscriptions&utm_medium=RSSFeeds&utm_campaign=Generic The European Commission has decided to ban three neonicotinoid insecticides. These chemicals can harm honeybees, according to a large body of scientific evidence, so the European Environment Agency (EEA) commends the precautionary decision to ban them. No publisher girliar pesticides chemicals bees neonicotinoid 2013-05-02T09:35:00+02:00 Highlight http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/hazardous-substances-in-marine-organisms/hazardous-substances-in-marine-organisms-3?utm_source=EEASubscriptions&utm_medium=RSSFeeds&utm_campaign=Generic The concentrations were generally Low or Moderate for HCB and lindane, Moderate for cadmium, mercury and lead, and Moderate or High for PCB and DDT. A general downward trend was found in the Northeast Atlantic for lead, lindane, PCB and DDT and also in the Baltic Sea and Mediterranean Sea for lindane. A general upward trend was found in the Mediterranean Sea for mercury and lead. No publisher alec MAR marine and coastal MAR001 water chemicals sea coast_sea hazardous substance 2013-03-26T12:11:45+02:00 Indicator Assessment http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/late-lessons-2/part-a-lessons-from-health-hazards?utm_source=EEASubscriptions&utm_medium=RSSFeeds&utm_campaign=Generic Part A commences with an analysis of 'false positives' showing that these are few and far between as compared to false negatives and that carefully designed precautionary actions can stimulate innovation, even if the risk turns out not to be real or as serious as initially feared. No publisher jaeglmar pesticides chemicals cancer DBCP 2013-01-30T11:30:00+01:00 Page http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/late-lessons-2/late-lessons-chapters/late-lessons-ii-chapter-10?utm_source=EEASubscriptions&utm_medium=RSSFeeds&utm_campaign=Generic No publisher kobosnic late lessons II chemicals precautionary principle endocrine disruption risk assessment 2013-01-30T11:05:00+01:00 File http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/late-lessons-2/late-lessons-chapters/late-lessons-ii-chapter-6?utm_source=EEASubscriptions&utm_medium=RSSFeeds&utm_campaign=Generic No publisher kobosnic late lessons II health effects chemicals hazardous substance policy-making 2013-01-30T11:05:00+01:00 File http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/late-lessons-2/late-lessons-chapters/late-lessons-ii-chapter-5?utm_source=EEASubscriptions&utm_medium=RSSFeeds&utm_campaign=Generic No publisher kobosnic late lessons II mercury chemicals heavy metals health effects 2013-01-30T11:05:00+01:00 File http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/late-lessons-2/late-lessons-chapters/late-lessons-ii-chapter-4?utm_source=EEASubscriptions&utm_medium=RSSFeeds&utm_campaign=Generic No publisher kobosnic late lessons II chemicals freshwater pollution health 2013-01-30T11:05:00+01:00 File http://www.eea.europa.eu/pressroom/newsreleases/the-cost-of-ignoring-the?utm_source=EEASubscriptions&utm_medium=RSSFeeds&utm_campaign=Generic New technologies have sometimes had very harmful effects, but in many cases the early warning signs have been suppressed or ignored. The second volume of Late Lessons from Early Warnings investigates specific cases where danger signals have gone unheeded, in some cases leading to deaths, illness and environmental destruction. No publisher girliar early warning endocrine disruption cancer climate change invasive alien species chemicals health mobile phone nuclear 2013-01-23T00:05:00+01:00 Press Release http://www.eea.europa.eu/pressroom/newsreleases/eea-reviews-new-findings-from?utm_source=EEASubscriptions&utm_medium=RSSFeeds&utm_campaign=Generic Europe needs to work harder to protect its water resources from increasing pressures. This was one of the messages that emerged during 2012, ‘European Year of Water’. The European Environment Agency (EEA) also presented important findings in many other areas, including air, climate, biodiversity and chemicals. No publisher girliar water climate change chemicals protected areas air 2012-12-27T11:55:00+01:00 Highlight http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/eea32-persistent-organic-pollutant-pop-emissions-1/assessment-2?utm_source=EEASubscriptions&utm_medium=RSSFeeds&utm_campaign=Generic EEA-32 emissions of a number of compounds categorised as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have decreased between 1990 and 2010, including hexachlorobenzene (HCB) by 91%, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) by 93%, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by 74%, dioxins & furans by 83%, and poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by 52%. While the majority of individual countries report that POP emissions