UK Power Companies’ Case Dismissed by EU Court
The EU emissions trading scheme is a key instrument designed to control global climate deterioration and meet European commitments to reduce carbon emissions under the Kyoto Protocol. The scheme sets limits on the amount of CO2 that industry can emit and allows companies to buy or sell allowances based on whether they overshoot or undershoot their targets.
In July 2007, a case brought before an EU court by a group of British power companies, including Drax Power Ltd, Great Yarmouth Power Ltd, International Power Plc, Npower Copgen Ltd, RWE Npower Plc, ScottishPower Generation Ltd, and Scottish and Southern Energy Plc, was dismissed by the court. The companies had sued the European Commission for rejecting a British request to increase the UK emissions limits in the first phase of the emissions trading scheme from 2005 to 2007.
The decision is understood to have established a precedent that companies covered by the EU scheme cannot sue the Commission and overturn its decisions on EU governments' National Allocation Plans (NAP), which lay out emissions caps. EU member governments can continue to challenge Commission decisions in court, but companies will not be able to do so.
Buncefield Investigators Critical of Planning Procedures
Some 19 months after the disastrous fire at the Buncefield oil storage depot in Hertfordshire, the area was still a scene of devastation. At the time of the incident around 2,000 households were evacuated and 92 nearby business premises were affected. A year later, 30 families were still unable to return to their homes and some local businesses had been wound up.
In July 2007, the HSE published two further documents online relating to the Buncefield incident. The first discusses HSE proposals for revised policies to address societal risk around onshore non-nuclear major hazard sites, and is a response to consultative document CD 212, issued in April 2007. The URL is:
http://www.buncefieldinvestigation.gov.uk/reports/condoc212response.pdfThis document states that the risk criteria in land use planning (LUP) do not address total population risk (societal risk), and concludes that societal risk should be incorporated in the control of major hazard sites. Also noted is an anomaly in that major pipelines carrying gasoline are not subject to LUP controls. The Pipelines Safety Regulations 1996 currently include gasoline pipelines under the general duties applicable to all pipelines, but gasoline pipelines are excluded from the additional duties for pipelines conveying fluids with a major accident hazard potential. There are therefore no requirements to produce an emergency plan and land use planning zones around gasoline pipelines, even though potential hazards are high.
The second related document is the sixth report of the Buncefield Investigation Board (BIB) entitled Recommendations on the emergency preparedness for, response to and recovery from incidents. It is the result of a broad consultation process with the various enforcing agencies, regional agencies, devolved administrations; and local businesses and residents. The BIB detail 32 recommendations which fall into four areas:
- Assessing the potential for a major incident: Operators of COMAH sites should review their emergency arrangements to ensure they provide for all reasonably foreseeable emergency scenarios arising out of credible major hazard incidents.
- Managing major incidents on-site: The Competent Authority should review existing COMAH guidance, and operators should review their on-site emergency plans, including the siting of critical emergency response resources. If the operator relies on an off-site fire and rescue service to respond, the operator’s plan should clearly demonstrate that there are adequate arrangements in place between the operator and the service provider. COMAH site operators should review their arrangements to communicate with residents, local businesses and the wider community, to ensure the frequency of communications meets local needs and to cover arrangements to provide for dealing with local community complaints. They should agree the frequency and form of communications with local authorities and responders, making provision where appropriate for joint communications with those bodies.
- Preparing for and responding to major incidents off-site: The Cabinet Office should review its arrangements to identify a minister and his role to complement and support the emergency responders following a major incident, to ensure national arrangements work as intended and there is continuity of government attention throughout the response and recovery phases. The Civil Contingencies Secretariat and the Competent Authority should ensure that COMAH emergency arrangements are fully integrated with those under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, with the aim of ensuring that major hazard events are dealt with consistently at all levels in terms of planning, shared resources and practical arrangements.
- Planning for recovery from a major incident: The Cabinet Office should confirm formally where ministerial responsibility lies for the recovery phase following a major incident until the affected community has regained social normality. The BIB think this should be with Communities and Local Government, supported as necessary by other central departments. Emergency arrangements should take full account of the need to ensure recovery starts as soon as possible. Local authorities should ensure that recovery plans dovetail with off-site emergency response plans and the Regional Economic Strategy to ensure that all relevant organisations are involved at an appropriately early stage. Communities and Local Government should review options for government support to communities affected by a disaster and produce practical recommendations without delay.
Recommendation 30 of the report is that central government should give urgent consideration to support to assist in the recovery of the area around Buncefield, including both to help restore business confidence and attract new workers and new employment. The aim would be to apply to the Buncefield area the principles of the BIB recommendations right away. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government should see this consideration takes place.
The report is at: http://www.buncefieldinvestigation.gov.uk/reports/preparedness.pdf.
Stockline Plastics Factory Explosion Caused by Corroded Pipeline
On 11th May 2004, nine employees at the ICL Stockline plastics factory in Glasgow were killed and 24 injured in an explosion. Fire-fighters took four days to rescue all the survivors. The trial of the employers, ICL Tech Limited and ICL Plastics Limited, at the High Court in Glasgow was delayed until August 2007, when the company was found guilty of four charges under the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 in that they failed to ensure their workers were not exposed to risks of personal injury and death from fire, explosion and other dangers arising out of corroded pipes and an escape of liquid petroleum gas, which accumulated in the basement and exploded.
In July 2007, the exact cause of the explosion was made public when it was announced that it had been agreed between the Crown and the defence that it was the result of the ignition of petroleum gas in a pipeline which had been allowed to corrode over many years. During the later trial it emerged that a student on summer placement work had carried out a risk assessment on the buried gas pipes at the factory and the company had estimated that the cost of repairs, which were never carried out, was £450. A fine of £400,000 was imposed on ICL Plastics and ICL Tech.
From April 2008, companies found guilty of significant management failures causing death will face a potentially unlimited fine under the new offence of Corporate Manslaughter. In addition, under Section 10 of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act, a Court hearing a Corporate Manslaughter offence may make a publicity order requiring the convicted organisation to publicise the fact that it has been convicted, particulars of the offence, the level of fine and any remedial order made.
BP Buncefield Plans Condemned by Local Business
Plans by BP to resume storage of petrol and diesel at the Buncefield oil depot in Hertfordshire were condemned by the Maylands Partnership, a local commerce organisation representing businesses, the borough council and the local development agency. The group stated on 23rd July 2007 that the decision by BP ignores the wishes of hundreds of local businesses and could jeopardise vital investment in the area.
BP intends to resume storage of petrol and oil in three of seven available tanks at Buncefield next year. The Maylands Partnership pointed out that some of the tanks are less than 100 metres from business premises. The company said that it is fully aware of local concerns over its plans and will press ahead only if the relevant authorities deem it safe to do so.
