REACh im praxistest

In October 2003, the EU Commission presented the proposal for a new Chemicals Regulation. In late autumn 2005, Parliament and Council were working on finding their position on the Commission’s proposal. From November 2004 to April 2005, a simulation was carried out at EU level aiming to test the workability of registration under REACh. Based on a strategic partnership, the European Chemical Industry Council together with other industry associations, the EU Commission and a number of Member States had launched this project. 53 manufacturers or users of chemicals and competent authorities of 13 EU Member States took part in the simulation: eight registration cases were dealt with in parallel. The participants had to conduct the registration of a substance (including preparatory work) and the dossier evaluation by the authorities. The simulation was performed in a ’free-flow mode’, which means, that the participants worked without any guidance on how to practically implement the duties and tasks as laid down in the draft regulation. In the final phase of the project, the three strategic parners worked towards a common understanding on potential workability problems and suitable options for solutions. This process resulted in a report including a set of agreed recommendations on 12 identified workability issues The recommendations are mostly related to the co-operation between registrants, the sharing of responsibilities and communication between manufactures and down-stream users as well as technical and scientific aspects of dossier compilation., In addition, the recommendations address the need to develop a common understanding across Europe regarding the role of authorities in evaluating the registration dossiers and developing suitable tools for the evaluation. In addition to the set of practical recommendations, SPORT has demonstrated that useful insights in the workability of a new piece of legislation can be gained from simulating the key processes in practise already during the legislative process. Such pilot trials could be seen as a contribution toBetter Regulation, one of the strategic goals of the EU Commission.     

Indicators for Chemicals: Sources,impacts and policy performance (5 pp)

Background Different types of indicators have been developed to describe the impact of chemicals on society and environment. Due to the high number of substances and their different types of use, most of these indicators are directed to specific areas of interest – regarding workplace safety, environmental health or consumer health. They address a specific subset of chemicals and can be used for monitoring enterprise-specific, national or international management measures. Main Features A survey of existing indicators for chemicals has shown that indicators already exist for a remarkable number of problem fields. As soon as the release and the environmental fate of chemicals are taken into account, the complexity of the approaches increases considerably. The distinction between indicators for drivers, pressures, state, impacts and responses, as proposed by the European Environmental Agency, supports the identification of proper indicators for a specific type of problem. Discussion and Conclusions. No single indicator exists which is able to cover the whole range of chemicals and their applications. Several indicator approaches cover at least a subset of the most relevant substances. If they are intended to be used for European monitoring, robust data must be provided by EU Member States. Chemicals in enterprises (ancillary inputs as well as process chemicals) are an important element of in-plant material flow management – in terms of occupational safety and health as well as environmental protection. Existing indicators for hazardous chemicals can be a valuable tool for process and product refinement regarding hazardous chemicals, especially for enterprises. Outlook Indicators for production and impact of chemicals, as well as policy performance indicators, are essential elements in order to monitor the management of chemicals. They have to be established for the national and for the EU level.     

Characterization of colloidal arsenic at two abandoned gold mine sites in Nova Scotia, Canada, using asymmetric flow-field flow fractionation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Asymmetric flow-field flow fractionation-inductively-coupled plasma-mass spectrometry was used to determine whether colloidal arsenic(As) exists in soil pore water and soil extract samples at two arsenic-contaminated abandoned gold mines(Montague and Goldenville, Nova Scotia). Colloidal arsenic was found in 12 out of the 80 collected samples(= 15%), and was primarily associated with iron(Fe) in the encountered colloids. The molar Fe/As ratios indicate that the colloids in some samples appeared to be discrete iron–arsenic minerals, whereas in other samples, they were more consistent with As-rich iron(oxy)hydroxides. Up to three discrete size fractions of colloidal As were encountered in the samples, with mean colloid diameters between 6 and 14 nm. The pore water samples only contained one size fraction of As-bearing colloids(around 6 nm diameter), while larger As-bearing colloids were only encountered in soil extracts.     

