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Environmental�News

Researchers at the College ofWil-liam & Mary’s Virginia Instituteof Marine Science (VIMS) have

found high levels of alkylphenols inbiosolids derived from severalwastewater treatment facilitiesacross the United States. Despitetheir toxicity and ability to disruptthe endocrine system, alkylphenolswere not examined by the U.S. EPAin 1993 when it developed regula-tions for applying sewage sludgeonto agricultural fields. The pres-ence of these and other toxic com-pounds recently found in sewagesludge, such as brominated flameretardants and pharmaceuticals,has some scientists saying it’s timefor EPA to reexamine the issue.

Applying sewage sludge ontoagricultural fields is an inexpensiveway for wastewater treatmentplants to dispose of their waste, andat the same time, recycle valuablenutrients. Sewage sludge, however,contains a myriad of toxic chemi-cals and microbial pathogens, andonly a handful of them are regulat-ed. EPA has established limits forsome heavy metals and pathogensin sludge applied to land, and itplans to set limits for the dioxin-like compounds. But in general,U.S. limits are less strict than thosein Europe and cover far fewer com-pounds (Environ. Sci. Technol.2000, 34, 430A–435A).

EPA’s 1993 legislation for man-aging sewage sludge is based onthe National Sewage SludgeSurvey conducted in 1988, whichdid not examine several contami-nants in biosolids that are now ofconcern, says Mark La Guardia,who along with Robert Hale andcolleagues at VIMS, reportednonylphenol levels as high as 887mg/kg (dry weight) in U.S.biosolids destined for land appli-

cation (Environ. Sci. Technol.2001, 35, 4798–4804).

In the nonylphenol study, theVIMS researchers analyzed a totalof 11 biosolids, including 3 distrib-uted for home garden usage. Thebiosolids were all derived from U.S.wastewater treatment plants andhad been stabilized by using eithercompost, lime (alkali), heat, oranaerobic digestion techniques.Nine of the samples exceeded thecurrent Danish limit by 6–33 times.The European Union has estab-lished a limit of 50 mg/kg for totalnonylphenol and its mono- anddiethoxylates in biosolids, butDenmark has an even stricter limitof 30 mg/kg and intends to lowerthat limit to 10 mg/kg in 2002.Currently, there are no limits fornonylphenol and its ethoxylates inU.S. sludge.

Alkylphenol ethoxylates are usedas surfactants in a wide variety ofhousehold products, including

detergents, paints, pesticides, andpersonal care products. They areknown to degrade to more toxicand estrogenic alkylphenols duringwastewater treatment processes.Alkylphenols are more hydrophobicthan their parent compounds andtherefore tend to accumulate insewage sludge. Of all the alkylphe-nolic compounds, nonylphenol andits ethoxylates have generated themost environmental health con-cerns because they are the mostabundant. Octylphenol, however, isreportedly 10–20 times more estro-genic than nonylphenol.

Low levels of nonylphenol (8.3–85.6 µg/L) have been shown tocause endocrine-disrupting effectsin rainbow trout in laboratory stud-ies (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2001, 35,2909–2916), but there have been nofield studies showing that biosolidscontaining high levels of alkylphe-nols and their ethoxylates causedeleterious effects to health or theenvironment when applied to agri-cultural lands, says Ellen Harrison,director of the Cornell Waste Man-agement Institute. Consequently,EPA has not shown much interest

Alkylphenols in sewage sludgeapplied to land

Researchers have detected nonylphenol in biosolids derived from wastewatertreatment plants across the United States. Eleven biosolids were collected prior toland application and were stabilized by either anaerobic digestion (AD), compost,heat, or lime techniques.

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At odds over PBDEsEuropean lawmakers appear to beat odds over what to do aboutpolybrominated diphenyl ether(PBDE) flame retardants. TheEuropean Environment Council atthe end of September unanimouslyoverturned a European Parliamentvote to ban nearly all PBDEs. Nowthe ban returns to Parliament for asecond reading.

PBDEs are used as flameretardants in computers, TVsets, and cars. They are con-sidered emerging contami-nants of concern because oftheir widespread use in con-sumer products, persistence,and evidence that somePBDEs bioaccumulate andexert toxic effects at low lev-els (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2000,34(9), 223A).

The Sept. 6 vote by Parliamentto ban nearly all PBDE flame retar-dants, including octa-BDE anddeca-BDE, came as a surprise. TheParliament approved the EuropeanCommission (EC) proposal to banpenta-BDE. But the lawmakers’ ac-tion, based on the precautionaryprinciple, to ban octa- and deca-BDE disregarded EC advice.European Union risk assessmentsfor octa- and deca-BDE have notyet been completed.