have fallen during this period, a number report that increases in emissions of one or more pollutants have occurred. In 2010, the most significant sources of emissions for these POPs included the sectors 'Commercial, institutional and households' (11% of HCB, 37% of dioxins and furans, 18% of PCB emissions) and 'Industrial processes' (70% of HCB, 66% of HCH, 28% of PCBs). Important emission sources of PAH include residential combustion processes (open fires, coal and wood burning for heating purposes etc.), industrial metal production processes, and the road transport sector. Emissions from these sources have all declined since 1990 as a result of decreased residential use of coal, improvements in abatement technologies for metal refining and smelting, and stricter regulations on emissions from the road transport sector. Environmental context: Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are chemical substances that persist in the environment, have potential for biomagnification through the food web, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment. This group of substances includes unintentional by-products of industrial processes (such as PAHs, dioxins and furans) pesticides (such as DDT) and industrial chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). All share the property of being progressively accumulated higher up the food chain, such that bioaccumulation in lower organisms to relatively low concentrations can expose higher consumer organisms, including humans, to potentially harmful concentrations. In humans they are also of concern for human health because of their toxicity, their potential to cause cancer and their ability to cause harmful effects at low concentrations. Their relative toxic/carcinogenic potencies are compound specific, but in general the major concerns are centred on their possible role in causing cancer, neurobehavioral, immunological and reproductive disorders. More recently concern has also been expressed over their possible harmful effects on human development. No publisher adamsma1 POPs persistent organic pollutants APE006 assessment12 industry dioxin polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons air HCB PCB chemicals air emissions furan PAH HCH pollution APE 2012-12-20T18:45:31+02:00 Indicator Assessment http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/eea32-heavy-metal-hm-emissions-1/assessment-2?utm_source=EEASubscriptions&utm_medium=RSSFeeds&utm_campaign=Generic Across the EEA-32 countries, emissions of lead have decreased by 89%, mercury by 63% and cadmium by 60% between 1990 and 2010. For each substance, the most significant sources in 2010 are from energy-related fuel combustion, particularly from public power and heat generating facilities, and from industrial facilities. Much progress has been made since the early 1990s in reducing point source emissions of cadmium and lead (e.g. emissions from industrial facilities). This has been achieved through improvements in, for example, abatement technologies for wastewater treatment, incinerators and in metal refining and smelting industries, and in some countries by the closure of older industrial facilities as a consequence of economic re-structuring. In the case of mercury, the observed decrease in emissions may be largely attributed to improved controls on mercury cells used in industrial processes (e.g. in the chlor-alkali process) including the replacement of old mercury cells by diaphragm or membrane cells, and the general decline of coal use across Europe as a result of fuel switching. The promotion of unleaded petrol within the EU and in other EEA member countries through a combination of fiscal and regulatory measures has been a particular success story. EU Member States have completely phased out the use of leaded petrol, a goal that was regulated by Directive 98/70/EC. From being the largest source of lead emissions in 1990, when it contributed around 75% of the EEA-32 total for lead, emissions from the road transport sector have decreased by nearly 99%. Nevertheless, the road transport sector still remains an important source of lead, contributing around 10% of total lead emissions in the EEA-32 region. However since 2002 little progress has been made in reducing emissions further; 98% of the total reduction from 1990 emissions of lead had been achieved by 2002. Environmental context: Heavy metals (such as cadmium, lead and mercury) are recognised as being toxic to biota. All are prone to biomagnification, i.e. being progressively accumulated higher up the food chain, such that bioaccumulation in lower organisms at relatively low concentrations can expose higher consumer organisms, including humans, to potentially harmful concentrations. In humans they are also of direct concern because