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Last changed: 18/02/2010
The aim of CCS technology is to reduce atmospheric CO2 emissions. In a background paper, UBA has formulated requirements for safe and environmentally sound carbon capture, transport and underground storage.
Nanotechnology is playing an ever greater role in product and process innovations. Whilst this is an opportunity to develop new products, it also harbours risks for the environment and health. Use of products that contain and may release nanomaterials should be avoided wherever possible, at least as long as their impact on mankind and the environment is still largely unknown.
A project from the German Environment Ministry’s Advisory Assistance Programme supports Ukraine, Moldova and the Transnistria region in cross-border risk management in the Dniestra river basin. The goals: improving the standard of polluting industries in order to minimise accidental input of water pollutants into the Dniestra and establishing a cross-border warning and alert system to warn river users in the event of a disaster and to prevent potential consequences of hazardous incidents.
An OECD-CCA Workshop on Human Factors in Chemical Accidents and Incidents took place on 8/9 May 2007 in Potsdam, Brandenburg. The workshop was hosted and sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, the Government of Brandenburg and the European Commission. The workshop took place back to back with the 17th meeting of the EU Committee of Member State Competent Authorities under the Seveso II Directive and within the framework of the German EU presidency.
Developing entirely new products or replacing existing technologies, this is what ”nano-solutions” can do. However, they may also present risks to health and the environment. A legal opinion identifies regulatory gaps, based on an analysis of the current state of the art in nanotechnology and of existing and emerging environmental legislation at national and European level. The study also developed approaches to filling those gaps and gives recommendations for the further regulatory course of action on nano-materials.
Industrial installations handling hazardous substances can cause considerable levels of water contamination in the event of a major accident. These hazards can be dealt with only by assuming joint responsibility for the river catchment area and through international cooperation in the prevention of major accidents.
A wide variety of chemicals is used in the manufacture of shoes and textiles, which may result in severe pollution when wastewater treatment is deficient. Also, this branch of industry has repeatedly made the headlines with poor work conditions. A feasibility study commissioned by UBA identified retailers and branded producers as key actors in promoting adoption of environmental and health standards by suppliers in developing countries and emerging market economies. Its aim was to explore just how ”Best Available Techniques” (BAT), the European environmental standards, can be established across the supply chain.
The final report shows how installations and establishments can be protected against flooding in practice, taking installations for the handling of substances hazardous to water pursuant to Article 19g of the Federal Water Act, establishments covered by the Major Accidents Ordinance and installations for the storage of flammable gases in North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt as examples. For establishments, the report also addresses protection from earthquakes, storms and ground subsidence. Based on an analysis of legal requirements and the present state of technology/safety technology, the report makes numerous suggestions for updating relevant environmental legislation and technical rules.
Acute Exposure Guideline Levels” (AEGL) serve as planning values for the safety design of industrial plants for which the possibility of a hazardous incident is relevant. Additionally, measures for alert and emergency response planning as well as for disaster control can be projected more accurately on the basis of the AEGL framework.
The Central Reporting and Evaluation Office for Hazardous Incidents (ZEMA) at the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) reports on over 25 hazardous incidents in 2005.
A project in technology transfer to water protection facilities in Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine was launched in 2000, triggered by the accident in Baia Mare, Romania, in which 100,000 m³ of water containing cyanide leaked from a mining operation into the Someş and Theiss rivers, and ultimately into the Danube. The project goal was to make improvements in the technical safety standards at industrial facilities with a view to the protection of bodies of water.
Innovative technologies developed by German companies protect the environment, secure jobs, and are on the cutting edge of the state-of-the-art in Europe. The guide shows what must be done in order to have your new techniques taken up in BAT reference documents (BREFs).