The lawmakers agreed thatocta-BDE and penta-BDE shouldbe banned from use and importa-tion by July 1, 2003. Deca-BDEshould be banned by January 1,2006, unless risk assessment re-sults demonstrate that this is un-necessary.

Toxic mold taken to taskWith the adoption of the ToxicMold Protection Act in October,California became the first U.S.state to address public health risksfrom mold in residential and com-mercial buildings.

Elevated levels of mold spores

Governmenin setting limits for alkylphenols insludge, she says.

Field studies have shown noadverse effects of alkylphenols insludge applied to land on earth-worms, insects, and birds, saysCharles Staples, a private consul-tant with Assessment Technologies,who has worked closely with theAlkylphenols & Ethoxylates Re-search Council, an industry groupcomposed of manufacturers, pro-cessors, users, and suppliers ofalkylphenols and their ethoxylates.“Insects, in fact, thrived on sludgecontaining natural levels of nonyl-phenol and other toxic organiccompounds. The nutrients in thesludge overwhelmed any kind ofadverse effects on the insects thatmay have been seen,” he says.

Some believe there is no need toregulate alkylphenols in sludgeapplied to land because under aer-obic conditions, the compoundstend to degrade in about a month.“But once conditions go anaerobic,alkylphenols become much morepersistent,” says Andrew Johnson ofthe U.K.’s Centre for Ecology andHydrology in Oxfordshire. Becauseof their hydrophobicity, however,alkylphenols will not be very

mobile. “On the whole, alkylphe-nols stick well to soil,” saysJohnson.

In laboratory experiments, theVIMS researchers subjected stabi-lized biosolids to EPA’s toxicity char-acteristic leaching procedure (EPAMethod 1311) and saw about 2% ofthe alkylphenols in the leachate. Ifthose biosolids had been applied toland, that 2% could have ended upin groundwater, they warn. “One ofthe ways wastewater treatmentplants take care of their sludges is toput them in lagoons. There has beengroundwater contamination ofnonylphenols. There is a potentialthat these compounds can come outof the biosolids in the field and getinto groundwater,” says La Guardia.

Recognizing that in the future,it may need to look at additionalchemicals and pathogens in sludgeapplied to land, EPA has asked aNational Academy of Sciences com-mittee to review the science behindits risk assessment. One of thecommittee’s charges is to examineEPA’s approach for identifying rele-vant chemical pollutants in sludge.The committee is expected to com-plete its review by summer 2002.—BRITT E. ERICKSON

A national database has been createdto track pollution resulting from theWorld Trade Center (WTC) collapseon Sept. 11. The collected data arebeing used to inform federal agen-cies’ response on environmentalsampling, analysis, and interpreta-tion for NewYork City over the shortterm, but the data are also expectedto provide information on how tobetter respond to future incidents.

“We’ll be doing a trend analysis,”says BobWilliams of the U.S. Agencyfor Toxic Substances and DiseaseRegistry. “Rather than looking atindividual days, which is how thedata [are] being used now, we’ll lookacross weeks and months to see ifthere are any statistically significantchanges” in pollution levels.

This will include a long-term

surveillance program administeredby the National Institute ofOccupational Safety and Healthand the New York Department ofHealth surveying the WTC cleanupworkers. Moreover, the U.S. Centersfor Disease Control and Preventionis working with the city to developa needs assessment for residentsand office workers returning to thearea, looking at what contaminantsare present, what these populationgroups may have been exposed to,and how they may have beenexposed, according to Williams.

Data going into the central data-base primarily involve asbestos andparticulate matter, but the monitor-ing stations surrounding therestricted area in lower Manhattanare also sampling for dioxins, poly-

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Environmental�News

chlorinated biphenyls, metals,radioactivity, and volatile organiccompounds, according toWilliams.Sampling will continue as long asthe cleanup operations are going on.

Of the hundreds of air, dust,water, sediment, drinking water,and sewage outfall samples takenimmediately outside the “groundzero” area in the days following theattacks, William says “we haven’tseen any elevated levels [of pollu-tion] that would give us alarm.”

However, an article in the NewYork Daily News recently reportedhigh levels of toxic substances in theair and soil around the WTC site.Citing internal government docu-ments obtained under a Freedomof Information Act request, the arti-cle noted that on certain days, ben-zene levels, for example, were high-er than government standards.

