The Dismantling of End-of-Life Vehicles in Estonia Before Putting into Effect the Directive 2000/53/EC (3 pp)

Background, Aims and Scope When joining the European Union on 1st May 2004, Estonia had to conform its legislation to the European Union legislation. In relation with that, also the treatment requirements on end-of-life vehicles proceeding from Directive 2000/53/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 September 2000 were established in Estonia for the first time. Since this area was not regulated with law beforehand, there was not any information available about it. The aim of the current survey was to ascertain the condition of scrap yards in mid 2004. In addition to that, also to identify the number of scrap yards operating in Estonia, to classify these by the number of dismantled vehicles and the potential environmental hazard, and to map the locations of car dismantling companies and evaluate their compliance with the valid requirements. Methods The companies that have been registered in the Commercial Registry under the activity code 503090-end-of-life vehicle dismantling were visited and visually reviewed. During the visits, the compliance of scrap yards with the existing requirements was evaluated and it was also attempted to identify how environmentally sound the dismantling technology of every scrap yard owner is. Results and Discussion Altogether, 63 scrap yards operated in Estonia by mid 2004. Twelve of them dismantled more than 100 vehicles, 13 of them 51-99 vehicles and 38 up to 50 vehicles a year. The total annual market capacity on dismantling of vehicles in Estonia is considered to be approx. 10,000 units. There are very few companies dealing only with car dismantling as the main business. Most scrap-yard owners also offer side services, e.g. haulage, car repair and maintenance. The dismantlers are interested in the selling of second-hand spare parts and scrap metal. Only one company out of 63 complied with all the requirements enacted by the relevant decision of the Estonian Minister of Environment. The rest of the scrap yards did not meet the requirements on the site on storage and treatment nor did they have the hazardous waste handling licence or the waste permit. Of the requirements established for the site for storage of end-of-life vehicles, 97% of the scrap yards were surrounded with a fence, 67% had a 24-hour guard, 45% had covered the areas with waterproof cover, but only 3% had an oil trap. Sites for treatment were in a somewhat better condition, these were mostly situated inside the buildings, where floors were covered with waterproof covers. Most of the dismantlers collected the waste oil and waste fluids into separate vessels, but there were a number of dismantlers who did not know of existence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in car air conditioning systems and the availability of mercury in sensors belonging in passenger safety systems. Proceeding from the general condition of the scrap yard, the rest of 62 scarp yards were distributed between two empirical parameters - 'rather environmentally hazardous' or 'rather not environmentally hazardous'. As a matter of fact, 17% of scrap yards turned out 'rather environmentally hazardous'. Conclusion Out of the scrap yards operating in Estonia, only one is compliant with the requirements set up by Directive 2000/53/EC. Another 62 appeared during the review to be sites of potential environmental pollution. In order to comply with environmental requirements and get the hazardous waste treatment license, the scrap yard owners have to invest into state-of-the-art dismantling and environment protection equipment. The main obstacle to reach the environmentally sound scrap-yard is the high investment cost and the black market for spare parts. Recommendation and Outlook As the correction of the market in end-of-life vehicle treatment started after the adoption of Directive 2000/53/EC, the environmental authorities have to look after the ongoing correction. It is because there is still a demand for cheap spare parts and it makes it attractive to dismantle the vehicles out of scrap-yards by licensees.     

Adaptive coastal planning and the European Union's water framework directive: a Swedish perspective

The implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive and the achievement of its water quality objectives will to a large degree depend on scientific knowledge about the sources and status of water resources and the effects of mitigative measures. Coastal waters will be of central interest, since the management of whole river basins may be affected if coastal water status is not satisfactory. The Water Directive's general directions on what information the water authorities need and on suitable methods for obtaining such information leave it to the Member states to decide on more precise instructions. Improved legal mechanisms are needed to assist and guide the managers and scientists charged with implementing the directive and achieving its water quality objectives, particularly when faced with insufficient information, flawed knowledge, or changed circumstances. We assess progress in the current process of implementing the Water Directive in Sweden, focussing on coastal waters, and on general problems arising using this type of legal technique.     