Enactment of the Corporate Manslaughter Bill
The Secretary of State for Justice announced in the House of Commons that the main part of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act would be implemented on 6th April 2008, although there will be a delay before it covers deaths in custody. It is likely that the number of prosecutions for workplace-related deaths arising from the operations of larger companies and organisations will increase, as the test of mens rea, or awareness of wrongful purpose by an individual controlling mind, is no longer required
Reasonable Practicability Rides Again
Although the European Court of Justice accepted the legal validity of the UK qualifying phrase placed upon an employer’s duty, “so far as is reasonably practicable”, in a separate development the HSE has been forced by a UK court to explain exactly what it means.
The situation arises from an HSE prosecution of Hatton Traffic Management Ltd of Newcastle at Teesside Crown Court under Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 (HSWA). The case followed the deaths of two company employees who were electrocuted when their work equipment came into contact with an overhead power cable while they were engaged on resurfacing work on the A66 near Scotch Corner.
The legal argument advanced in court concerned the points of foreseeability and the negligent actions of employees. The company claimed in its defence that it could not have foreseen the accident, and that it was caused by the two employees failing to follow correct procedures and ignoring warning signs fixed on the equipment. The HSE counter-argued that under Regulation 21 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR), any act or default of an employee will “not afford an employer a defence”.
However, the judge ruled that evidence of foreseeability is admissible when considering what is reasonably practicable for the purposes of discharging a duty under S.2(1) of HSWA, and that Regulation 21 of MHSWR does not preclude a defendant from advancing evidence of any act or default by an employee. The HSE appealed on these two points of law, but the appeal was quashed by the Court of Appeal. The HSE then sought leave to appeal to the House of Lords, but was refused. The case therefore returned to the original court, where in July 2007 the judge ruled that the HSE had not sufficiently detailed the reasonably practicable steps the accused could have taken to prevent the accident. Consequently, the hearing was rescheduled for January 2008. In the meantime, the HSE has to work out what reasonably practicable steps the defendant should have taken, thus reversing the burden of proof as set out in Section 40 of HSWA, and making the prosecution rather than the defence list the reasonably practicable steps.
If this requirement were to be demanded in every prosecution, the HSE would have to do additional work, because it is now open for an employer to argue that he had discharged his safety duties, “so far as is reasonably practicable” by providing safe systems of work, training and instructions, notwithstanding the 1999 amendment to MHSWR, which had been thought to rule out such a line of defence.
The HSC point out that the rulings do not alter the duty of employers to demonstrate that everything reasonably practicable had been done to ensure the health and safety of employees and the public.
Buncefield Standards Task Group Issues Final Report
The Buncefield Standards Task Group (BSTG) was formed of representatives from the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Competent Authority and industry, with the aim of translating the lessons from the Buncefield incident into effective and practical risk management guidance. Its activities ran in parallel with the work of the Buncefield Major Incident Investigation Board (BMIIB) investigation, and finished with the publication in July 2007 of the BSTG Final Report, consisting of an executive summary, route map and template for COMAH on-site emergency plans. Outstanding matters will be taken forward by the Petrochemical Process Standards Leadership Group (PPSLG), which replaces BSTG and will also oversee the monitoring of and reporting on compliance with all of their recommendations, as well as those of the BSTG.
The Final Report is in four parts: Part 1 deals with actions required of operators, including timescales; Part 2 contains detailed guidance produced by the BSTG; Part 3 sets out work in progress; and Part 4 provides a comparison with the BMIIB report, Recommendations on the design and operation of fuel storage sites.
The 474KB PDF document is entitled Safety and Environmental Standards for Fuel Storage Sites and can be downloaded from:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/comah/buncefield/bstgfinalreport.pdf.
OHSAS 18001 Implemented as a British Standard
The BSI has announced the publication of BS OHSAS 18001:2007, Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. Requirements. BS OHSAS 18001:2007 implements OHSAS 18001:2007 as a British Standard, superseding OHSAS 18001:1999, which remains current until 1st July 2009.
The revised standard specifies requirements for an occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system and is designed to enable an organisation to control its OH&S risks and improve its performance. Its aim is to provide organisations with a framework for managing OH&S in order to minimise the risk of workplace ill-health and injury. It differs from OHSAS 18001:1999 in that it includes a greater emphasis on “health”, new and revised definitions, better alignment with BS EN ISO 14001 and improved compatibility with BS EN ISO 9001:2000. It also introduces a new requirement for the consideration of the hierarchy of controls as part of OH&S planning.
Fatal Accidents at Work Increase
The publication of HSE statistics on work-related fatal injuries shows that the overall number of deaths reported last year under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 rose to 241, equivalent to a fatal injury rate of 0.80 per 100,000 workers, and an 11% increase over 2005/06. It is the highest number of workplace fatalities in five years.
Construction had the highest number of fatal injuries and accounted for 31% of all worker deaths. Other industries such as agriculture, waste and recycling also figure prominently. There is a correlation in that all these sectors employ high numbers of migrant workers.
The HSE claim that, despite these figures, the long-term fatal-injury trends are still downward.
The statistics can be downloaded from:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/fatals.htm.
Waste from the Sky
The American space agency NASA often complains about other nations littering orbital space, but is not averse to flytipping on its own account. On 23rd July 2007, a 630 kg ammonia reservoir tank, no longer required for cooling the International Space Station, was discarded overboard, along with an unwanted 96 kg camera mounting. Apparently the equipment was cluttering up a shuttle cargo bay.
NASA stated that the debris would be tracked by radar until it burnt up as it entered the Earth's atmosphere, although fragments of the large ammonia tank were expected to survive and impact on the surface. NASA calculated a 1 in 5,000 chance that a human being could be killed or injured by a piece of this space junk, which statistically is far from reassuring.
New British Standard on Assessment of Fire Threat to People
The BSI has published BS ISO 19706:2007, Guidelines for Assessing the Fire Threat to People, which is intended to facilitate addressing the consequences of a single acute human exposure to fire effluent. It deals with the development, evaluation and use of relevant quantitative information for use in fire hazard and risk assessment, and is based on information obtained from fire-incidence investigation, fire statistics, real-scale fire tests and physical fire models. The standard is intended to be used in conjunction with computational models for analysis of the initiation and development of fire, fire spread, smoke formation and movement, chemical species generation, transport and decay, and people movement, as well as fire detection and suppression.
New Aerogel Soaks Up Heavy Metal Pollution
An aerogel is a very low-density, foam-like solid which makes a very effective insulator or filter. Earlier types were based on silicon dioxide or aluminium dioxide, but they can be made from other materials. They have a number of industrial uses, most of which exploit the gigantic reactive surface area of the gel.