The Daily News article refers tosamples that were taken from thedebris pile, where continuing firesand dust are causing elevated levelsof contaminants, including ben-zene, dioxin, and sulfur dioxide,says EPA’s Mary Helen Cervantes inEPA’s Region 2 office. Elevated read-ings have been recorded in thebreathing zone, Cervantes adds,and consequently, the agency con-tinues to recommend that cleanupworkers wear protective respiratorygear.

State and city officials are alsobecoming increasingly concernedover residents and workers trying toreturn to their apartments andoffice buildings, the insides ofwhich are still covered in dust, nearthe WTC site. Sampling of the dustby the New York EnvironmentalLaw and Justice Project, a nonprofitpublic interest organization, foundlevels of asbestos more than doublethe 1% level that EPA considershazardous. Monona Rossol, anindustrial hygienist who consultedon the project, consequently con-tends that many of these buildingsmay need to be professionallycleaned before being reoccupied.

Federal agencies involved in theEnvironmental AssessmentWorking Group that is developingthe national database include theU.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency, Department of Health andHuman Services, and Departmentof Labor. New York’s Department ofHealth and Department ofEnvironmental Conservation arealso involved.

For results of day-to-day air andwater quality sampling, as well asinformation on the ongoingcleanup efforts, go to EPA’s Web siteat www.epa.gov/epahome/wtc orthe Occupational Safety and HealthAdministration site at www.osha.gov.KRIS CHRISTEN

GM pigs produce lessphosphorus wasteResearchers at the University ofGuelph in Ontario, Canada, reportproducing “Enviropigs,” the firstanimals genetically modified (GM)for environmental benefit. The pigsproduce manure with up to 75%less phosphorus, which should re-duce contaminant levels in runoffsto streams and rivers from nearbypig farms. Yet, some environmen-talists question if these transgenicanimals will really clean up factorypig farming.

Because swine cannot digestphytate, the most common form ofphosphorus in their feed, giant pigfarms that house thousands of pigsproduce tons of phosphorus-richwaste. Of the 100 million pigsslaughtered annually in the UnitedStates, each produces ~17.5 poundsof waste per day, according to U.S.EPA reports. The researchersattacked the phosphorus problemby introducing into pig embryos agene that combines an Escherichiacoli gene that produces phytase,the enzyme necessary to breakdown phytate, with a mouse salivagene. The engineered pigs digestphytate because they produce phy-tase in their saliva (Nat. Biotechnol.2001, 19, 741–745).

However, environmentalistsremain skeptical. Applying geneticengineering to clean up large-scalepig farming is “like using a screw-driver when a hammer is neededfor a nail,” says Jane Rissler, a

Anaerialview oftheW orldTradeCenterdisastersiteas seenonSeptember19,2001.

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UniversityofGuelphresearchersgeneti-callymodifiedthe“Enviropig”todigestphytate,themostcommonform ofphos-phorusinfeed.

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in indoor environments can in-crease the risk of adverse healtheffects, particularly respiratoryproblems, according to California’sDepartment of Health Services(DHS). Increasingly, mold growth isassociated with new buildings builtto conserve energy. In such build-ings, ventilation can be reducedand excessive moisture can accu-mulate behind insulation, accord-ing to Sen. Deborah Ortiz(D-Sacramento), who sponsoredthe legislation.

Currently, there are no federalor state standards or thresholdlimit values for airborne concentra-tions of mold contaminants.However, because molds can havedevastating health effects, such assevere asthma, and because thenumber of people who have beenexposed to molds is high, somepredict that molds will generatemore litigation than asbestos, ac-cording to staff in Ortiz’s office.

Once the DHS establishes per-missible exposure limits, thoseowning properties containing moldabove the limit must disclose thisbefore the property can be sold,leased, or rented.

Mining rules are underfireThe Bush administration’s amend-ments to hard rock mining rules is-sued under the Clintonadministration remove new author-ity for the Secretary of the InteriorDepartment to veto mine permitsthat cause substantial, irreparableharm to the environment or historicsites.

The new rules, finalized on Oct.30 (Fed. Regist. 66, 54,833), reflectrecommendations made in a 1999National Academy of Sciences re-port concluding that existing stateand federal laws do an adequatejob of protecting the environment,says Karen Batra, spokespersonfor the National Mining

Governmensenior scientist at the Union ofConcerned Scientists, a nonprofitbased in Washington, D.C. She isdubious that the Enviropig is themost sustainable answer, notingthat some farmers have overcomeeconomic and environmentalissues with traditional, low-techmethods on smaller-scale farmsthat serve niche organic markets.

