East German environment comes into the light

Article Abstract:

Thanks to the new political freedoms in East Germany, environmental issues, particularly air pollutions, are now being discussed. Air pollution levels, once kept secret, are now published daily in the newspapers. Government agencies are now making plans to increase their power. At present, the agencies are understaffed. Industrial managers do not cooperate with the government inspectors and accidents are often not reported. The fines that were issued against offenders were minimum and since the companies were controlled by the government and profits and costs all belonged to the government, fines were ineffective. Economic reforms are suggested such that major companies would be semi-independent and would be financed from their own profits. Industrial companies, especially coal-burning industries, will modernize equipment to improve emissions output. The levels of pollution in coal-burning centers such as Leipzig, Halle, and Bitterfeld have high sulfur dioxide and particulate levels. This results in sulfuric acid-coated particles, which cause acid rain, which in turn destroys buildings and trees and causes respiratory problems in people. Filters can trap particulates and scrubbers can remove sulfur-containing gas. In the town of Leuna, near Halle, 60 percent of the people have respiratory problems at any given time. It is felt that children should not live in these areas, because they can easily develop chronic bronchitis. A large portion of the money for the reform will probably come from West Germany. West Germany officials are considering 17 environmental projects in East Germany, which would cost each country $500 million dollars. The environment will be an issue in the upcoming political election in May 1990. The answers to East Germany's pollution problems will come from Western ideas and using Western companies as models for pollution control. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Laws, regulations and rules, Environmental policy, Environmental health, East Germany, West Germany, Germany, West, Germany, East

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A Short Circuit in Thermohaline Circulation: A Cause for Northern Hemisphere Glaciation?

Article Abstract:

The closure of the Isthmus of Panama, which increased the moisture content on the Eurasian continent, may have lead to an intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation in the Cenozoic period. While a long-term cooling period had started by about 36 million years ago, there was no major ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere until 2.7 million years ago when the Isthmus closed.

Abstract, Moisture

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A history of global metal pollution

Article Abstract:

Studies of natural deposits have documented air pollution in ancient times caused by heavy-metal mining and smelting. An ice-core study by Sungmin Hong links hemispheric pollution to Roman copper smelters. The history of mercury pollution from New World silver and gold mines also needs to be studied.

History, Rome (Ancient state), Smelting

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