A paper by Mercouri Kanatzidis and colleagues at Northwestern University in Illinois, USA, published in the journal Science, Vol. 317, page 490 (“Porous Semiconducting Gels and Aerogels from Chalcogenide Clusters”), describes the discovery of a new aerogel whilst the team were trying to create a porous semiconductor out of chemical compounds called chalcogenides, a category which includes sulphides and selenides. They found that when they mixed the chalcogenide germanium sulphide with a platinum salt in water, the mixture turned into a hydrogel, a water-soluble polymer. When dried, the hydrogel became a new porous aerogel.
This new material was tested as a filter of heavy metals by soaking 10 milligrams of it in water contaminated with mercury at 645 parts per million. The aerogel removed almost all of the mercury, reducing levels to 0.04 parts per million. The researchers also found that the novel aerogel binds preferentially to heavy metals like lead, mercury and cadmium, allowing other metals like zinc and magnesium to pass through.
It therefore has the potential to soak up heavy metals in run-off water from polluted industrial sites. However, in its present form it uses the precious metal platinum and is therefore too expensive for large-scale pollution cleanup. The team claim they have since created similar aerogels using less expensive metals, which could be more suitable for large-scale use. They suggest that pieces of such aerogels could be dropped into rivers contaminated with heavy metals in order to decontaminate them.
The Office Laser Printer as a Health Risk
An investigation by Lidia Morawska and colleagues at Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, has found that 17 out of 62 conventional office laser printers examined emitted potentially dangerous levels of toner particles to the air, in the PM10 size which can penetrate deep into the lungs in a similar fashion to cigarette smoke particulates and cause a range of health problems from respiratory irritation to more chronic illnesses. The team report that 37 of the printers released no particles that diminished air quality.
The laser printers included popular models in the USA and Australia sold internationally under the Canon, HP Colour Laserjet, Ricoh and Toshiba brand names. The tests were conducted in an open-plan office, and it was found that atmospheric particle levels increased fivefold during working hours, an increase associated with the use of printers. The problem was worse when new replacement cartridges were used and when graphics and images were printed (the latter requiring larger quantities of toner). Three of the printers were also tested in an experimental chamber.
The researchers called on governments to regulate air quality in offices, and want equipment suppliers to ensure that printers are placed in properly ventilated areas so that the particles disperse.
The research was published in the 1st August 2007 issue of the American Chemical Society online journal, Environmental Science and Technology.
The Pirbright Foot and Mouth Disease Outbreak
On 6th August 2007, the HSE announced that following confirmation of an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in cattle at Woolford Farm near Guildford in Surrey on 3rd August, it would act as part of the central government COBRA-led response. The HSE would lead an investigation into biosecurity issues at the two nearby Pirbright laboratory facilities, Merial Animal Health Ltd (which is owned jointly by US drug maker Merck and Co. Inc. and the French company Sanofi-Aventis SA) and the government-run Institute for Animal Health (IAH). The Merial site is subject to the Specified Animal Pathogens Order 1998, enforced by DEFRA and which requires licensing of work with FMD. Other bodies involved in the investigation included DEFRA, the Veterinary Medical Directorate and the Environment Agency.
Biological agents such as viruses are classified into one of four hazard groups (HG) based on their ability to infect healthy people:
- HG1 viruses are unlikely to cause human disease.
- HG2 viruses can cause human disease and may be a workplace hazard. They are unlikely to spread to the community; effective prophylaxis or treatment is available.
- HG3 viruses can cause severe human disease and may be a serious workplace hazard. They may spread to the community; effective prophylaxis or treatment is available.
- HG4 viruses can cause severe human disease and are a serious workplace hazard. They are likely to spread to the community; no effective prophylaxis or treatment is available.
FMD is a highly infectious but seldom lethal viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals (Group HG1) which is shed in airborne aerosol form by an infected animal. The strain involved in this incident, 01BFS67, is the same as a batch of cattle vaccine produced at Merial just before the outbreak (the strain was first isolated in 1967 and has not circulated in Europe for 40 years). The IAH was also working on the same strain. There were concerns that a breach of biosecurity containment might have taken place at one of the two establishments.
A few days later the HSE published its initial report after carrying out inspections of both the IAH and the Merial sites. The inspections involved checking engineering controls, management systems and working practices; reviewing record logs and documents; interviewing staff; and visually inspecting all the facilities.
The report suggested that there was a strong possibility that the FMD virus strain involved in the outbreak originated from the IAH or the Merial site and was unlikely to have been an airborne release. It suggested there was little possibility that surface water flooding from the site could have reached and contaminated the affected farmland, due to the distance, topography and direction of flow. The conclusion was that release by human movement must be considered a real possibility.
The report recommended that further work be done at the Merial site before any operations involving live pathogens are restarted, as there were doubts about the integrity of the drainage system, including pipework which leads to the final effluent treatment plant.
In early September, two further reports were submitted to DEFRA, one by the HSE and another by an independent inquiry headed by Imperial College, London. They concluded that the virus escaped from a leaking effluent pipe running between the Merial and the IAH facilities, and from there it had been spread on the vehicles of contractors to adjacent farmland. The pipe network was known by DEFRA to be in need of repair or replacement four years before the incident, but adequate funding to deal with the problem was denied. The independent report commented on the conflict of interest in the role of DEFRA as licenser, inspector and funding agency for the IAH.
The incident demonstrates a need for new guidance and regulations on access to restricted sites, and on deactivating live viruses before disposal; and for a review of the regulatory framework for licensing work on animal pathogens, particularly the structural conflict of interest for DEFRA. Even before the later secondary outbreaks of the disease, the cost of the Pirbright incident came to around £50 million. The cost of pipe repairs would have been around £50,000.
EU Alert on Dioxin Contamination in Guar Gum
Guar gum, an extract of the guar bean, is a widely used food additive 80% of the global supply of which is produced in India. In 2006/07 the value of guar gum exports to India was 13 billion rupees (US $459.8 million), the main markets being the United States and Europe. Guar gum is used as an additive in dairy products such as yoghurts, ice cream and soft cheese, bread, pasta, ham, sausages, prepared fish and pastries. It is also used in animal feed. The substance functions as a food emulsifier, thickener and stabiliser.
In early August 2007, the European Commission issued a food safety alert to the 27 EU member countries when high levels of dioxins were found in gum shipments from an Indian supplier. The Swiss company Unipektin AG, which supplies guar gum products to EU markets, recalled several batches of food additives containing guar gum sent by India Glycols on 30th July 2007. The Swiss authorities told the European Commission that nine EU countries had received guar gum consignments from Unipektin, although there were no details on the quantities involved. The alert warns countries to detain guar gum exports from India Glycols, and test consignments for pentachlorophenol and dioxin. Guar gum sourced from other suppliers should also be sampled. Hungary had already blocked the sale of several items from a wide range of food, feed and drug products after finding dioxin levels exceeding the EU permitted limit.