John Robbins, an environmentalhealth consultant, likens Enviropigsto “cutting down smoking from twopacks a day to one-and-a-halfpacks a day.” He argues that theenvironment would still be dam-aged from the nitrogen andpathogens in pig waste.

Reduced operating cost is one ofthe main benefits that farmerscould reap from the Enviropig,because the pigs would not requireexpensive phosphorus supple-

ments. Pig farmers do care aboutreducing environmental burdensbut need to make a living, saysHelmuth Spreitzer, a Canadianfarmer who chairs the researchcommittee for Ontario Pork, anindustry group.

Spreitzer adds that commercial-ization, with all of its regulatoryhoops, is still a long way off.Researcher Cecil Forsberg reportsthat he and his colleagues are nowworking on “cousin-mating”—breeding pigs to have the usual twocopies of the modified gene, whichinsures all offspring produce phy-tase. He adds that a method togenetically modify chickens isalmost viable, which could alsolimit the phosphorus-laden wasteproduction on poultry farms.—RACHEL PETKEWICH

Two independent teams ofEuropean researchers are exploringtechniques that take advantage ofboth sound and noise to study at-mospheric water vapor.

Understanding water vapor dis-tribution in the atmosphere is criti-cal to predicting long-term climate

changes. However, water vapor hashistorically proven tricky to measure.

In the December 15 issue ofES&T (pp. 4881–4885), a team ofresearchers from the HungarianAcademy of Sciences; University ofSzeged (in Hungary); Institut fürChemie der Geosphäre, FZJ; and

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Sound techniques to measure atmosphericwater vapor


Environmental�NewsInstitut für Meterologie undKlimaforschung, FZK (both inGermany) reports the first real-timewater vapor measurements inchamber simulations of tropospher-ic and lower stratospheric condi-tions using diode-laser photo-acoustic (PA) detection. PA detec-tion, a spectroscopic method thatdetects sound waves emitted aftermolecules release energy from beingexcited by modulated laser light, isan established method to detectgases, but the tunable diode-lasercreates a much simpler scheme thancommonly used gas lasers, saysteam researcher Ulrich Schurath.

Lyman-α and frost point hygrom-eters have been used to detect watervapor but are more expensive, orsensitive to condensable vapors likenitric acid, or cannot be automati-cally calibrated.Water vapor detec-tion instruments for the upper tro-posphere and lower stratospheremust be able to make measurementsunattended in planes, says Schurath.The researchers are working onincreasing the sensitivity of the sys-tem by integrating a more powerfullaser and aim to run additional sim-ulation studies early in 2002, andthey express hope that their effortswill eventually lead to an automat-ed, practical, and low-cost instru-ment that is unaffected by interfer-ing vapors.

Meanwhile, researchers at theUniversity of Graz in Austria believethey are the first to combineground and space navigation datato model water concentrations inthe troposphere over different partsof the globe (J. Geophys. Res. 2001,106, 27,221–27,231). Their model isa first step in a strategy that com-bines spaceborne and ground-based Global Navigation SatelliteSystem (GNSS) data to make tro-pospheric measurements. GNSS iscomposed of the United States’Global Positioning System (GPS), asimilar system in Russia calledGLONASS, and the plannedEuropean system, GALILEO.

Used primarily for navigationand geodesy, the study of the earth’sshape and size, the L-band radiosignals transmitted from betweenGPS satellites and low-earth orbit

satellites or ground receivers aredelayed by atmospheric watervapor. “Precisely what the geode-sists separate as ‘atmospheric noise’is our water vapor signal,” explainsresearcher Gottfried Kirchengast.

On the basis of high-resolutionweather-analysis data from the

European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and real-istic error models, the researchersare confident that satellite datacould provide accurate results atlow cost where dense networks ofGPS receiver equipment alreadyexist. —RACHEL PETKEWICH

The new plan by Canada’s Ontarioprovince to allow transboundarytrades of smog pollution credits isincompatible with U.S. trading pro-grams and will actually make smogworse, charge environmental crit-ics. Taking effect January 1, 2002,the plan may also violate provisionsof an international treaty with theUnited States, according to officialswith Canada’s federal environmen-tal protection agency.

Announced on October 24, theprovincial government’s new regu-lation phases in limits on utilityemissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx )and sulfur dioxide and introducesan emissions trading program as anincentive to achieve pollution cuts,says Elizabeth Witmer, Ontario’senvironment minister.