Oxygen dynamics and transport in the Mediterranean sponge Aplysina aerophoba

The Mediterranean sponge Aplysina aerophoba kept in aquaria or cultivation tanks can stop pumping for several hours or even days. To investigate changes in the chemical microenvironments, we measured oxygen profiles over the surface and into the tissue of pumping and non-pumping A. aerophoba specimens with Clark-type oxygen microelectrodes (tip diameters 18–30 μm). Total oxygen consumption rates of whole sponges were measured in closed chambers. These rates were used to back-calculate the oxygen distribution in a finite-element model. Combining direct measurements with calculations of diffusive flux and modeling revealed that the tissue of non-pumping sponges turns anoxic within 15 min, with the exception of a 1 mm surface layer where oxygen intrudes due to molecular diffusion over the sponge surface. Molecular diffusion is the only transport mechanism for oxygen into non-pumping sponges, which allows total oxygen consumption rates of 6–12 μmol cm⁻³ sponge day⁻¹. Sponges of different sizes had similar diffusional uptake rates, which is explained by their similar surface/volume ratios. In pumping sponges, oxygen consumption rates were between 22 and 37 μmol cm⁻³ sponge day⁻¹, and the entire tissue was oxygenated. Combining different approaches of direct oxygen measurement in living sponges with a dynamic model, we can show that tissue anoxia is a direct function of the pumping behavior. The sponge-microbe system of A. aerophoba thus has the possibility to switch actively between aerobic and anaerobic metabolism by stopping the water flow for more than 15 min. These periods of anoxia will greatly influence physiological variety and activity of the sponge microbes. Detailed knowledge about the varying chemical microenvironments in sponges will help to develop protocols to cultivate sponge-associated microbial lineages and improve our understanding of the sponge-microbe-system.     

Identification of oxidized TNT metabolites in soil samples of a former ammunition plant

Water extracts of soil samples of the former ammunition plant “Tanne” near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Lower Saxony, Germany, were investigated for highly polar oxidized 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) metabolites. 0.4 to 9.0 mg/kg dry soil 2,4,6-trinitrobenzoic acid (TNBA) and 5.8 to 544 mg/kg dry soil 2-amino-4,6-dinitrobenzoic acid (2-ADNBA) were found. In addition to the oxidized metabolites, TNT, 4- and 2-aminodinitrotoluene (4- and 2-ADNT), and 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT) were extractable with water. Most interestingly, in one sample, 2-ADNBA represented the main contaminant. The origin of the oxidized nitroaromatics is unknown at this time. They might be generated chemically or photochemically. Furthermore, a biological synthesis seems possible.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in pine and spruce shoots-temporal trends and spatial distribution

In the framework of the German environmental specimen bank one-year old spruce shoots (Picea abies) and pine shoots (Pinus sylvestris) serve as bioindicators for the atmospheric pollution. Sampling is performed in two urbanized areas in western and eastern Germany (Warndt and Duebener Heide, respectively), and in seven different rural locations. Prior to archiving conifer shoots are continuously analyzed for a set of 17 individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The results from the two urbanized areas show that the atmospheric contamination with PAH has declined by about 75% between 1985 and 2004 at Warndt and by about 85% between 1991 and 2004 at Duebener Heide. However, summation operatorPAH concentrations stayed virtually constant at both locations since the end of the 1990s at levels of about 100 ng g(-1) wet weight (ww). In spruce shoots from rural areas current concentrations of PAHs are significantly lower and vary between 8 and 61 ng g(-1) ww. In all shoot samples the four low molecular aromatics phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, and chrysene dominate the pattern by contributing 60 to 90% to summation operatorPAH. The group of high molecular weight aromatics is dominated by benzo[b,j,k]fluoranthene, especially in spruce shoots originating from greater altitudes remarkable amounts of six and seven ringed PAHs could be detected. Despite the strong decrease of PAH concentrations in urban areas patterns of aromatics remained nearly unchanged in the observation period 1985 to 2004.     

