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WHO Regional Workshop on Chemical Safety
24 - 26th June 2013
The International Workshop to Strengthen Capacities for Sound Chemicals Management in South-East Asia Region
All Headlines
2551. May 30, 2014 | New York Times
How a Carbon Market Works
Governments around the world are experimenting with issuing permits that allow industries to emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, then restricting those permits to rein in carbon emissions. 2552. May 28, 2014 | UNEP New Centre
Conference to spotlight new e-waste management solutions for Kenya
A National e-Waste Conference and Exhibition was held in Nairobi, Wednesday, to identify solutions to Kenya's mounting e-waste problem. Focusing on the potential economic and environmental benefits of the responsible management of e-waste, stakeholders discussed ways to reduce the hazards arising from the disposal of electronic equipment in Kenya. 2553. May 26, 2014 | New York Times
China to Take 5 Million Cars Off the Road
China plans to take more than 5 million aging vehicles off the roads this year in a bid to improve air quality, with 330,000 cars set to be decommissioned in Beijing alone. Pollution has emerged as an urgent priority for China’s leaders as they try to reverse the damage done by decades of breakneck economic growth and head off public anger about the sorry state of the nation’s air, water and soil. In a wide-ranging action plan to cut emissions over the next two years, the Chinese cabinet, the State Council, said the country had already fallen behind in its pollution targets from 2011 to 2013 and was now having to step up its efforts. As many as 5.33 million so-called yellow label vehicles that fail to meet fuel standards will be eliminated this year. 2554. May 23, 2014 | UNEP News Centre
Bangladesh Uncovers the Crippling Cost of Climate Change Adaptation
With a population of 140 million, Bangladesh is one of the world's most populated countries. It is also one of the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Cyclones, floods and droughts have long been part of the country's history but they have intensified in recent years. As a result of the long exposure to these hazards, Bangladesh is a world leader in adaptation strategies but this has come with a heavy price tag. To find out exactly how much tax payers' money has been absorbed by efforts to tackle the effects of climate change, the Ministry of Finance has been working with the UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative to launch its first comprehensive climate change accounting system. The results of the financial review were telling. 2555. May 20, 2014 | Asia News Network
Sports brands found using toxic chemicals in shoes, clothes
Soccer wear and shoes from three international sports brands, all of whom are major producers of apparel for the upcoming World Cup in Brazil, were found to contain toxic chemicals, according to a report issued by Greenpeace. 2556. May 14, 2014 | UNEP News Centre
Tajikistan Green Investment in the Agricultural Sector helps realign its pathway to Sustainable Development
In Tajikistan, agriculture provides the backbone of the economy and supports the livelihoods of two-thirds of rural communities. Yet the steep terrain that characterizes the country means that only 7 per cent of land is suitable for farming. As pressure on available land has mounted, so too have unsustainable agricultural practices, leading to depleted soils, deforestation and waning productivity. These challenges have been further exacerbated by climate change. 2557. May 13, 2014 | Scientific American News
Flame retardant chemicals weaken frogs' immune systems
Young frogs exposed to flame retardants have weakened immune systems, which could leave them more susceptible to diseases that are ravaging amphibians worldwide 2558. May 6, 2014 | Asia News Network
Anti-haze bill 'to be tabled later this year': Singapore minister
A bill that penalises those responsible for causing transboundary haze will be tabled in Parliament by the second half of this year, Singapore's Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said.According to the draft legislation, firms that have fires on land they own or manage that cause haze over Singapore can be deemed to have committed an offence, and fined up to S$300,000 (US$239,923). Those affected by the haze can also take up civil suits against these companies, whose representatives could be served notice when they enter Singapore. The proposed law comes after Singapore - and Southeast Asia - experienced record levels of pollution caused by forest fires in Riau last June. 2559. May 4, 2014 | South China Morning Post, China
Families packing up and leaving Hong Kong over pollution life expectancy fears
With children the most at risk from Hong Kong's air pollution, some families have reluctantly packed up and left behind friends and comfortable lifestyles. 2560. March 14, 2014 | The Atlantic.com
The toxins that threaten our brains
Leading scientists recently identified a dozen chemicals as being responsible for widespread behavioral and cognitive problems. But the scope of the chemical dangers in our environment is likely even greater. Why children and the poor are most susceptible to neurotoxic exposure that may be costing the U.S. billions of dollars and immeasurable peace of mind. 2561. March 11, 2014 | UNEP News Centre