If a contaminated guar gum batch has already been used for food production, member states should check whether the batch complies with EU rules on maximum dioxin levels. If products do not comply, a withdrawal or recall from the market has to be ordered.
The source of contamination is linked to the presence of pentachlorophenol, and there was no evidence to suggest that suppliers other than India Glycols were involved. Most importers have now requested test certificates for the presence of toxic substances in guar gum, but there is only one organisation in India equipped to undertake such testing, Vimta Specialities of Hyderabad, and the cost of 25,000 rupees per tonne is not readily affordable by the exporters.
Cargo Vessel Rams Unmanned North Sea Platform
On 4th August 2007, the 95-metre general cargo motor vessel “Jork”, flying the Antigua and Barbuda flag, struck the ConocoPhillips unmanned platform “Viking Echo” 40 miles north-east of Cromer in the North Sea. The ship had been travelling from Lübeck to New Holland East with a cargo of grain.
A rescue helicopter from RAF Wattisham, Yarmouth Coastguard and standby vessels “Putford Puffin” and “Putford Terminator” provided assistance as the “Jork” lost all power and began to list heavily to 30 degrees. The six-man crew abandoned ship and were rescued by the “Putford Puffin”. The platform sustained only slight damage.
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch and the Secretary of State Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention were informed.
National Increase in Cases of Legionnaires' Disease
Cases of Legionnaires' disease are reported to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) National Surveillance Scheme. The HPA announced in August 2007 that the number of cases in England and Wales had risen by a third in the first six months of this year. There were 163 reported cases between January and June 2007, compared with 120 cases over the same period in 2006, and 103 in 2005. In 2006, 549 cases were reported for England and Wales over the whole year, the highest number since the scheme began in 1980.
Of the 2007 cases, 57% were contracted in the community; 3% were hospital acquired; 6% were associated with travel in the UK; and 34% with travel abroad. The HPA figures do not distinguish between infections acquired in the UK and those contracted whilst overseas. However, they state that 66% of all reported cases this year were contracted in the UK, and 34% were associated with travel abroad.
The HPA does not know why the number of cases is rising, other than increased awareness of the disease and the wider use of rapid testing methods to identify the agent. There is an expected seasonal increase in cases during the warmer months of the year, and the HPA points out that UK weather patterns are changing. They also note that there are small clusters of cases around the country, but there is no evidence to link them to a common source of exposure.
HSE Consultative Document on Harmonised Chemicals Classification
In August 2007, the HSE published ConDoc CD213, A Consultative document on European Commission proposals for a European Regulation on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures, based on the UN globally harmonised system on the classification and labelling of chemicals (GHS).
The consultative document is concerned with the Regulation proposed by the European Commission (EC) to adopt the United Nations’ Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). The UN GHS sets out internationally accepted definitions and criteria to identify the hazards associated with chemicals and for the communication of the hazards via labels and safety data sheets. The idea is that globally harmonised classification criteria and labelling afford a consistent level of protection to human health and the environment throughout the world.
The EC proposes to replace the current EU classification and labelling system for hazardous chemicals with a new system based on the UN GHS, which will take legal effect in all member states through the proposed Regulation and eventually replace the UK Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations 2002 (CHIP). The Regulation was published at the end of June 2007 and negotiations in the European Council of Ministers will continue to the end of this year.
The ConDoc is available online at:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/consult/condocs/cd213.pdf
Nuclear Panacea Disappears over the Horizon
According to a report published in late August 2007 by Pöyry Energy Consulting, it is unlikely that any new nuclear power plants will be built in the UK before 2020, which will be too late to service the looming power generation gap caused by declining UK gas reserves, the closure of existing aging nuclear plant, and the closure of coal-fired power plants over the next decade under European environmental legislation.
The UK Government refuses to pay for new nuclear power plants from public funds and wants the private sector to build them, but the commercial case cannot be supported without a higher long-term carbon price than that set by the current European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The ETS is designed to encourage investment in cleaner power technologies by making generators pay for rights to emit carbon dioxide from burning hydrocarbon fuels; but because many member states have given away too many rights for free, the cost of emitting carbon dioxide to the atmosphere has been below €20 per tonne for the past year, which is too low to justify investment in nuclear power. The current ETS runs until 2012 and potential nuclear power investors do not know what the EU plans to do beyond that date.
Without nuclear power, Britain will either become dependent on imported gas to fuel its power stations, or will increase carbon emissions by building more coal-burning plants. It seems probable that future energy consumption will be regulated by a fiercer price mechanism placed upon consumers.
European Union Launches Online Public Health Threat Monitor
In mid-August 2007, the European Commission launched an automated online medical intelligence system of global scope which constantly trawls the Internet, collecting and sorting information from more than 1,000 news and 120 public health websites in 32 languages.
The system is called MediSys and was developed to provide health authorities with real-time knowledge about epidemic disease outbreaks or large-scale industrial accidents, thereby helping to identify such incidents as early as possible and so react in a timely way. It can also provide invaluable information to authorities tackling a major incident such as a biowarfare terrorist attack.
Previous systems have monitored only historical data, such as death rates, emergency admissions, trends in prescriptions and other public health statistical anomalies. MediSys is based on the number of articles retrieved and keywords detected, and issues automatic alerts by e-mail and SMS to decision-makers who are on permanent standby. The system can also be accessed by private citizens via:
http://medusa.jrc.it/medisys/homeedition/all/home.html.
UK Set to Miss Kyoto Target
The UK will fail to achieve its Kyoto Protocol goal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20% by 2010 and will fall short of its target of generating 10% of electricity supply from renewable sources according to a report, UK Energy and the Environment, published online by Cambridge Econometrics at Cambridge University. Existing government policies and the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme are incapable of meeting the global climate deterioration challenge.
UK CO2 emissions will fall by only 12.8% from 1990 levels (the Kyoto base year) by 2010. On current policies it is likely that by 2020 carbon emissions will be 15% lower than in 1990. Forecasts predict that only 5% of electricity supply will come from renewable sources by 2010, rising to 12.5% by 2015. By 2020, renewables will approach the government target of 20%.
The Government plans to introduce a Climate Change Bill which proposes to cut carbon emissions by 30% by 2025 and at least 60% by 2050; but the Cambridge report reveals the major discrepancy between official rhetoric and reality.
New British Standard for Explosive Atmospheres
The British Standards Institution has published BS EN 60079-1:2007, Explosive atmospheres. Equipment protection by flameproof enclosures "d". Part 1 of BS EN 60079 contains specific requirements for the construction and testing of electrical equipment with the type of protection flameproof enclosure “d”, intended for use in explosive gas atmospheres. BS EN 60079-1:2007 replaces BS EN 60079-1:2004, which remains current.
