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New world HQ for conservation
Marine Pollution Bulletin
The sinking approximately 600 km west of Mangalore, India, occurred during a storm as the Aviles 15 410 gross tons was sailing from Aden to Singapore. Because of the location of the spill no clean up operation is planned.
Mercury Accumulations in Bombay Industrial effluents released into the River Kalu in Bombay, although within permitted limits, have caused excessively high levels of toxic mercury in fish, milk and the popular vegetable duster bean consumed in the city. Alarmingly high levels of other heavy metals like lead, cadmium and copper, have also been found in the bean pods sold in the markets of Bombay. The city's food pollution was discovered by two members of its Institute of Science, B. Tejam and B. Haldar, who surveyed 8.5 km of the banks of the Kalu. Their findings showed only a small diversity of plant and marine life in the river and, on its bank, a further tapering off of life after the point where the effluents were released. In the Ambivali region, near Kaiyan, the cluster bean was virtually the only life to survive the brown water where fishing has become impossible. The scientists found only a few small crabs and worms in the water and just weeds besides the cluster beans. The cluster bean pods were found to contain, on average, 1.04 ppm of mercury and 10.7 ppm of copper. But the threat to humans also lies in the milk from cattle which graze on the banks of the river. The survey showed that the waters of the Kalu are now not suitable for the vital annual irrigation of neighbouring fields carried out during the dry season due to the process of 'biomagnification'. Not only do the plant species continuously absorb the heavy metals but they also retain them in increasing concentrations.
Ocean Dumping Protest Nine British Members of Parliament are among 22 distinguished signatories to a document protesting against the country's policy of dumping low-level radioactive waste in the Atlantic. The statement, organized by the anti-nuclear environmentalist group Greenpeace, was prompted by the news that Secretary of State Michael Heseltine had given the go-ahead for the UK Atomic Energy Authority to damp a further load of waste. The site chosen was a spot in the ocean 500 miles southwest of Land's End in water over 2 ½ miles deep. The Department of the Enrivonment claim that detrimental effects of this year's load-225 tonnes contained in a further 1800 tonnes of packaging-is "so small as to be ignored". But Greenpeace say the disposal of such waste at sea is still a contentious issue. Their argument, based they say on the conclusions of two expert panels, is that it is impossible to predict or assess the radiation effects of the dumping with the present state of knowledge. The dumping of the low-level waste-which includes such things as contaminated laboratory equipment-has 248
been going on annually in the Atlantic since 1949 and is officially observed by the Nuclear Energy Agency.
New World HQ for Conservation The World Wild Life Fund and IUCN are to move into a new shared headquarters in Gland, near Geneva, Switzerland, in October. The move ends a long search for a headquarters able to accommodate both organizations, and WWF Director General Charles de Haes said Gland would provide a "much needed focal point for the world conservation movement". He added that being in the same building as IUCN would give WWF access to scientific and technical knowledge that would ensure the limited sources available were directed towards the highest priority conservation needs.
Endangered Species Watchdog WWF-US is setting up a new watchdog operation to monitor international trade in endangered species to and from America. Known as TRADES-Trade Records Analysis in Defence of Endangered Species- the organization plans to document the extent of black market activities to give the Government enough information to enable legislation to be drafted.
Mediterranean Pollution Treaty A treaty controlling pollution from inland sources is expected to be signed next April by the 14 Mediterranean countries. The surprise move follows a breakthrough in a meeting between the countries which has been coordinated by the United National Environment Programme (UNEP). Agreement on the wording of the treaty, to control the factory waste, municipal sewage, agricultural pesticides and fertilizers that together add up to 85 per cent of the Mediterranean's pollutants, was not expected until later this year. The 14 countries do not now expect to meet again until the signing. Measures agreed under the new treaty will ban the highly toxic 'black list' pollutants such as used lubricating otis, plastics, radioactive substances, carcinogens and metals such as arsenic and cadmium from the mediterranean altogether. But, despite guide-lines, control of the less toxic 'grey list' including metal compounds like copper, lead, silver and cobalt and crude oils, is still left very much to the discretion of each individual country. However all will agree to supply information on the nature of their pollutants which will be fed into UNEP's computer, monitored and circulated. It will then be used to produce workable standards by the countries who will meet to discuss the results every 2 years. Important provision of the treaty will mean that the Mediterranean's clean-up bill-estimated by the WHO as roughly $5000 million-will be fairly distributed among
The sinking approximately 600 km west of Mangalore, India, occurred during a storm as the Aviles 15 410 gross tons was sailing from Aden to Singapore. Because of the location of the spill no clean up operation is planned.