of their toxicity, their potential to cause cancer and their potential ability to cause harmful effects at low concentrations. The relative toxic/carcinogenic potencies of heavy metals are compound specific, but exposure to heavy metals has been linked with developmental retardation, various cancers and kidney damage. Metals are persistent throughout the environment, and cadmium, lead and mercury are among those heavy metals that are already a focus of international and EU action. These substances tend not just to be confined to a given geographical region, and thus are not always open to effective local control. For example, in the case of cadmium, much is found in fine particles which do not readily dry-deposit, and therefore have long residence times in the atmosphere and are subject to long-range transport processes. No publisher adamsma1 mercury lead APE005 industry assessment12 air chemicals cadmium air emissions heavy metal pollution APE 2012-12-20T18:37:21+02:00 Indicator Assessment http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/the-impacts-of-endocrine-disrupters?utm_source=EEASubscriptions&utm_medium=RSSFeeds&utm_campaign=Generic Rates of endocrine diseases and disorders, such as some reproductive and developmental harm in human populations, have changed in line with the growth of the chemical industry, leading to concerns that these factors may be linked. For example, the current status of semen quality in the few European countries where studies have been systematically conducted, is very poor: fertility in approximately 40 % of men is impaired. There is also evidence of reproductive and developmental harm linked to impairments in endocrine function in a number of wildlife species, particularly in environments that are contaminated by cocktails of chemicals that are in everyday use. Based on the human and wildlife evidence, many scientists are concerned about chemical pollutants being able to interfere with the normal functioning of hormones, so-called endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), that could play a causative role in these diseases and disorders. If this holds true, then these 'early warnings' signal a failure in environmental protection that should be addressed. No publisher Academy of Finland EDC endocrine disruption cancer chemicals hormones neurodevelopmental disorder fertility 2012-05-10T15:00:00+02:00 Publication http://www.eea.europa.eu/pressroom/newsreleases/increase-in-cancers-and-fertility?utm_source=EEASubscriptions&utm_medium=RSSFeeds&utm_campaign=Generic Chemicals which disrupt the hormone system – also known as 'endocrine disrupting chemicals' (EDCs) – may be a contributing factor behind the significant increases in cancers, diabetes and obesity, falling fertility, and an increased number of neurological development problems in both humans and animals, according to a review of recent scientific literature commissioned by the European Environment Agency (EEA). No publisher girliar chemicals endocrine disruption neurodevelopmental disorder cancer hormones 2012-05-10T15:00:00+02:00 Press Release http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/eea32-persistent-organic-pollutant-pop-emissions-1/assessment-1?utm_source=EEASubscriptions&utm_medium=RSSFeeds&utm_campaign=Generic EEA-32 emissions of a number of compounds categorised as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), have decreased between 1990 and 2009 – e.g. hexachlorobenzene (HCB, by 92%), hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH, by 85%), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs, by 75%), dioxins & furans (by 83%), and poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, by 61%). While the majority of countries report that POPs emissions have fallen during this period, a number do report that increased emissions have occurred. In 2009, the most significant sources of emissions for these POPs included the ‘Commercial, institutional and households’ (10% of HCB, 32% of dioxins and furans, 16% of PCBs) and ‘Industrial processes’ (70% of HCB, 32% of HCH, 27% of PCBs) sectors. Important emission sources of PAH, include residential combustion processes (open fires, coal and wood burning for heating purposes etc), industrial metal production processes, and the road transport sector. Emissions from these sources have all declined since 1990 as a result of decreased residential use of coal, improvements in abatement technologies for metal refining and smelting, and stricter regulations on emissions from the road transport sector. Environmental context: Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are chemical substances that persist in the environment, have potential to bioaccumulate through the food web, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment. This