论基于EGIS平台的放射源管理系统的开发

放射源管理系统是一种基于环境地理信息系统平台的资源管理系统,是GIS技术与环境监测技术、环境管理技术、数据库技术等各种环境信息分析和处理技术的集成。系统为环保部门提供了一个功能强大的空间信息服务和管理工具,可以直观、方便地获取放射源的监控、管理等数据信息,为环境管理部门的决策提供依据。     

Reducing fluxes of faecal indicator compliance parameters to bathing waters from diffuse agricultural sources: the Brighouse Bay study, Scotland

The European Water Framework Directive requires the integrated management of point and diffuse pollution to achieve 'good' water quality in 'protected areas'. These include bathing waters, which are regulated using faecal indicator organisms as compliance parameters. Thus, for the first time, European regulators are faced with the control of faecal indicator fluxes from agricultural sources where these impact on bathing water compliance locations. Concurrently, reforms to the European Union (EU) Common Agricultural Policy offer scope for supporting on-farm measures producing environmental benefits through the new 'single farm payments' and the concept of 'cross-compliance'. This paper reports the first UK study involving remedial measures, principally stream bank fencing, designed to reduce faecal indicator fluxes at the catchment scale. Considerable reduction in faecal indicator flux was observed, but this was insufficient to ensure bathing water compliance with either Directive 76/160/EEC standards or new health-evidence-based criteria proposed by WHO and the European Commission.     

Governance of Water Resources in the Phase of Change: A Case Study of the Implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive in Sweden

In this article, focusing on the ongoing implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive, we analyze some of the opportunities and challenges for a sustainable governance of water resources from an ecosystem management perspective. In the face of uncertainty and change, the ecosystem approach as a holistic and integrated management framework is increasingly recognized. The ongoing implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) could be viewed as a reorganization phase in the process of change in institutional arrangements and ecosystems. In this case study from the Northern Baltic Sea River Basin District, Sweden, we focus in particular on data and information management from a multi-level governance perspective from the local stakeholder to the River Basin level. We apply a document analysis, hydrological mapping, and GIS models to analyze some of the institutional framework created for the implementation of the WFD. The study underlines the importance of institutional arrangements that can handle variability of local situations and trade-offs between solutions and priorities on different hierarchical levels.     

环境应急信息管理平台

环境应急信息管理平台是以信息化技术手段作为支撑的、面向环境应急事件的综合性的信息管理、事态预测、应急决策系统。系统以GIS为基础,可以快速地了解突发环境事件的发展状况,同时通过对环境背景数据库、空间信息数据库、环境应急专项数据库中的相关知识与数据进行综合分析,建立污染物扩散模型以及辅助决策模型,为决策者快速提供一个直观、科学、合理、优化的应急处置方案和指挥调度方案,并能够为事件后期评估、科学制定善后处理措施提供必要保障。     

环境监测现场室管理实践与探索

环境监测现场室管理工作是环境监测中一项基础性管理和技术工作,监测现场的管理工作是否科学有序,关系到环境监测效率的高低,对环境监测数据质量的准确性、可靠性、可比性、完整性和公正性也有着十分重要影响。因此,做好环境监测现场室管理工作已成为环境监测管理工作者必须掌握的一项基础性科学技术。文中从环境监测现场室管理工作的实践经验出发,进一步进行探索研究,力求环境监测现场室管理工作高效可行。     

Particle concentrations in data centers

Cooling buildings with large airflow rates of outside air when temperatures are favorable is an established energy-saving measure. In data centers, this strategy is not widely used, owing to concerns that it would cause increased indoor levels of particles of outdoor origin, which could damage electronic equipment. However, environmental conditions typical of data centers and the associated potential for equipment failure are not well characterized. This study presents the first published measurements of particle concentrations in operating data centers. Indoor and outdoor particle measurements were taken at eight different sites in northern California for particulate matter 0.3–5.0 μm in diameter. One of the data centers has an energy-efficient design that employs outside air for cooling, while the rest use conventional cooling methods. Ratios of measured particle concentrations in the conventional data centers to the corresponding outside concentrations were significantly lower than those typically found in office or residential buildings. Estimates using a material-balance model match well with empirical results, indicating that the dominant particle sources and losses have been identified. Measurements taken at the more energy-efficient site show nearly an order of magnitude increase in particle concentration when ventilation rates were high. The model indicates that this increase may be even higher when including particles smaller than the monitoring-equipment size limitation. Even with the increases, the measured particle concentrations are still below concentration limits recommended in industry standards.     

Steps towards environmental hazard assessment of new chemicals (including a hazard ranking scheme,based upon directive 79/831/EEC)

Directive 79/831/EEC came into force on 18th September 1981, enabling all the Member States of the EEC to classify so-called “new chemicals” with respect to their potential hazard to the environment and to human health on a standardized basis (Directive 79/831/EEC, Annex VII). The authors are of the opinion that the assessment of the “environmental hazard” of new chemicals before they are placed on the market, represents, in the present critical economic /ecological situation, which practically all the Member States have in common, a particular challenge to the scientific community and the competent authorities. The comments aim to achieve the following - to provide a more precise definition of certain key terms and to point out a way of selecting from the bundle of new chemicals those (few) which are potentially hazardous; a way which is clear to the administration, the scientific community, industry and, not least of all, to the individual as taxpayer and consumer.     