The trading program is the firstin North America to allow trans-boundary exchanges of pollutioncredits and permits tradingbetween capped and uncappedsources in Ontario with 12 U.S.states and the District of Columbia.More than half of all smog-formingNOx in the northeastern UnitedStates comes from Ontario, and the

plan is expected to cut theprovince’s utility emissions by 53%by 2007, which translates to 20,000metric tons less NOx per year.

U.S. states are unlikely to join atransboundary emissions tradingmarket because Ontario cannotensure the integrity of its pollutionallowances, notes DeborahVanNijnatten, political scientist atWilfrid Laurier University inWaterloo, Ontario.

For instance, the U.S. EPA, in itsJune 2001 comments on Ontario’sdraft regulations, expressed con-cerns that the province was notrequiring continuous emissionsmonitors (CEMs) on each smoke-stack in the program. EPA requiresCEMs for all its trading programs toprovide accountability and datathat traders can trust, the com-ments made clear. EPA alsoexpressed concerns that the com-plexity of the program would makeit difficult to administer and incom-patible with U.S. trading programssuch as the acid rain program andthe Ozone Transport CommissionNOx budget trading program.

“Ontario’s pollution credits arephony,” charged Jack Gibbons,chair of the Ontario Clean AirAlliance, a coalition of environmen-tal groups. For example, the newregulations would allow a cappedOntario utility to purchase pollu-tion credits from a U.S. source thathad improved the efficiency of oneof its boilers but may haveincreased its total emissions. “Thenew regulations won’t help the U.S.;instead, they will make smogworse,” he says.

EPA does not allow U.S. compa-nies to purchase pollution allow-

TheU.S.EPA isnotlikelytorecognizetradesunderOntario’sschemebecauseitlackscontinuousemissionmonitoring.

Ontario launches controversial smogtrading program

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Association, a trade group.Environmental critics complain

that the new rules remove federalprotections for groundwater.Specifically, Bush dropped theClinton administration’s require-ment that mine companies mini-mize the impacts of pumping waterout of open-pit mines, says TomMyers, hydrologist with GreatBasin Mine Watch, a conservationgroup in Reno, Nev.

The groundwater pumpingdraws down the water table, dry-ing up streams, springs, and wellsused by people and livestock, ac-cording to Myers. Under theClinton rules, the Bureau of LandManagement (BLM) would haverequired the pumped water to bereturned to the aquifer. The newrules also revoke BLM’s authorityto protect groundwater qualitywhen issuing mining permits,Myers says. Now, BLM cannot actif it discovers acid or heavy metalpollution in groundwater beneathwaste rock piles or leaking tailingsimpoundments, he adds.

Great Basin Mine Watch joinedtwo other environmental groups tofile a lawsuit in federal districtcourt in Washington D.C. onNovember 23. The groups askedthe court to prevent the rules fromtaking effect.

EU floats CO2 trading planThe European Commission (EC)has proposed draft rules for aEuropean Union-wide carbon diox-ide emissions trading scheme tostart in 2005 as part its effort tomeet targets in the Kyoto Protocolon climate change.

The scheme’s first phase coversCO2 emissions from industrial andenergy activities affecting about4000−5000 large installations; chem-ical and waste incinerators are ex-empt. The EC plans to extend thescheme to other sectors and othergreenhouse gases in the future.

Overseen by an European Union

Governmen

The number of environmentalgroups in China has been risingrapidly during the past three years,according to experts in both theUnited States and China.

There are now 39 registered envi-ronmental nongovernmental orga-nizations (NGOs) in China, saysJennifer Turner, senior project associ-ate for China at theWoodrowWilsonCenter’s Environmental Change andSecurity Project. She acknowledgesthat the number seems relativelysmall, but stresses that not allgroups take the trouble to register.Additionally, students’ and women’sgroups have begun to take up envi-ronmental issues, she says.

Spawned by a 1998 law thatallows NGOs to register with thegovernment, the new groups playan important role because localenvironmental protection bureausoften have no power, Turner says.Prior to the official acceptance ofenvironmental groups, citizen mobssometimes destroyed polluting fac-

tories under cover of dark, she adds.The official tolerance of the new

NGOs is notable because protectingthe environment was traditionally

M aZhong,ofReminUniversityinChina’sSchoolofEnvironmentandNaturalResources,helpedtheBeijingEnvironmentandDevelopmentInstitute(BEDI)engineerChina’sfirstSO2 trade.

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ances from Canada, and even ifpurchases were allowed, U.S. com-panies would not buy Canadianallowances because they are notcredible, Gibbons says. Given thatOntario utilities must match U.S.NOx requirements in order to gainpermission to sell energy across theborder, it is surprising that theOntario government has not beenmore responsive to EPA’s criticismsof its trading program,VanNijnatten says.