Mercury Accumulations in Bombay Industrial effluents released into the River Kalu in Bombay, although within permitted limits, have caused excessively high levels of toxic mercury in fish, milk and the popular vegetable duster bean consumed in the city. Alarmingly high levels of other heavy metals like lead, cadmium and copper, have also been found in the bean pods sold in the markets of Bombay. The city's food pollution was discovered by two members of its Institute of Science, B. Tejam and B. Haldar, who surveyed 8.5 km of the banks of the Kalu. Their findings showed only a small diversity of plant and marine life in the river and, on its bank, a further tapering off of life after the point where the effluents were released. In the Ambivali region, near Kaiyan, the cluster bean was virtually the only life to survive the brown water where fishing has become impossible. The scientists found only a few small crabs and worms in the water and just weeds besides the cluster beans. The cluster bean pods were found to contain, on average, 1.04 ppm of mercury and 10.7 ppm of copper. But the threat to humans also lies in the milk from cattle which graze on the banks of the river. The survey showed that the waters of the Kalu are now not suitable for the vital annual irrigation of neighbouring fields carried out during the dry season due to the process of 'biomagnification'. Not only do the plant species continuously absorb the heavy metals but they also retain them in increasing concentrations.
Ocean Dumping Protest Nine British Members of Parliament are among 22 distinguished signatories to a document protesting against the country's policy of dumping low-level radioactive waste in the Atlantic. The statement, organized by the anti-nuclear environmentalist group Greenpeace, was prompted by the news that Secretary of State Michael Heseltine had given the go-ahead for the UK Atomic Energy Authority to damp a further load of waste. The site chosen was a spot in the ocean 500 miles southwest of Land's End in water over 2 ½ miles deep. The Department of the Enrivonment claim that detrimental effects of this year's load-225 tonnes contained in a further 1800 tonnes of packaging-is "so small as to be ignored". But Greenpeace say the disposal of such waste at sea is still a contentious issue. Their argument, based they say on the conclusions of two expert panels, is that it is impossible to predict or assess the radiation effects of the dumping with the present state of knowledge. The dumping of the low-level waste-which includes such things as contaminated laboratory equipment-has 248
been going on annually in the Atlantic since 1949 and is officially observed by the Nuclear Energy Agency.
New World HQ for Conservation The World Wild Life Fund and IUCN are to move into a new shared headquarters in Gland, near Geneva, Switzerland, in October. The move ends a long search for a headquarters able to accommodate both organizations, and WWF Director General Charles de Haes said Gland would provide a "much needed focal point for the world conservation movement". He added that being in the same building as IUCN would give WWF access to scientific and technical knowledge that would ensure the limited sources available were directed towards the highest priority conservation needs.
Endangered Species Watchdog WWF-US is setting up a new watchdog operation to monitor international trade in endangered species to and from America. Known as TRADES-Trade Records Analysis in Defence of Endangered Species- the organization plans to document the extent of black market activities to give the Government enough information to enable legislation to be drafted.
Mediterranean Pollution Treaty A treaty controlling pollution from inland sources is expected to be signed next April by the 14 Mediterranean countries. The surprise move follows a breakthrough in a meeting between the countries which has been coordinated by the United National Environment Programme (UNEP). Agreement on the wording of the treaty, to control the factory waste, municipal sewage, agricultural pesticides and fertilizers that together add up to 85 per cent of the Mediterranean's pollutants, was not expected until later this year. The 14 countries do not now expect to meet again until the signing. Measures agreed under the new treaty will ban the highly toxic 'black list' pollutants such as used lubricating otis, plastics, radioactive substances, carcinogens and metals such as arsenic and cadmium from the mediterranean altogether. But, despite guide-lines, control of the less toxic 'grey list' including metal compounds like copper, lead, silver and cobalt and crude oils, is still left very much to the discretion of each individual country. However all will agree to supply information on the nature of their pollutants which will be fed into UNEP's computer, monitored and circulated. It will then be used to produce workable standards by the countries who will meet to discuss the results every 2 years. Important provision of the treaty will mean that the Mediterranean's clean-up bill-estimated by the WHO as roughly $5000 million-will be fairly distributed among