New UNEP report outlines Japan's experience with industrial waste management
In 1960s Japan, vast amounts of industrial and hazardous wastes, illegal dumping, air pollution and water contamination resulted in environmental and public health crises. One well known example of this was the mercury contamination in the city of Minamata, where large numbers of people became seriously ill after eating contaminated seafood from Minamata Bay. 2562. February 20, 2014 | Scientific American News
Yellow pigments in clothing and paper contain long-banned chemical
New research has found that polychlorinated biphenyls – banned in the United States 35 years ago – are leaching out of clothing and printed materials from around the world. 2563. February 19, 2014 | The Globe and Mail, Canada
Scientists raise concerns over chemicals leaching into food from packaging
No one in their right mind would knowingly drink formaldehyde – but that’s the risk consumers take when they gulp down fizzy drinks sold in plastic containers, according to a report published Wednesday in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Although formaldehyde is not used to make plastic bottles, it is a byproduct of the manufacturing process, the authors wrote. Trace amounts of it leach into drinks, said lead author Dr. Jane Muncke, manager of the Food Packaging Forum Foundation in Zurich, Switzerland. Muncke noted that formaldehyde is just one of 6,500 chemicals found in food manufacturing materials. 2564. February 13, 2014 | Scientific American News
New BPA experiment finds no low-dose effects
Scientists at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have found that bisphenol A does not affect the health of rats fed low doses. Other scientists say the study is flawed. 2565. February 11, 2014 | Natural News
Pesticide formulations up to 1000 times more toxic than active ingredients tested for safety
The same university academic whose controversial research exposed the cancer-causing effects of genetically modified (GM) Bt corn and the Monsanto crop herbicide Roundup (glyphosate) has made another groundbreaking discovery, this time with regard to the understated toxicity of pesticides in general. 2566. January 7, 2014 | Scientific American News
BPA exposure linked to prostate cancer
Exposure to low levels of bisphenol A during development may make men more susceptible to prostate cancer later in life. 2567. January 5, 2014 | Natural News
Neonicotinoid pesticides not just a threat to bees; humans also at risk
A new report issued by the European Food Safety Commission (EFSA) has found that a class of crop pesticides previously linked to causing mass bee deaths is also inherently harmful to humans. Researchers from the EFSA determined that neonicotinoid pesticides -- acetamiprid and imidacloprid in particular -- obstruct the normal development and function of the human nervous system, as well as damage brain structures and functions associated with learning and memory. 2568. December 26, 2013 | ColomboPage
Indian Coast Guard training mission in Sri Lanka demonstrates pollution response exercises, Sri Lanka
Dec 25, Colombo: The two Indian Coast Guard ships visiting Sri Lanka on a training mission are now docked at the Colombo Port after participating in the trilateral exercise in Trincomalee last week... 2569. December 26, 2013 | Bangkok Post
Pollution dept to act on hotspots, Thailand
Three industrial pollution hotspots in Chachoengsao and Prachin Buri provinces in the East, and Loei province in the Northeast are worrying the Pollution Control Department (PCD)... 2570. December 26, 2013 | China Economic Review
China struggling to meet pollution goals, China
A report submitted on Wednesday to the Chinese government said faster-than-expected economic growth was to blame for China's struggle to meet its 2011-2015 environmental targets, Reuters reported... 2571. December 25, 2013 | San Jose Mercury News
Home gas ranges produce toxic gases, Lawrence Berkeley Lab study says, Hong Kong
Air pollution isn't just an outdoor problem. Unhealthy fumes may be emitted inside your own home if you're cooking over an unvented gas stove... 2572. December 25, 2013 | China.org.cn
Pollution for Shanghai's Christmas, China
Heavily polluted air is expected to greet Christmas today with the Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center forecasting an air quality index of between 220 and 240... 2573. December 25, 2013 | Radio Zamaneh
Pollution forces school closures, class cancellations in Tehran, Iran
The Tehran Air Pollution Committee announced on Monday night that all elementary schools, kindergartens and daycares in Tehran and Shar-e Rey will be closed due to the extreme decline in air quality... 2574. December 25, 2013 | Shanghai Daily
Pollution for city’s Christmas, China
Heavily polluted air is expected to greet Christmas today with the Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center forecasting an air quality index of between 220 and 240... 2575. December 24, 2013 | China Daily
Three detained in toxic parcel investigation, China
Three people have been detained by police in Shandong province in a case in which one man was killed and nine other people were made ill by parcels contaminated by toxic chemicals...
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