Industry remains supportive ofthe program despite allegationsthat it may never result in a cross-border trade. Cap and trade pro-grams are complicated, andOntario’s utilities are pleased withthe approach taken by theprovince, says John Earl,spokesperson for Ontario PowerGeneration, the province’s publiclyowned electric company. Earl sayshe cannot respond to charges thatthe program is too complicated andcreates credits of dubious value.

The pollution limits for 15 ofsouthern Ontario’s power plants, set

at 37,638 tons of NOx annually (asNO2) in 2007, will help Canada meetits commitments under theDecember 2000 Ozone Annex to theCanada−United States Air QualityAgreement, says John Steele,spokesperson for the OntarioMinistry of the Environment.

The Annex stipulates that by 2007,these plants must cap their totalannual emissions of NOxat 39,000tons. Although Ontario’s emissionscap appears to more than meet thesecommitments, the province’s newprogram allows a capped powerplant to exceed its NOx pollutionallowance by up to 33% by purchas-ing pollution credits from anuncapped source, Gibbons explains.

But the Ozone Annex specificallystates that the NOx reductions mustcome from the capped utility sectoralone, says Environment Canada,the federal environmental protec-tion agency. The agency is con-cerned that the trading regime willexceed the treaty’s NOx cap, saysKelly Morgan, Environment Canadaspokesperson. —JANET PELLEY

Environmental groups forming in China


In November, the U.S. EPAannounced the identity of theHazardous Substance ResearchCenters (HSRCs) that will be head-quartered at five U.S. universitiesfor the next five years.The agency’s administra-tor, Christie Whitman,announced that theOffice of Solid Waste andEmergency Responseand Office of Research andDevelopment are awarding a totalof $22.5 million to the centers forbasic and applied research projects.

Established in 1989 under theSuperfund reauthorization act of1986, the centers receive fundingfor five years, after which they mustreapply for the grants, says MitchLasat of the agency’s National

Center for Environmental Research.Only one of the new centers thatare beginning operations in fiscalyear 2002 was headquartered at thesame university during the past five

years, the center atLouisiana StateUniversity (LSU) inBaton Rouge, La. A sec-ond center at OregonState University (OSU) inCorvallis, Ore., was previ-

ously associated with a center atStanford University.

Most of the HSRCs have tieswith other universities; this year, 17universities in addition to the fiveheadquarter universities willreceive some funding for hazardoussubstance research projects. Inaddition to EPA, the HSRCs are

funded by the U.S. Department ofEnergy, U.S. Department of De-fense, academia, and other stateand federal government agencies.

“The goal for these centers is forthem to become self-supporting,”Lasat says, although he was not awareif any of the centers that will nolonger be funded would continue toexist. However, most—but not all—ofthe universities not receiving fundingthis year will continue to receivesome grant money through theirassociations with the new centers. Forexample, Stanford University willcontinue to be actively involved withthe center now headquartered atOSU, says Perry McCarty, the Silas H.Palmer Professor Emeritus at Stan-ford’s Environmental Engineeringand Science Department.


Environmental�Newsthe responsibility of the government,which was “not willing to acceptopen dissent and direct oppositionto established projects or policies,”according to a report on the subjectby the U.S. Embassy in China.

The magnitude of the environ-mental problems that the countryfaces makes “discussion of environ-mental problems the only choice forChina,” says Liu Jianqiang ofTsinghua University’s Center forInternational CommunicationsStudies in Beijing. Although thecountry’s federal State EnvironmentalProtection Administration (SEPA) re-ports that the situation is improving,numerous studies show that Chinahas some of the world’s worst air pol-lution, and it faces severe water pol-lution, desertification, and farmlanddeterioration.

One of the boldest new environ-mental NGOs is the Center for LegalAssistance to Pollution Victims(CLAPV), Turner says. Headed bylegal expert Wang Canfa, the organi-zation’s goal is to help the increas-ing numbers of citizens harmed bypollution receive adequate com-pensation for their losses.

One of CLAPV’s current cases isa farmer from Inner Mongolia whoclaims that emissions from a near-by copper refinery damaged his

orchard. Although the ChinaForestry Science Institute’s investi-gation found that high levels of sul-fur dioxide, arsenic, and lead—thechemicals emitted when the refin-ery’s desulfurization equipmentbroke down—killed the trees, alower court did not rule in thefarmer’s favor. So CLAPV is helpingthe farmer appeal his case.