环境监理计算机管理信息系统的软件规划

在对各种环保监理工作调研的基础上,了解环境监理机构的主要职责,并对软件的功能模块进行划分为软件的开发和编程提供了技术及工作总线。     

Conjoint analysis for environmental evaluation

BACKGROUND, AIM AND SCOPE: Conjoint analysis and the related choice-modelling methods have been used for many years in marketing research to evaluate consumer behaviour and preferences for different kinds of product attributes. Recently, the number of applications in environmental science and management has started to grow. Conjoint analysis is found in many different forms, and the environmental studies evaluated in this review display the same range of methods as in other fields. The key characteristic of all these methods is that trade-offs are evaluated by jointly considering a number of important attributes. MAIN FEATURES: This paper is a review of the literature on environmental applications of conjoint analysis and assesses in which environmental area conjoint analysis has been most successful. The method and the design of the studies are reviewed as well. RESULTS: A total of 84 studies were found, dealing with environmental issues that were evaluated by conjoint analysis. The studies concern agriculture, ecosystem management, energy, environmental evaluation, forestry, land management, pollution, products, recreation, environmental risk analysis and waste management. DISCUSSION: Choice experiments seem to have a comparatively stronger position in environmental studies than elsewhere. Most of the environmental applications are related to natural resource management. This is somewhat surprising, but a number of reports have appeared also on product evaluation, which could be a key application area in the future. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to marketing and transportation, the number of environmental conjoint studies is rather small but increasing, and the method has proven to work effectively in eliciting preferences on environmental issues. In environmental issues, experimenters often use choice experiments, especially concerning ecosystem management and environmental evaluations. When it comes to evaluating preferences concerning agriculture, forestry, energy and products, a more traditional approach of conjoint analysis is favoured. RECOMMENDATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES: Two new areas of application are identified in this review--environmental communication and expert elicitation. Conjoint analysis can thus be developed into a useful instrument for environmental risk analysis and communication, both of which are necessary for an efficient approach to risk governance.     

Air quality management in Portugal: example of needs and available tools

The Framework Directive (FWD) and the proposed Daughter Directives are the newest legislative instruments concerning a new political strategy and air quality management approach for Europe. Additionally, the member countries of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe have included the concepts of critical load and level for planning air pollution abatement strategies and as a base of international agreements concerning limitation of the emissions of air pollutants. These concepts imply an accurate knowledge about pollutants deposition fluxes. The paper describes the main needs and the tools available to define a strategy of air quality management in Portugal. Two study cases are presented: (1) extensive monitoring plan to assess the impact of an urban incinerator plant; and (2) contribution to a methodology to estimate critical levels for a coastal region in Portugal. These different approaches allowed illustrating the complexity of the implementation of an air pollution management strategy.     

Importance of considering pesticide stereoisomerism--proposal of a scheme to apply Directive 91/414/EEC framework to pesticide active substances manufactured as isomeric mixtures

An important gap has been detected in the application of the European framework for the evaluation of pesticide active substances constituted by enantiomeric and other kind of stereoisomeric mixtures. Up to date, little attention has been paid to the different biological properties of these compounds. Considering efficacy, toxicity, environmental fate and behaviour and ecotoxicity of separated isomers is necessary to fulfil Directive 91/414/EEC objectives of health and environment protection. Here, a critical review of this question for pesticide active substances is presented. An evaluative scheme for considering this question in the framework of Directive 91/414/EEC is also proposed.     

Measurement of Indoor Air Emissions from Dry-Process Photocopy Machines

Abstract

Presently, no standard test method exists to evaluate the various emissions from office equipment (e.g., ozone, volatile organic compounds, inorganic gases, and particulates) so it is difficult to compare data from different studies.1 As a result, the authors are developing a standardized guidance document for measuring indoor air emissions from office equipment. The ultimate goal is to apply the test method to better understand emissions from office equipment and to develop lower emitting machines. This paper provides background information on indoor air emissions from office equipment with an emphasis on dry-process photocopy machines. The test method is described in detail, along with the results of a study to evaluate the test method using four dry-process photocopy machines.

