Germany is one of the first countries in Europe that will be allowed to resume trading emission certificates. The European Commission had suspended all national and international transactions on January 19th in the wake of security incidents at some European registries. Germany was not among the countries affected. National registries would only be allowed to resume full online trading after a com... read more
How clean is air in Germany?
A first assessment of the air quality in 2010 done by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) indicates that at 56 percent of the measuring stations in urban areas near traffic, the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentration levels exceeded the annual mean value of 40 microgammes/cubic metre of air (µg/m3) which has been set as the statutory cap since 1.1.2010. The assessment is based on preliminary data f... read more
Dioxins in food - Blood tests not meaningful
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
Nitrogen - vital nutrient, hazardous pollutant
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
At a glance: Agriculture and its environmental impact
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
Dioxin in animal feed: Source of contamination not yet decisively identified
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
Baby swimming: Possible risk of asthma caused by chlorine disinfection?
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
Despite financial crisis: German public demands more climate protection
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