News Briefs Some people may be genetically susceptible to particulate air pollution, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Schools of Public Health and Medicine. The investigators exposed inbred mice to acid-coated particles, which mimic one component of the airborne acid aerosols found in high concentrations in many large urban areas. Through the research, which was supported by the U.S. EPA, the investigators located two genes that control susceptibility to toxic effects of particle exposure. The results may help explain the increasing incidence of pollutionrelated disease and mortality in urban areas. The study was published in the May issue of the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology. Pesticide production, use, and exports are on the rise in China, according to Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA), a nongovernmental organization. In addition to being one of the world's largest users, China is now one of the world's largest pesticide producers. Growth of the agrochemical industry in China has been accompanied by problems of quality control, unsafe application of chemicals, and high levels of pesticide residues, PANNA reports. Many products are sold under the wrong name, and in some cases, banned pesticides such as DDT are sold under the name of legal pesticides, according to a briefing on the topic at www.panna.org. Market-based approaches can achieve greater water quality improvements at a much lower cost than traditional regulatory approaches, finds a report by the World Resources Institute, an environmental research organization. It discusses three U.S. case studies in three Midwestern states that explore various strategies for reducing phosphorus loads in nutrient-impaired waterways. Savings of roughly 82% were found in the Michigan study. For more information, access Fertile
Ground: Nutrient Trading's Potential to Cost-Effectively Improve Water Quality on the Web at www. wri.org/water/nutrient.html.
By 2030, a new U.S. federal washing machine standard could save 4-5.5 quadrillion BTUs of energy and about 6 trillion gallons of water, according to the Alliance to Save Energy. The standard, which was passed in late May and is associated with a tax credit, will also prevent 60-85 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from being emitted. Aimed at manufacturers, the credit will help offset capital costs for meeting the clothes washer standard. Results from the primary model used to support the U.S. government's regulatory decisions to control vehicle emissions are unrealistic, according to a report from the National Research Council (NRC). The U.S. EPA's Mobile Source Emissions Factor (MOBILE) model estimates emissions of volatile organic compounds at levels substantially below those recorded during field observations. Because an accurate assessment of motor vehicle emissions is essential for an effective air quality improvement program, federal funding must be directed toward improving MOBILE, the NRC writes. For a copy of Modeling Mobile-Source Emissions, call (800) 624-6242 or go to www.nap.edu. The U.S. EPA's actions to improve the environment are difficult to assess, the U.S. General Accounting Office says in a recent report (GAO/RCED-00-77). Under
the Government Performance and Results Act, the U.S. EPA is attempting to measure its performance based on changes in environmental quality. However, "progress has been limited because of gaps in the environmental data needed to determine the impact of its programs," according to the report. The agency's recendy established Office of Environmental Information is expected to help identify and fill in environmental data gaps. For a copy of Managing for Results: EPA Faces Challenges in Developing Results-Oriented Performance Goah and Measures, go to the GAO Web site: www.gao.gov. More than 95% of freshwater bathing areas in Europe met minimum water quality requirements in 1999, up from 33% in 1996, according to a report by the European Commission. The 1999 Bathing Water Quality Report covers 11,435 seaside beaches and 4376 freshwater areas. The report lists the change in quality for each bathing area as compared with the previous season. More than 95% of coastal areas complied with minimum quality requirements, a marginal improvement from 1998. For a copy, go to http://europa.eu.int/water/ water-bathing/index_en.html. Texas is the U.S. state with the weakest environmental regulation of its large-scale livestock farming industry, even though it produces the most manure, according to a joint report from Consumer Union, a nonprofit consumer education organization, and the Sierra Club. In Animal Factories: Pollution and Health Threats to Rural Texas, the groups reported that the air near large dairy, chicken, egg, and hog production facilities sporadically exceeds state and federal particulate levels, whereas air testing downwind of these farms reveals offensive odors and ammonia levels in excess of the state's health-based screening level. For a copy of the report, go to www.sierraclub.org.
AUGUST 1, 2000 / ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / NEWS • 3 3 7 A