Also published in August was BS EN 60947-1:2007, Low-voltage switchgear and control gear. General rules. The purpose of this standard is to harmonise as far as practicable all rules and requirements of a general nature applicable to low-voltage switchgear and control gear, in order to obtain uniformity of requirements and tests throughout the corresponding range of equipment and to avoid the need for testing to different standards.
WHO Report on Global Epidemic Risk
In August, the World Health Organisation (WHO) published its World Health Report 2007 - A safer future: global public health security in the 21st century. The world is described as being at increasing risk of disease outbreaks, epidemics, industrial accidents, natural disasters and other health emergencies which can rapidly become global threats. The revised International Health Regulations (2005), which came into force this year, are designed to help countries work together to identify risks and act to contain and control them. The Regulations are necessary because no single country can protect itself from outbreaks and other hazards without the co-operation of others.
The WHO maintains that with about 2.1 billion airline passengers flying each year, infectious diseases are spreading faster than ever before and there is a high risk of another major epidemic such as HIV, SARS, Marburg or Nipah virus. The report urges increased efforts to combat disease outbreaks and the sharing of virus data to help develop vaccines, without which there could be devastating impacts on the global economy and international security.
The WHO claims that new diseases are emerging at the historically unprecedented rate of one per year. Thirty-nine new diseases have developed since the 1970s and in the last five years alone the WHO has identified more than 1,100 epidemics, including cholera, polio and bird flu. Between 2003 and 2006 there were 685 verified events of international public health concern. A new influenza pandemic could affect more than 1.5 billion people or 25% of world population. Drug resistance also poses a threat to disease control, due to misuse of antibiotics and poor medical treatment, particularly when dealing with tuberculosis.
The report is accessible online in six different language translations at:
http://www.who.int/whr/2007/en/index.html.
Environmentally Unfriendly Water
The consumption of bottled mineral water has grown from a Western affectation into a global menace in terms of its high environmental cost. The beverage contributes vast quantities of plastic waste to landfills and places excess demand on natural springs, according to a report published in August 2007 by the Worldwatch Institute of Washington. Not only is bottled water expensive, but it is produced to lower safety standards than those applied to municipal water utilities supplying tap water, even in developed countries.
The environmental impact starts at source, depleting local streams and underground aquifers by industrial-scale withdrawal. The water is then put through a process of production, bottling, packaging, storing, shipping and distribution. The cost of bottled water to the consumer is up to 10,000 times greater than water from a municipal tap.
World consumption of bottled water more than doubled between 1997 and 2005, with the United States being the largest consumer. US citizens drank nearly 28.6 billion litres in 2005. In India, where there is a genuine need for potable water, consumption nearly tripled in the same period; and Chinese consumption more than doubled between 2000 and 2005. Mexico, Brazil, Italy, Germany, France, Indonesia and Spain also appear among the ten heaviest consumers.
New UK Nuclear Plant Proposals Online
In September 2007, the two French-owned power companies Areva NP and EDF (a subsidiary of Electricité de France) launched a website unveiling their proposals for the design of new nuclear power plant for the UK. Public information access and comment is part of the official assessment and approval process, before the UK Nuclear Regulators (the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency) make a decision on the plans, which could take up to three years. The HSE have developed a Generic Design Assessment (GDA) process for new nuclear power stations, which involves a rigorous and structured examination of the safety, security and environmental aspects of new nuclear reactor designs.
The submission documents include information on the reactor design, key safety features and environmental impact. The address is http://www.epr-reactor.co.uk.
The third generation French nuclear fission pressurised water reactor (PWR) design is now referred to as an EPR, standing for European Pressurised Reactor (or as Areva has it, Evolutionary Power Reactor). Construction of the first nuclear power station of this type was completed in late June 2007 at Olkiluoto in Finland for the utility Teollisuuden Voima. However, safety deficiencies in the manufacture and design of the plant found by the Finnish nuclear regulator, STUK, resulted in the project falling 18 months behind schedule and about €700 million over budget. Another EPR reactor is under construction in France.
The Grayrigg Train Crash
In the aftermath of the Grayrigg train crash in Cumbria in February this year, in which one person died and 22 were seriously injured, Network Rail accepted corporate responsibility for the accident. A Virgin Pendalino express left the track near Kendal because of shoddy maintenance of the stretcher bars at a set of points. A local track inspector was arrested and charged with neglecting to check the damaged points; he was released on bail.
In September 2007, Network Rail admitted that there had been a breakdown in the relationship between track patrollers and their supervisors in the area. Network Rail could now face charges of misconduct under current health and safety legislation, unless it can be proven that a senior manager was responsible. A company cannot be charged with manslaughter unless there is a specified senior individual who can be blamed. When the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act comes into force in April 2008 it will no longer be necessary to identify a single responsible individual; instead the aggregate failures of a number of senior managers will suffice.
Resources on REACH
The HSE has made available online a series of new leaflets giving basic information on REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) for manufacturers, importers and users of chemicals.
The URL is: http://www.hse.gov.uk/reach/resources.htm.
New and Revised Health and Safety Legislation
The following legislative changes came into effect on 1st October 2007:
Coal Mines (Control of Inhalable Dust) Regulations 2007
The Regulations replace the Coal Mines (Respirable Dust) Regulations 1975 and also implement requirements of the Chemical Agents Directive in relation to coal mine dust.
Indicative Occupational Exposure Limit Values (IOELVs) - Implementation of Second IOELV Directive
This refers to European Directive 2006/15/EC, which contains a list of 33 substances with IOELVs. Member states are required to establish domestic occupational exposure limits for these substances. Proposals for setting new and revised Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs) in order to comply with the Directive were contained in a Consultative Document for which the consultation period ended on 27th September 2006. The HSC has approved the new and revised WELs, which came into force on 1st October 2007. Details of the changes are available on the HSE website.
Health and Safety (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2007
These Regulations amend the Health and Safety (Fees) Regulations 2007. They provide for the charging of fees for work by the Health and Safety Executive in relation to an "assessment agreement" and a "design proposal", as defined in the amending provisions, for nuclear installations. The Regulations were originally due to commence on 2nd July 2007.
Tropical Pathogen Spreads to Europe
The Chikungunya virus is transmitted by the bite of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, a species which is extending its range as the northern Mediterranean climate changes under the impact of human-induced warming. The disease symptoms used to be relatively mild and seldom fatal, but in recent years the virus has mutated into a more aggressive and rapidly spreading form. The debilitating disease spread by the mosquito vector can cause severe fevers, headaches, fatigue, nausea, muscle and joint pains. In 2005 and 2006 there was a massive outbreak of Chikungunya on the French Indian Ocean island of La Réunion, which spread to nearby islands. The disease also struck in India. Around 1.4 million people were infected and several thousand may have died. Chikungunya has been diagnosed in dozens of travellers returning to European countries and North America from infected areas, but until now local transmission in Europe was unknown.
