News Briefs Companies that adopt strict glo­bal environmental standards abroad are rewarded with better stock market performance, says a report from the Institute for Op­erations Research and Manage­ment Sciences (INFORMS). INFORMS' researchers examined 89 manufacturing and mining companies headquartered in the United States but with operations abroad. Companies choosing strict global environmental stan­dards had values approximately US$10 billion higher than those adopting less stringent local stan­dards. Do Corporate Global Envi­ronmental Standards Create or Destroy Market Value? is available by calling 1-800-4INFORMS

More stringent standards are needed to protect Canada's chil­dren from the toxic chemicals in their air, water, and food, finds a report from the Canadian Insti­tute of Child Health (CICH), a nonprofit advocacy group. A 25% increase in childhood cancer over the past 25 years is due in part to exposure to environmental pol­lutants, says the report. Heavy metals, solvents, and pesticides are thought to underlie many de­velopmental disabilities. Because children receive greater exposure to such pollutants than adults Canada must target chemicals for reduction through enforceable legislation says The Health of Canada's Children' A CICH Pro-Hip f^rd FHition) which can be ordered

Further delay in the regulation of mercury emissions from power plants cannot be justified on the basis of concerns over technology availability, accord­ing to a report by Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management, an interstate agency including eight states and two EPA regions. Environmental Regulaiion and Technology Inno­vation: Controliing Mercury Emis­sions From Coal-Fired Boilers ar-

that a number of options for controlling

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should be available in the near to medium

term. Pilot-scale tests have proven the potential of these technologies to remove signifi­cant amounts of mercury. To or­der a copy, go to www.nescaum. org/pdf/pubsiist.pdf and look for publication number SS-25.

More than 80% of the mercury found in domestic wastewater may come from particles loos­ened from dental amalgam fill­ings, according to a report by the Association of Metropolitan Sewer­age Agencies (AMSA). Another 15% is thought to come from common household and toiletry items such as soaps, laundry detergent, tooth­paste, deodorant, and food color­ing. Treatment plants remove 97% of the mercury discharged into do­mestic sewer systems but targeting the rem.ai rider mciv cost more than it is worth AMSA says Evaluation

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be downloaded from wwwamsa-cleanwater org/pubs/mercury/ mercurv htm

Erosion will consume one quar­ter of all homes within 500 feet of America's oceans and Great Lakes shorelines over the next 60 years, according to a study by the U.S. Federal Emergency Man­agement Agency. The report pro­vides the first comprehensive as­sessment of coastal erosion and its economic impact, estimated at a half billion dollars per year. Ero­sion rates, which currently aver­age between 3 and 6 ft per year, are projected to increase and claim even more property if sea levels rise and coastal develop­ment continues to boom A coov of Evaluation of Erosion Hazards can be founrl at wwwfpma crnv/ nw700/prosirtn pdf

The number of people living in countries facing severe water shortages will increase more than four-fold over the next 25 years, according to a report by nonprofit Population Action In­ternational. Although People in the Balance: Population and Nat­ural Resources at the Turn of the Millennuum stresses that human population growth is slowing, it nonetheless projects that by 2025, between 2.4 billion and 3.2 billion people will face severe or chronic water shortages The report also considers the human impacts

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land forests fisheries CO. and biological diversity For a CODV go to htto7/populationaction org/ balance/index htm

Respect for ecological diversity implies respect for human di­versity is the message of a book by the United Nations Environ­ment Programme (UNEP). The book offers an overview of the environmental issues facing the planet—from global freshwater scarcity to forest loss, climate

change, and biodiversity loss and weaves in lessons that different faiths provide for envi­ronmental protection. Its publi­cation follows the recent launch of UNEP's "Spiritual and Cultural Values of Biodiversity"

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Copies of Earth and Faith' A Book of Reflection for Action can be ordered online www earthprint com

Improving the fuel economy of new vehicles would reduce the annual fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of cars and light trucks between 6 and 37% over a 15- to 18-year period, according to a U.S. Gen­eral Accounting Office report. The report's conclusions, which are based on three different studies, are tempered by the rec­ognition that the improvements could take a toll on vehicle safety. For a copy of Automobile Fuel Econom:: Potential Effects of Increasing the Corporate Aver-

Fuel Economy SSandards go to www gao gov/new items/ rc00194 pdf

NOVEMBER 1, 2000 / ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY/ NEWS • 4 5 9 A