Press | Umweltbundesamt

How much carbon dioxide is the local factory emitting into the air? Which heavy metals are in the effluent going into rivers? Which countries does the industrial operation export its waste to? Anyone looking for information on pollutant emissions out of sheer curiosity or for professional purposes can now find out through Germany’s new Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR). Online access... read more

The Federal Government published the results of its forest condition survey on 10 June 2009. The report identifies the causes for what continues to be the poor condition of forests and also identifies countermeasures. The survey of the condition of forests in Germany demonstrates that two thirds of all forest trees remain damaged, of which 26 percent are ‘severely damaged’. More than half of all o... read more

Two government congresses held this month made considerable progress in matters of international chemicals safety. The Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention and the Second International Conference on Chemicals Management took place in short succession so as to lend the decisions reached at them even more weight. This represents one big step made toward achieving mitigation or elimi... read more

Professional clean-up of mould in the home, office and other rooms that are used regularly does not require use of disinfectants; in fact, these substances often pose a health risk. Chemical disinfectants are being used ever more frequently in mould clean-up, presumably on grounds that they solve the problem quickly. However, the disinfectants do not solve the problem and what is more, they can gi... read more

The light bulb will begin to be phased out of the market starting Autumn 2009, as a result of a decision taken by the EU. Starting 1 September 2009 all frosted and other light bulbs of over 75 watts will no longer be for sale, to be followed gradually by lower-wattage light bulbs later on. There are good reasons for this as the conventional light bulb is not too ‘bright’: it only converts about fi... read more

Some 450,000 tonnes of cleansing agents are sold in Germany annually, of which some 250,000 tonnes are dish-washing detergents and another 200,000 tonnes are household cleaners. Manufacturers will sometimes tout their use of natural materials in some products, for example orange oil or citrus oil. However, some natural substances can trigger contact allergies or are harmful to the environment. ”Wh... read more

The EU Parliament is due to decide tomorrow (Wednesday) on more stringent standards in the energy efficiency of refrigerators, freezers, and washing machines. Should the Parliament approve the proposals made by the EU Member States in late March, any washing machine, fridge or freezer with an energy efficiency class lower than ‘A’ would be eliminated from the market starting July 2010. A second st... read more

Daily life exerts constant stress on children’s ears. Tests conducted by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) about noise exposure and the impact of noise on 1,048 children aged 8-14 demonstrate that one in every eight children suffer considerable impairment of hearing ability. One in every six children lives along roads with heavy traffic, and the child’s bedroom in nearly three thirds of the hou... read more