The results from this study indicate that the test method provides acceptable performance for characterizing emissions; that it can adequately identify differences in emissions between machines both in compounds emitted and their emission rates; and that it is capable of measuring both intra- and inter-machine variability in emissions. Challenges and complications were encountered in developing and implementing the test method. These included heat generation, which can cause large increases in chamber temperature; finite paper supplies for photocopy machines, which limit test duration; varying power requirements that may require changes in chamber electrical supply; and remote starting of the machines, which is necessary to maintain chamber integrity.

Results show that dry-process photocopy machines can produce emissions of ozone and volatile organic compounds that can potentially have a significant impact on indoor air quality. For the four machines tested in this study, the compounds with the highest emission rates overall were ethylbenzene (28,000 µg/hour), m,p-xylenes (29,000 µg/hour), o-xylene (17,000 µg/hour), 2-ethyl-lhexanol (14,000 µg/hour), and styrene (12,000 fig/hour). Although many of the same compounds tended to be detected in emissions from each of the four photocopiers, the relative contribution of individual compounds varied considerably between machines, with differences greater than an order of magnitude for some compounds.     

Adapting a geographical information system-based water resource management to the needs of the Romanian water authorities

Background, aim, and scope  

The need for global and integrated approaches to water resources management, both from the quantitative and the qualitative point of view, has long been recognized. Water quality management is a major issue for sustainable development and a mandatory task with respect to the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive as well as the Swiss legislation. However, data modelling to develop relational databases and subsequent geographic information system (GIS)-based water management instruments are a rather recent and not that widespread trend. The publication of overall guidelines for data modelling along with the EU Water Framework Directive is an important milestone in this area. Improving overall water quality requires better and more easily accessible data, but also the possibility to link data to simulation models. Models are to be used to derive indicators that will in turn support decision-making processes. For this whole chain to become effective at a river basin scale, all its components have to become part of the current daily practice of the local water administration. Any system, tool, or instrument that is not designed to meet, first of all, the fundamental needs of its primary end-users has almost no chance to be successful in the longer term.     

Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know

The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know law is an exciting new approach to environmental protection. It is based on the belief that the more information citizens have about environmental conditions in their communities, the better equipped they will be to insure their own protection from unacceptable risks to their health and safety. The law requires disclosure by industry of both the presence and release into the environment—including both accidental and “routine” releases—of hazardous substances. The information will be available not only to government regulators, but also to the people most directly affected—the residents of the communities where the substances are located.     

中国水环境管理体制改革初探

本文从对中国水环境体制结症分析入手 ,提出了中国水环境管理在体制上存在的主要问题 ;同时收集整理了国际上在水环境管理方面具有代表性的 11个国家水环境管理体制方面的资料 ,系统分析了这些国家在国家级、流域级与区域级的水环境管理体制与主要采取的水环境管理模式 ;并以此为依据 ,提出了我国水环境管理体制改革所需遵循的基本原则与改革方向     

Testing the extended biotic index in Slovakia: consistency, advantages, and limitations versus the saprobic assessment method of water quality.

The European Union Water Framework Directive requires the achievement of environmental objectives for the ecological quality of water bodies. A comparable implementation of the Directive throughout member countries of the European Union is necessary to verify equal protection of surface waters. The Directive specifies that member states determine ecological quality by means of biological indices. To improve comparability of water quality assessment, this research carried out an intercalibration trial between the Slovak Saprobic Index and the Italian protocol of the Extended Biotic Index, as part of a cooperative program between Italy and the Slovak Republic. When assessing streams with no or low pollution, statistics showed similar results for both methods. In contrast, the comparison of indices was not accurate in the case of severely affected waters. Reliable conversion formulas are feasible to transform the Italian Extended Biotic Index into the Slovak Saprobic Index, and not vice versa.     

A Mercury Vapor Detector Based upon the Automatic Adjustment of Lamp Intensity to the Mercury Concentration

An office containing about 65 employees was found to have 8-h average CO concentrations of 18-26 ppm during a week in winter. On one Friday afternoon, 20 nonsmoking office workers had alveolar CO levels of 23 ± 3 ppm compared to levels of 8 ± 2 ppm in six nonsmoking workers in other offices in the same building. After a weekend at home, the affected office workers displayed reduced alveolar CO levels of 7 ± 2 ppm. The source of the high CO levels was attributed to a parking garage on the same level as the office. Closing fire doors and activating garage fans rectified the situation. The breath sampling method is found to require a correction factor based on the difference between the true alveolar CO and the CO level in the surrounding air. The methods and equipment employed in this study (personal air monitors, electronic data loggers, breath sampling) are recommended for screening and identifying potential CO problems in buildings with similar conditions.