In July this year more than 160 people were infected with the disease in and around the two small Italian villages of Castiglione di Cervia and Castiglione di Ravenna, both in the province of Ravenna. The pathogen was identified in August by the Instituto Superiore di Sanità, a government laboratory in Rome. The delay was caused by the similarity of the disease symptoms to other diseases, such as the Toscana virus. Epidemiological investigation suggested that the index patient was a man who travelled to one of the villages and fell sick there, after having been infected in India.
According to the Pasteur Institute in Paris, it is too early to tell whether the virus has now established a permanent foothold in Europe, because the Italian outbreak has died down as the mosquito population falls in late summer. If the infected mosquitoes survive the winter or pass on the virus to their offspring via their eggs, there may be a European epidemic next year.
There are no drugs or vaccines against Chikungunya, but the outbreak on La Réunion stimulated renewed interest in developing a vaccine. Scientists at three French government institutions are currently working on such a vaccine and clinical trials might begin before the end of 2008.
Progress on Hydrogen Generation Technology
Researchers at Purdue University in the USA have developed further a technology that could represent a pollution-free energy source which could be used to run an internal combustion engine, a portable generator or a fuel cell. Combusting hydrogen in an engine or using it to drive a fuel cell produces no toxic fumes and only water as waste.
The technology produces hydrogen by adding water to an alloy of aluminium and gallium. When water is added to the alloy, the aluminium splits water by attracting oxygen, at the same time liberating hydrogen. The Purdue researchers are developing a method to create particles of the alloy that could be placed in a tank to react with water and produce hydrogen on demand. The gallium is a critical component because it hinders the formation of an aluminium oxide skin, a normal reaction product created after bonding with oxygen. The oxidation skin acts as a barrier and prevents oxygen from reacting with aluminium. Reducing the protective properties of the oxidation skin allows the reaction to continue until all of the aluminium is used to generate hydrogen.
The findings are detailed in a paper by J. M. Woodall, C. Allen and J. Ziebarth, The Science and Technology of Al-Ga Alloys as a Material for Energy Storage, Transport and Splitting Water. The paper was presented on 7th September 2007 during the second Energy Nanotechnology International Conference in Santa Clara, California.
The Purdue Research Foundation holds title to the primary patent to the technology, which has been filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office and is pending.
Migrant Workers Must Understand English
In September 2007, the UK Government announced that migrant workers from overseas classed in the “skilled” category would be required to pass an English language test before they are permitted to work and live in the UK. At present only those classed as “highly-skilled” are required to take such a test.
Accident figures for migrant workers suggest that the language barrier is a significant issue in communicating health and safety, and such workers may be at risk from illness, injuries or death at work due to inadequate knowledge of English and a lack of safety training. According to a Government estimate, around 35,000 of 95,000 skilled migrants who entered the UK in 2006 would not have been able to prove that they were competent in the English language.
The Government withdrew the provision of free English language courses for migrant workers in August 2007, limiting free access to classes to those who are unemployed or receiving benefits.
The HSE has made available online some resources to help in communicating basic health and safety principles to migrant workers at:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/languages/index.htm
Businesses Pay £3.5 Million for Breaching Environmental Law
According to a news release by the Environment Agency, in 2006 some 300 companies were prosecuted in the courts for breaches of environmental legislation. They paid more than £3.5 million in fines and various individuals deemed responsible were sentenced to a total of 11 years’ imprisonment. The largest single penalty of £191,600 was imposed on Thames Water for causing water pollution.
The average fine was £11,800, a low figure which is mirrored by the relatively small fines imposed by the courts for breaches of health and safety legislation.
Bovine TB Biosecurity Breach at Animal Pathogen Laboratory
The Institute for Animal Health at Pirbright in Surrey, recently at the centre of a foot and mouth disease outbreak, has a sister laboratory at Compton in Berkshire. Following an inspection of the IAH facility by the HSE in February 2007, an air system pressure failure was discovered inside the high security compound at Compton which could have exposed up to 14 members of staff, and the two inspectors, to air contaminated with bovine tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis, an airborne disease that can spread to humans.
The unit was served with a prohibition notice and compelled to lock down; 15 disease-infected test cattle were culled. The HSE stated that work practices had been observed which were deemed to pose a serious risk to human health. The pathogen could have escaped from the secure area into neighbouring corridors where protective clothing and gas masks are not worn by staff.
The laboratory was experimenting to discover if the inoculation used to prevent the disease in humans could also be used as a preventative measure in cattle. It was not known how long the air ventilation and pressure systems had been faulty.
In November 2006, the HSE had issued a warning and closed the Compton facility over biosecurity lapses at the research centre, on that occasion concerning a possible outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease.
Revised Guidance on Welfare at Work
The HSE has made available a revised version of INDG293, Welfare at Work: Guidance for Employers on Welfare Provisions. The leaflet sets out the welfare facilities employers must provide for their employees. A new inclusion is that it is not a legal requirement to put up signs stating that a source provides drinking water unless there is a risk of people drinking non-potable water. The leaflet can be downloaded from:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg293.pdf .
Updated Control of Pesticides Regulations Label Guidance
Effective from August 2007, amended label guidance applies to the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986. The guidance, which is fairly detailed, can be downloaded from:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pesticides/application/labelguidance.htm.
Future European Directives
The HSE has released a summary of European legislation which in the near future will have an impact on the UK health and safety system.
Simplification and Review of Radiation Protection Directives, including Basic Safety Standards (BSS) and Outside Workers Directives
The European Commission intends to update and consolidate a series of radiation (EURATOM) Directives, including the Basic Safety Standards, Outside Workers, High Activity Sealed Sources and Public Information Directives. These Directives are implemented at present by a range of HSE and other government department regulations, principally the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999 and the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2001.
Services Directive
The Services Directive was adopted on 12th December 2006 and creates a free market for the services sector in the European Union to match the existing ones for goods, people and capital. Member states have three years to transpose the Directive, which will enter into force by the end of 2009. The Directive requires member states’ Governments to simplify procedures and remove barriers to cross-border service provision, including screening legislation and ensuring that authorisation schemes are justified by an overriding reason relating to the public interest.
The main point of controversy over the first version of the proposed Directive was centred on the ‘country of origin principle’, which stated that a company offering its services in another country would operate according to the rules and regulations of its home country. The HSC was concerned that this proposal could have undermined standards of health and safety in the UK, and so worked with the Department of Trade and Industry (now the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) to achieve the negotiating objectives of upholding UK standards for worker protection.