group of substances includes unintentional by-products of industrial processes (such as PAHs, dioxins and furans) pesticides (such as DDT), and industrial chemicals (such as polychlorinated biphenyls, PCBs). All share the property of being progressively accumulated higher up the food chain, such that chronic exposure of lower organisms to much lower concentrations can expose predatory organisms, including humans and wildlife, to potentially harmful concentrations. In humans they are also of concern for human health because of their toxicity, their potential to cause cancer and their ability to cause harmful effects at low concentrations. Their relative toxic/carcinogenic potencies are compound specific. POPs have also been shown to possess a number of toxicological properties. The major concern is often centred on their possible role in carcinogenic, immunological and reproductive effects but more recently concern has also been expressed over their possible harmful effects on human development. No publisher adamsma1 HCB persistent organic pollutants APE006 industry dioxin polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons air POPs PAH chemicals APE2011 air emissions furan PCB assessment11 HCH pollution APE 2011-12-21T15:00:00+02:00 Indicator Assessment http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/eea32-heavy-metal-hm-emissions-1/assessment-1?utm_source=EEASubscriptions&utm_medium=RSSFeeds&utm_campaign=Generic Across the EEA-32 countries, emissions of lead have decreased by 91%, mercury by 68% and cadmium by 70% between 1990 and 2009. For each substance, the most significant sources in 2009 are from energy-related sources associated with fuel combustion, particularly from public power and heat generating facilities, and from industrial facilities. Much progress has been made since the early 1990s in reducing point source emissions of cadmium and lead (e.g. emissions from industrial facilities). This has been achieved through improvements in for example abatement technologies for wastewater treatment, incinerators and in metal refining and smelting industries, and in some countries by the closure of older industrial facilities as a consequence of economic re-structuring. In the case of mercury, the observed decrease in emissions may be largely attributed to improved controls on mercury cells used in industrial processes (e.g. in the chlor-alkali process) including the replacement of old mercury cells by diaphragm or membrane cells, and the general decline of coal use across Europe as a result of fuel switching. The promotion of unleaded petrol within the EU and in other EEA member countries through a combination of fiscal and regulatory measures has been a particular success story. EU Member States have for example completely phased out the use of leaded petrol, a goal that was regulated by Directive 98/70/EC. From being the largest source of lead in 1990 when it contributed around 73% of total emissions, emissions from the road transport sector decreased since then by nearly 99%. Nevertheless, the road transport sector still remains an important source of lead, contributing around 10% of total lead emission in the EEA-32 region. However since 2002 little progress has been made in reducing emissions further; 98% of the total reduction from 1990 emissions of lead had been achieved by 2002. Environmental context: Heavy metals (such as cadmium, lead and mercury) are recognised as being toxic to biota. All have the quality of being progressively accumulated higher up the food chain, such that chronic exposure of lower organisms to much lower concentrations can expose predatory organisms, including humans, to potentially harmful concentrations. In humans they are also of direct concern because of their toxicity, their potential to cause cancer and their potential ability to cause harmful effects at low concentrations. The relative toxic/carcinogenic potencies of heavy metals are compound specific. Specifically, exposure to heavy metals has been linked with developmental retardation, various cancers and kidney damage. Metals are persistent throughout the environment, and cadmium, lead and mercury are among those heavy metals that are already a focus of international and EU action. These substances tend not just to be confined to a given geographical region, and thus are not always open to effective local control. For example, in the case of cadmium, much is found in fine particles which do not readily dry deposit, rather having long residence times in the atmosphere and hence are subject to long-range transport processes. No publisher adamsma1 mercury assessment11 APE2011 lead APE005 industry air chemicals cadmium air emissions heavy metal pollution APE 2011-12-21T15:00:00+02:00 Indicator Assessment