The Beijing Environment andDevelopment Institute (BEDI) isanother noteworthy group, Turnersays. In late September, BEDI engi-neered China’s first SO2 trade in thecity of Nantong, a new center oflight manufacturing. The effort,which is part of a collaborationwith Environmental Defense, aU.S.-based nonprofit, is part of apilot project to reduce emissionsfrom coal-burning boilers andpower plants in two very differentcities: Nantong and Benxi, an old-style center of heavy industry. Theproject has the influential backingof Ma Zhong, who heads the envi-ronmental science program at theRemin University in China.

Groups like BEDI and CLAPVhave achieved official status byworking within some burdensomelimitations, Turner says. Each ofChina’s environmental NGOs isrequired to be sponsored by a gov-

ernment agency, she explains, not-ing that the Chinese term for thatgovernment watchdog is “mother-in-law”. Only one group is allowedin each subject matter and jurisdic-tion, limits that are in place becauseChina wants to funnel foreigninvestments into its government-organized NGOs and SEPA’s researchcenters, she says.

One of the motivations for thesegroups to register with the govern-ment is to avoid “being hassled byofficials who might not like [their]work,” Turner says. Registeredgroups are also allowed to maintainofficial bank accounts, says DanDudek, an atmospheric policy spe-cialist with Environmental Defense.

Unlike BEDI and CLAPV, most ofthe newly formed environmentalNGOs are not tackling politicallysensitive issues like factory pollu-tion, hazardous waste, or dambuilding, Turner cautions. Instead,she says, they tend to focus on“soft” issues like environmentaleducation, recycling, nature aware-ness, and conservation. But bothDudek and Turner express confi-dence that the ranks of environ-mental NGOs will continue to growand that these groups will eventual-ly prove willing to stand up for moredifficult issues. —KELLYN S. BETTS

Hazardous substance research funding

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(EU) administrator, member stateswill issue annual allowances equalto each plant’s CO2 emissions, withthe government gradually reducingthe allowances over time.Companies can then buy and sellallowances within the EU. Everyyear, each company will surrenderallowances to match the preced-ing year’s emissions and will facepenalties for having insufficient al-lowances.

The EC expects that an EU-widescheme will prevent competitionproblems arising from national pro-grams.

Debate on the draft directivecould last several years before theEuropean Parliament and theCouncil of Ministers finally approveany legislation. EC also proposedthat member states should ratifythe Kyoto Protocol by June 2002.

GovernmenThe EPA Center for HazardousSubstances in Urban Environments,which will be headquartered atJohns Hopkins University inBaltimore, Md., will receive $5.2million. It will focus on detecting,assessing, and managing risks asso-ciated with the use and disposal ofhazardous substances in urban set-tings such as the abandoned indus-trial facilities known as brownfields.

The other four centers will inves-tigate how to remove contaminantsfrom the environment. The GreatLakes, Mid-Atlantic, and Great PlainsHazardous Substance ResearchCenter for Integrated RemediationUsing Managed Natural Systems, atPurdue University in West Lafayette,Ind., will receive $4.5 million tofocus on low-cost remediation tech-nologies like phytoremediation toremove contaminants and restoreecosystem quality.

OSU will be home to the WesternRegion Hazardous SubstanceResearch Center for Developing In-

Situ Processes for VOC Remediationin Groundwater and Soils. The cen-ter has been granted $4.5 million tofocus on subsurface technologieswith an emphasis on mathematicaland physical modeling.

Dealing with contaminated sed-iments is the continued focus ofthe South and Southwest Hazard-ous Substance Research Center,which has been headquartered atLSU since 1991. The center willreceive $4.5 million in additionalfunding.

The fifth center is the RockyMountain Hazardous SubstanceResearch Center for Remediation ofMine Waste Sites. Headquartered atColorado State University in FortCollins, Colo., it will receive $3.8million to improve methods forcleaning up environmental prob-lems such as the acid mining wastethat contaminates water bodies.

For more information about theHSRCs, go to http://es.epa.gov/ncer/centers/hsrc. —KELLYN S. BETTS


News �BriefsSweden comes the closest to sus-tainability in the first global as-sessment of sustainabledevelopment, according to rank-ings of 180 countries by The WorldConservation Union (IUCN). Six de-veloping countries—the DominicanRepublic, Belize, Guyana, Uruguay,Suriname, and Peru—made it intothe top 20. European Union coun-tries dominated the top 10, whereasCanada was 7th, Japan 24th, andthe United States ranked 27th. TheIUCN assessment covers a widerrange of human and ecological fac-tors than traditional yardsticks suchas the gross domestic product.Purchase a copy of TheWellbeing ofNations at www.eurospan.co.uk.

