News

The recent European Union chemicals strategy for sustainability aims to ensure that chemicals make a positive contribution to society without harming the environment and people’s health. A European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, published today, describes key approaches to make chemicals and products safe and sustainable by design, before they enter the market.

Read more

What is pollution and how does it affect us and the environment? Europe is taking action to reduce pollution and, as part of the European Green Deal, the European Commission put forward a zero-pollution ambition for Europe. A new European Environment Agency (EEA) report, published today, looks at the pollution challenge in Europe from different angles as well as opportunities to clean up and prevent pollution.

Read more

People and the environment are exposed to a wide variety of extremely persistent chemicals known as PFAS, many of which are known to be toxic. A briefing by the European Environment Agency, published today, presents an overview of these chemicals, which continue to accumulate in people and the environment.

Read more

Despite successes in addressing some of the most hazardous chemicals, more attention is needed to address the danger posed by the 'cocktail effect' of lower concentrations of chemicals in European lakes, rivers and other surface water bodies, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) report released today.

Read more

Europe continues to make progress in phasing out chemicals which damage the ozone layer according to a new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA). The report considers the use of more than 200 chemicals controlled by the Montreal Protocol and EU legislation.

Read more

Chemicals which damage the ozone layer continue to be phased out in the European Union, according to the latest data from the European Environment Agency (EEA).

Read more

Europeans live longer and healthier lives than in the past, partly due to successful environmental policies that have reduced the exposure to harmful environmental contaminants in air, water and food, according to a new report. However, these contaminants are still a problem, and several new health risks are emerging, for example, from new chemicals, new products and changing lifestyle patterns.

Read more

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.

Read more

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.

Read more

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.

Read more

Europe has made significant progress in phasing out chemicals which damage the ozone layer, according to a report from the European Environment Agency (EEA). The report considers production and use of more than 200 chemicals which damage the planet’s ozone layer, which are controlled by the Montreal Protocol and EU legislation.

Read more

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).

Read more

Hazardous substances in fresh and marine water can harm aquatic life and pose a risk to human health, according to a new report published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA). The report notes that while European legislation to address the issue is relatively strong, new challenges exist including ‘emerging pollutants’ where potential effects are not yet fully understood. More effort is also needed to ensure that chemicals are produced and used more sustainably.

Read more

Emissions of sulphur (SOx) have been reduced by almost 70 % since 1990, says a new report recently released by the European Environment Agency (EEA). The report, 'Annual European Community LRTAP Convention emission inventory report 1990–2005' also shows that levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx), as reported by the EU-27 Member States, are down by 35 %.

Read more