The main provision of the current version of the Directive seeks to ensure that temporary service providers will have to operate under the laws of the country where they are providing the service. Member states will be permitted to impose national requirements justified for reasons of public policy, public security and safety, public health or the protection of the environment.
Airborne Particulates Increase Blood Clotting in the Lungs
A large population research study by Gökhan Mutlu of Northwestern University in Chicago, published on 20th September 2007 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, describes how airborne contamination by very small particulates in the PM10 range can trigger clotting in the blood, a finding which helps explain how air pollution may cause heart attacks and strokes. The reference is Gökhan M. Mutlu, et al, 2007, “Ambient particulate matter accelerates coagulation via an IL-6–dependent pathway”, J. Clin. Invest. doi:10.1172/JCI30639.
Previous studies have found that pollution from the exhaust of lorries, buses and coal-burning factories increases the risk of fatal heart attacks and strokes, although the precise mechanism was not understood. It is well established that air pollutants cause inflammation in the lungs, leading to death from cardiovascular disease. Lung tissues affected by pollution secrete interleukin-6, an immune system substance which triggers inflammation and has been shown to make blood more likely to clot.
Another study published a week earlier in the New England Journal of Medicine found that breathing diesel fumes interfered with the ability to break down blood clots in people who had suffered a previous heart attack.
Mutlu, who studies the effects of air pollution on heart failure in mice, based his research on the discovery that mice exposed to PM10 pollution bled significantly less, that is they were forming blood clots. The experimental mice showed a 15-fold increase in interleukin-6 around 24 hours after exposure, a significant timeframe as it has been known for many years that a spike in air pollution level can boost heart attacks in people within 24 hours. The researchers found that they were able to prevent excess clotting by suppressing immune cells in the lungs called macrophages, which attack foreign substances and secrete interleukin-6.
Although it is common knowledge that asthmatic lung conditions can be aggravated by high levels of air pollution, it was not previously known that the same is true for people with coronary artery disease or congestive heart failure.
Biofuel Feedstocks Found Less Efficient than Fossil Fuels
A research paper by an international team published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics concludes that renewable energy biofuel feedstocks, supposedly designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, do in fact contribute more to global warming than fossil fuels. The reference is P. J. Crutzen, et al, “N2O release from agro-biofuel production negates global warming reduction by replacing fossil fuels”, Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., 2007, 7, 11191; downloadable from Crutzen et al 2007 ACP .
Measurements of emissions from the burning of biofuels derived from rapeseed produced up to 70% more greenhouse gases, and from maize up to 50% more than fossil fuels. The use of biofuels released twice as much nitrous oxide (N2O) as had previously been realised. Nitrous oxide is nearly 300 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
Maize is the main source crop for bioethanol in the USA, where industrial use has now overtaken food use. In Europe, some 80% of biofuel production is derived from rapeseed.
Since the growing and burning of many biofuels may actually raise rather than lower greenhouse gas emissions, their benefits are far more disputable than thought, and future decisions on subsidies and regulation must take into account N2O emissions, as well as CO2.
European Carbon Trading Achieves Nothing
An online press release by energy consultants Wood Mackenzie dealing with their latest report, EU ETS Phase II: A Fundamental Assessment, concludes that there will be an oversupply of tradeable CO2 emissions credits during the second phase of the European emissions trading scheme (ETS). The credibility of the ETS has been damaged by the continuing oversupply of emissions permits, a situation likely to continue for another five years. The carbon trading market is meant to stimulate reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by ensuring a shortage when issuing such permits to heavy industry. Affected businesses have to buy additional permits (carbon offsets or certified emissions reductions) from developing countries outside the scheme if they wish to continue releasing emissions. It is well known that the supply of extra offsets easily exceeds the shortage of carbon emissions permits within Europe, making it inexpensive for European polluters to avoid making any reductions at all.
The first phase of the ETS ran from 2005 to 2007 and it was demonstrated that because of the leniency of the European Commission, the big carbon emitters had obtained more free emissions permits than their actual emissions, resulting in a carbon market crash. The second phase of the ETS runs from 2008 to 2012 and to prevent another market crash the time limit validity originally placed on the carbon permits has been extended to cover future trading cycles.
It has been estimated that in the second phase of the ETS there will be a shortage of EU emissions permits equivalent to around 560 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. However, over the same time period permits equivalent to around 770 million tonnes are likely to become available from the EC and developing countries. The size of the surplus means there will be no net abatement of European CO2 emissions.
The Cost of Natural Gas Flaring
In August 2007, the World Bank announced the results of a survey commissioned from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to perform a global survey of natural gas flaring based on satellite observations.
The survey spanned the period from 1995 to 2006 and reported that natural gas flaring ranged from 150 to 170 billion cubic metres during each of the 12 years. In the final year of 2006, the amount of natural gas flared was around 170 billion cubic metres (five trillion cubic feet), equal to 5.5% of global production or 27% of annual US consumption. The flared gas, with a potential value of around US $40 billion, generates around 400 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
The usual reason stated for disposal by flaring during oil production and processing is the lack of a nearby natural gas infrastructure or market. The gas is also flared for safety and environmental reasons (methane being a more reactive greenhouse gas than CO2).
The World Bank has created a Global Gas Flaring Reduction partnership with the aim of encouraging a reduction in flaring by such means as injecting natural gas back into reservoirs, using it for onsite power generation, and liquefying it for sea transport to distant markets.
HSE First Quarter RIDDOR Figures
The HSE has published a preliminary analysis of reportable accidents and injuries for the first quarter of 2007/08, intended to provide an early indication of the latest trends.
Between 2005/06 and 2006/07 major injuries to employees fell by 1.7%. Seasonally- adjusted data shows a fall of 5.6% over the latest quarter. Over the latest full year, all main accident kinds with the exception of falls from height were down slightly. Fall injuries increased by 1.6%.
Over the latest annual period, there were reductions of more than 3% in manufacturing, retail, wholesale and hospitality and transport. The number of major injuries in construction remained unchanged over the latest full year, although the rate of major injury fell by 4.1% due to increased employee numbers.
Between 2005/06 and 2006/07 non-fatal injuries fell by 4.2%. Over the latest year there have been reductions in both the number and rate of non-fatal injuries in all main industries. The smallest fall in injury rate was in public services (down 1.7%) and the largest was in construction (down 8%).
All main accident types with the exception of slips and trips show downward movement since 2004/05. There is some evidence of the trend flattening in 2006/07 for fall and handling injuries. Slips and trips remain erratic with no clear trend.
