Press | Umweltbundesamt

In light of the current situation of dioxin contamination in animal feed and some foods, concerned citizens have considered blood tests to detect the presence of dioxin. The Human Biomonitoring Commission (HBM) of the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) advises against this. Although it is in principle possible to trace dioxins in the human body, the blood dioxin concentration resulting from weeks of... read more

There two different faces of nitrogen: on one hand, as a basic component of nature it is an essential nutrient, but it is a pollutant hazardous to human and ecosystems on the other. The main source of so-called reactive nitrogen emissions to all environmental media is agriculture, which accounts for more than 50 percent. However, emissions from transport, industry and energy production as well as... read more

What impact do modern agricultural practices have on soil, water, air, the climate, and biological diversity? The Federal Environment Agency (UBA) presents the free brochure entitled Umwelt und Landwirtschaft [Environment and Agriculture], published in the Environmental Data (Daten zur Umwelt) series, with an overview of key facts and figures to enable a sound discussion about conservation in agri... read more

The sources of the current dioxin contamination in animal feed, eggs and meat have yet to be conclusively determined. “The distribution pattern of the dioxins, furans and dioxin-like PCB in the contaminated feed does not correspond to a single reference sample of ours“, said UBA President Jochen Flasbarth. UBA compared the milk fat fatty acids illegally added to the animal feed with some 46,000 sa... read more

Swimming is good for your health, which is why-in addition to providing protection against drowning- swimming is taught at school. However, disinfection of swimming pool water requires chlorine, and the reaction products of chlorine may contribute to the development of asthma in high-risk groups. Trichloramine in particular, a reaction product of chlorine, and the urea introduced by bathers, are n... read more

A representative survey polling 2008 people which the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) carried out in Spring 2010 revealed that nearly two-thirds of those surveyed (62 percent) believe that the state should do more to protect the environment. 61 percent are in favour of Germany assuming a pioneering role in international climate protection policy. 85 percent agreed with the statement: “We need a r... read more

Following the UN Climate Conference in Cancun, the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) believes that greater efforts to protect the climate are both necessary and feasible in the European Union (EU).  “The 20-percent GHG reduction target set to date is not an ambitious climate protection goal.  Other EU members should follow the lead set by Germany’s ambitious goal of reducing emissions by 40 percent... read more

Consumption of packaging in 2008 declined by 0.4 percent over 2007. A total volume of 16.04 million (mn) tonnes of packaging was logged as a result of consumers‘ collecting waste separately and from other sources. “Separate collection and recycling of packaging wastes occur at high rates in Germany,“ explains UBA President Jochen Flasbarth. The recycling rates achieved for various packaging materi... read more