NEWS BRIEFS Releases and transfers of toxic chemicals in North America are dominated by those from U.S. facilities, except in the case of discharges to surface water, according to the first in a series of annual reports from the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, the watchdog agency established by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The report analyzes 1994 data from databases in Canada and the United States as well as Mexico's pollutant release and transfer register pilot. It also lists the top polluting facilities in North America. For a copy of "Taking Stock: North American Pollutant Releases and Transfers," call the commission at (514) 350-4300. Corporate executives are skeptical about the intentions of environmental groups that profess a desire to work cooperatively with businesses for environmental improvement, according to a survey of more than 40 U.S. corporate executives. "Sleeping with the Enemy," released in August by the newsletter The Green Business Letter, found that most industry-nonprofit partnerships involve marketing or sponsorship activities in which companies donate money to link their name to a program or cause. Joint projects that involve companies and environmentalists working to solve problems are not as frequent, the survey found. The survey provides profiles of 10 leading nonprofit groups and contrasts their statements about working with businesses with die perspectives of corporate executives on the friendliness of the nonprofits toward companies. The survey can be obtained by calling (202) 3321700. Tough U.S. fuel economy standards have led to higher accident fatality rates, according to a report from the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), a conservative think tank. In "CAFE's Smashing Success: The Deadly Effects of Auto Fuel Economy Standards," CEI shows how the current corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standard of 27.5
miles per gallon has led car makers to build smaller vehicles, which have been linked to higher accident fatality rates. Of the 22,000 automobile deaths that occurred in 1996, 2700-4700 were passengers riding in smaller cars, CEI says. In addition, the CAFE standards are responsible for an increase in car prices, thereby possibly raising the retention rate for older cars with higher emissions and causing more air pollution. For a copy of the report, call CEI at (202) 331-1010.
If vehicle travel expands at only half the rate it progressed over the past century, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from that travel will have a significant effect on environmental risks, including global climate change, according to the National Research Council (NRC). In "Toward a Sustainable Future: Addressing the Long-Term Effects of Motor Vehicle Transportation on Climate Change and Ecology," released in July, the NRC examines the effects of C0 2 emissions from vehicles and highlights steps that can be taken to reduce vehicle use, including land use regulations to increase the density of urban development. The report also identifies research gaps that might help policy makers develop actions to curb vehicle C0 2 emissions. For a copy, call (202) 3343214. The average amount of lead paint residues left behind after
renovation or remodeling exceeds levels in federal guidelines, EPA says. "Lead Exposure Associated with Renovation and Remodeling Activities," a study dated May but released in August, found that in almost all of the renovation activities studied, lead was potentially distributed at levels well over the current EPA guidance of 100 micrograms per square foot. In a July letter to EPA, Rep. Henry Waxman (DCalif.) wrote that the agency has missed deadlines under the LeadBased Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992, which requires EPA to regulate by 1996 renovation activities that disturb lead-based paint. To obtain a copy of the four-volume report, call (800) 424-LEAD. Persistent and bioaccumulative toxic air pollutants adversely affect environmental conditions in water bodies, particularly in the Great Lakes, according to EPA's report on the Great Waters program. In "Deposition of Air Pollutants to the Great Waters: Second Report to Congress" (June 1997, EPA-453/R-97-011), EPA found that airborne nitrogen dioxide, for example, was a significant contributor to pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. The study confirms earlier findings that air toxics are a major source of water pollution, EPA says. Copies are available at http://www. epa.gov/oar/oaqps/publicat. html. Naperville, Ill.; Overland Park, Kans.; and Irvine, Calif., are rated the top three "kid-friendly" U.S. cities with a population of more than 100,000 by Zero Population Growth, a nonprofit advocacy group. In the sixth biannual Children's Environmental Index, released in August, the group ranked 219 U.S. cities according to 14 quality-of-life issues for children, including air quality and the number of Superfund sites nearby. Near the bottom of the list were Chicago, Kansas City, and Los Angeles, all just a short drive from the top three cities. Tampa, Fla.; Atlanta, Ga.; and Baltimore, Md., were rated as the three worst cities for kids. For a copy of the index, call (202) 3322200.
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