All main industries are showing a downward trend in the rate of non-fatal injury since 2004/05. Rates of major injury by industry have also reduced in all areas except public services, which show no sign of improvement in the rate of major injury since 2004/05.
Autoimmune Disease and Occupational Exposure
Autoimmune diseases, in which the immune system attacks the body's own tissues, affect more than eight million Americans, and several categories of occupational exposure have been linked to systemic autoimmune diseases. A new study by L. S. Gold, et al, “Systemic autoimmune disease mortality and occupational exposures”, published in the October 2007 issue of the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism, examines possible associations between occupation and the risk of dying from systemic autoimmune diseases. The research involved an analysis of death certificate data from 26 American states from 1984 to 1998, and revealed that occupational exposures in farming and industry may be linked to higher death rates from these diseases. The type of substances involved in occupational exposure include asbestos, solvents, benzene and pesticides.
Farming was associated with death from any systemic autoimmune disease, and increased risk was also seen with occupational exposure to animals and pesticides. Several industrial occupations were associated with death from any systemic autoimmune disease, including mining machine operators; miscellaneous textile machine operators; and hand painting, coating, and decorating occupations. These occupations were also significantly associated with death from specific autoimmune diseases. Certain occupations entailing exposure to the public, such as nurses and teachers, were associated with systemic autoimmune disease-related death, whereas others such as waiters and waitresses were not. The authors suggest that the higher risk associated with jobs involving public contact may be due to exposure to multiple infectious agents leading to an autoimmune response.
Arctic Sea Ice Retreat
At a recent conference held at the International Arctic Research Center in the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, evidence was presented to demonstrate that the Arctic ice cap shrank so much this summer that for the first time in recorded history the fabled Northwest Passage above Canada and the Northern Sea Route above Russia became passable to shipping. Satellite imagery has shown that one million square miles of open water were exposed in the Arctic this year.
The extreme Arctic change was as much a result of ice moving as melting. A study by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, published in October in Geophysical Research Letters, used satellites and buoys to reveal that since the year 2000 winds have pushed vast amounts of thick old ice out of the Arctic basin past Greenland. The thin floes that formed on the resulting open water melted quicker or could be shuffled together by winds and similarly expelled.
The pace of change has far exceeded what had been estimated by almost all the simulations used to predict how the Arctic will respond to rising concentrations of greenhouse gases linked to global warming.
Credence has been given to the idea that human activity has tipped the balance to an essentially irreversible more watery state. A researcher at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, projects a blue Arctic Ocean in summers by 2013.
Although the geography and dynamics differ at the two poles, Arctic waters may now be behaving more like those around Antarctica, where a broad fringe of sea ice builds each austral winter and nearly disappears in the summer.
IPCC Fourth Report on Global Climate Change Assessment
The AR4 Synthesis Report of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is due to be published in mid-November 2007 and will contain the core findings of the three previous IPCC volumes integrated into a single authoritative policy-relevant document.
The IPCC homepage is at: http://www.ipcc.ch/.
Anniversary of the Windscale Nuclear Disaster
The Windscale plant in Cumbria was the site of the first two UK nuclear reactors, constructed to produce plutonium and other materials for the state nuclear weapons programme. In order to meet the production target set by the Government, safety systems were modified and overridden. In October 1957, there was a major fire in one of the reactors which led to the release of radioactive material to the atmosphere that spread across the UK and Europe. The Government changed the name of the plant to Sellafield in an attempt to escape from the tainted Windscale label.
The incident resulted from the failure to properly control the temperature of graphite control rods within the reactor. The graphite overheated causing a fire, and nuclear material was forced up the chimney by a powered cooling fan, overloading a filter and spewing radionuclides into the atmosphere. The fire was extinguished in a highly dangerous fashion by using water.
At the time of the accident the levels of radioactivity and the extent of the plume spread were estimated and measures were put in place to limit contamination. The fallout rendered milk unsafe to drink for some time afterwards.
A new study of the accident by J. Garland and R. Wakeford, “Atmospheric emissions from the Windscale accident of October 1957”, was published in the journal Atmospheric Environment, Vol. 41, Issue 18, 2007, 3904-3920, doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2006.12.049. Based on a re-analysis of data taken from environmental monitoring of air, grass and vegetation and combined with computer models of the meteorological conditions at the time, the researchers plotted how the radioactive cloud would have dispersed from the reactor.
The authors claim the incident generated twice as much radioactive material and the discharges caused more cancers than was initially assessed. The study confirmed that radioactive iodine-131, caesium-137 and polonium-210 were released, as well as a very small amount of plutonium, although the amount would have been higher than previously thought. The earlier estimate that the radiation would cause around 200 cases of cancer has been increased to around 240.
Carriage of Dangerous Goods Manual Updated
The HSE manual for enforcement officers which accompanies the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2004, as amended 2005, was updated in early October 2007. These Regulations, and the European agreement (Accord européen relatif au transport international des marchandises dangereuses par route, known as the ADR) together regulate the carriage of dangerous goods by road. The Regulations were amended in July 2005 to reflect the changes made in the ADR for 2005. The ADR is highly structured and prescriptive.
Those duty holders required to appoint a Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser should have access to the specialist knowledge needed to navigate the Regulations and the ADR. The manual does not repeat the requirements of the Carriage Regulations or ADR, but provides cross-referenced guidance to where problems are known to have arisen. It is intended to provide a basis for consistency of approach across the three agencies involved in enforcement.
The CDG Manual can be downloaded from:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/cdg/manual/
New Coal-Burning Plants Under Threat
On 9th October 2007, a Government announcement on future coal-fired power plants ruled out any financial support for so-called "clean" coal plants. Only those plants designed to remove carbon dioxide after coal is burnt and then sequester it underground will be in the running for the carbon capture and storage (CCS) prize.
The Government views CCS as a potentially profitable export if the UK can develop a commercially viable plant before anyone else, and is offering the CCS prize to persuade companies to build a full-scale demonstration plant. Official opinion is that removing the carbon from the smoke emitted by coal furnaces is more useful because it can be fitted to existing plants in such countries as China, which is heavily dependent on coal.
The UK arm of German energy company E.ON had hoped to win support for its CCS project at Killingholme in northern England, but government rejection of any pre-combustion project has effectively killed it off. E.ON is continuing with its proposal for a "clean" coal plant at its Kingsnorth power station in Kent.
Centrica, the largest UK domestic gas supplier, has also said that without government aid it would be difficult to justify its plan to build a new coal plant on Teesside to remove carbon dioxide and then sequester it before burning the coal. Carbon prices are unlikely to be high enough under the European Union emissions trading scheme running to 2012 to make it worthwhile spending hundreds of millions of pounds on cleaner coal burning, by which time it will be too late to build even one plant in the UK in time to meet the EU target of having ten running by 2015.
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