Evaluation of compositional characteristics of organic waste shares in municipal solid waste in fast-growing metropolitan cities of India

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - India currently has the second largest urban population worldwide, while facing an increasing burden on its urban solid waste infrastructure. To...     

The case for embedding researchers in conservation agencies

Although protected areas represent a pivotal response to escalating anthropogenic threats, they face many pressures, inside and outside their boundaries. Amid these challenges, effective conservation is guided by evidence-based decision making supported by dynamic processes of learning and knowledge exchange. Although different models promote knowledge exchange, embedding research scientists within conservation agencies is best suited to supporting evidence-based conservation. Based on available literature and our experiences on several continents, we considered the benefits, challenges, and opportunities associated with embedding research scientists within conservation agencies and the research required to better understand the effectiveness of the embedding model for evidence-based conservation. Embedded researchers provide long-term commitment to building social capital among academic and nonacademic stakeholders; act as skilled gatekeepers who increase 2-way flow of knowledge between scientists and managers; attract, coordinate, and support management-relevant external research projects; drive the design and maintenance of long-term monitoring; and align their research with information needs. Notwithstanding the many benefits, research capacity of conservation agencies is declining worldwide. A significant challenge is that the values, structures, functions, and effectiveness of the embedding model of knowledge exchange remain poorly evaluated and documented. Also, embedded researchers have to balance their desire for creativity and flexibility with the standardization and quality control required by their public sector agencies; may be perceived as not credible because they are not truly independent of their agency; and have to couple scientific productivity with skills for transdisciplinary research, social facilitation, and stakeholder engagement. Systematic research on embedding and other models of knowledge exchange, across different world contexts, is required to better understand the benefits, costs, and institutional arrangements associated with different models.     

Positive emotions,negative emotions,or utility of discrete emotions?

We note a tendency in organizational behavior research to link positive emotions with positive outcomes and negative emotions with negative outcomes. In this Incubator, we argue against this simple association and provide suggestions for researchers to develop interesting lines of enquiry that look beyond simple symmetrical associations. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Knowledge co‐production and boundary work to promote implementation of conservation plans

Knowledge co‐production and boundary work offer planners a new frame for critically designing a social process that fosters collaborative implementation of resulting plans. Knowledge co‐production involves stakeholders from diverse knowledge systems working iteratively toward common vision and action. Boundary work is a means of creating permeable knowledge boundaries that satisfy the needs of multiple social groups while guarding the functional integrity of contributing knowledge systems. Resulting products are boundary objects of mutual interest that maintain coherence across all knowledge boundaries. We examined how knowledge co‐production and boundary work can bridge the gap between planning and implementation and promote cross‐sectoral cooperation. We applied these concepts to well‐established stages in regional conservation planning within a national scale conservation planning project aimed at identifying areas for conserving rivers and wetlands of South Africa and developing an institutional environment for promoting their conservation. Knowledge co‐production occurred iteratively over 4 years in interactive stake‐holder workshops that included co‐development of national freshwater conservation goals and spatial data on freshwater biodiversity and local conservation feasibility; translation of goals into quantitative inputs that were used in Marxan to select draft priority conservation areas; review of draft priority areas; and packaging of resulting map products into an atlas and implementation manual to promote application of the priority area maps in 37 different decision‐making contexts. Knowledge co‐production stimulated dialogue and negotiation and built capacity for multi‐scale implementation beyond the project. The resulting maps and information integrated diverse knowledge types of over 450 stakeholders and represented >1000 years of collective experience. The maps provided a consistent national source of information on priority conservation areas for rivers and wetlands and have been applied in 25 of the 37 use contexts since their launch just over 3 years ago. When framed as a knowledge co‐production process supported by boundary work, regional conservation plans can be developed into valuable boundary objects that offer a tangible tool for multi‐agency cooperation around conservation. Our work provides practical guidance for promoting uptake of conservation science and contributes to an evidence base on how conservation efforts can be improved.