If the energy-efficiency and renew-able-energy policy recommenda-tions outlined by three nonprofitgroups in the Clean Energy Blue-print became U.S. federal law, theyclaim that natural gas and coal usewould be cut by 31% and 60%, re-spectively. Enacting the Blueprintwould also reduce carbon dioxideemissions by 60% and save con-sumers more than $440 billion be-tween 2002 and 2020, according tothe Union of Concerned Scientists,the American Council for anEnergy-Efficient Economy, andTellus Institute. Blueprint advocatesclaim the package would satisfy theeconomic freedom and environ-mental conscience of utilities andconsumers. The Blueprint is atwww.ucsusa.org/index.html.

Planes, trains, and automobilesneed to become more efficient,more equitable, and less environ-mentally disruptive, according to athree-year study by researchersfrom Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology (MIT) and CharlesRiver Associates. Sponsored by theWorld Business Council forSustainable Development in collab-oration with General Motors, Shell,and Toyota, the $11 million Mobility2001 report acknowledges that theworld’s mobility systems are “signif-icant contributors to . . . climatechange, resource exhaustion, publichealth problems . . . and ecosystemcollapse”. The report, which stresses

that rapidly rising vehicle emissionsin developing countries are impor-tant challenges, can be found atwww.wbcsd.org.

Rivers in England and Wales are asclean as they were before theIndustrial Revolution, according tothe Environment Agency ofEngland and Wales. The agencyfound a substantial improvement inthe “chemical quality” of rivers,with 94% of rivers rated good in2000, compared to 85% in 1990.Improvements can be partly attrib-uted to the water industry’s invest-ment in sewage treatment, says theagency. The Environment Agencyalso announced that a salmon wascaught in North England’s RiverMersey, the first in living memory.The survey is available atwww.environmentagency.gov.uk/yourenv/eff/water/river_qual/gqa2000.

The health of North America’slargest estuary, the ChesapeakeBay, declined between 2000 and2001 for the first time in manyyears, according to the nonprofitChesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF).The decline in the bay’s health istroubling for all coastal waterwaysbecause its restoration plans areconsidered models for coastal water-way recovery around the world, saysCBF in its fourth annual State of theBay Report. CBF documents that theblue crab population declined signif-icantly and that excess nitrogen,phosphorus, and sediment pollutioncontinue to degrade water clarityand block sunlight to underwatergrasses, choke fish, and smothershellfish. For a copy, go towww.cbf.org.

Lists of drinking water contami-nants for potential regulationshould be “more defensible andtransparent, and [their] develop-ment should take place with in-creased opportunities for publicinput and comment,” concludes a

U.S. National Research Council(NRC) panel. Their report evaluatesapproaches for generating futurecontaminant candidate lists, whichU.S. EPA is required to publishevery five years. The NRC panelalso recommends that EPA incorpo-rate the use of bioinformatics, ge-nomics, and proteomics inidentifying and assessing emergingwaterborne pathogens. ClassifyingDrinkingWater Contaminants forRegulatory Consideration is atwww.nap.edu/catalog/10080.html.

Environmental factors that maycontribute to childhood autismand behavioral problems are thefocus of four new children’s envi-ronmental health research centersannounced by National Institute ofEnvironmental Health Sciences(NIEHS) and U.S. EPA. Each centerwill receive a total of $5 millionfrom the two agencies over fiveyears. Centers at University ofCalifornia, Davis, and the RobertWood Johnson Medical School inNew Jersey will focus on environ-mental links to autism. TheUniversity of Illinois at Champaign–Urbana center will assess the im-pact of ingesting mercury and PCBsfrom Great Lakes fish among Asian-American children in Wisconsin.The center at Ohio’s Children’sHospital of Cincinnati will investi-gate how pollutants in the homeand neighborhood affect children’shearing, behavior, and test scores.

The first product carrying theProtected Harvest ecolabel wenton sale in U.S. stores in November.Healthy Grown brand potatoesearned the label by eliminatinghigh-risk pesticides in favor of bio-logically integrated pest manage-ment on farms. Protected Harvest isthe result of collaboration betweenbetween farmers, scientists, and en-vironmental advocates and is en-dorsed by the Worldwide WildlifeFund. The labeler plans to certifywine grapes, Florida tomatoes, pep-pers, and sweet corn soon, and ex-pand standards to improve soilquality and biodiversity. Consultwww.protectedharvest.org for infor-mation on the standards.

PHOT

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