June 4, 1996 - Tom Davey, Publisher of Environmental Science & Engineering magazine was presented with the 1996 Harvey Southam Award at the University of Toronto during the annual banquet of Canadian Business Press. The citation noted that Davey has worked on three continents as a writer on newspapers and magazines as well as a radio and television reporter in Australia. Winner of national and international awards for his investigative commentaries, he is also the author of three books.

He has worked as a reporter and editor for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Melbourne and Hobart; as a magazine writer in Londonís Fleet Street and as Publications & Science Editor at the Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Toronto. He wrote extensively for many environmental publications before launching Enviromental Science & Engineering magazine with his son Steve in 1988.

His articles written in 1969 were the first to warn of the serious health potential problems in herbicide spraying in Viet Nam. Although critical of US policies, the articles gained him a J.H. Neal Award from the American Business Press in New York, the first ever won by a writer outside the United States. A second Neal award followed later. Environmental professional bodies also honoured him.

His articles on drinking water and public health led to honours from two of the largest and oldest environmental bodies in the U.S, the Denver-based American Water Works Association and the Washington-based Water Environment Federation. Both honoured him for his contributions to the environmental sciences.

His articles on eutrophication led to an amendment to the Canada Water Act, restricting the amount of phosphates in laundry detergents. Another investigative piece on corrosion inhibitors in drinking water led to questions being asked in the Ontario Legislature, ultimately leading to piping retrofits in many apartments.

After he had written extensively on PCBs and other toxic problems, the World Health Organization invited Davey to make a presentation at an international conference on toxic spills in Rome. He has also lectured on environmental issues at the University of Toronto, Queen's University, Humber College and Trent University. He has written three books, the most recent For whom the polls tell*

Since Environmental Science & Engineering magazine was launched over eight years ago in Aurora, Ontario, the magazine and its staff have won several awards including two Environment Canada awards. Davey has written on environmental issues for many newspapers including: The Globe & Mail, The Toronto Star. The Toronto Sun, The Kingston Whig Standard, The Financial Post, The Muskoka Sun and many other media. He has also given many presentations on environmental subjects at the University of Toronto, Humber College, Queen's and Trent Universities, the citation said.

(*ISBN 0-920891-02-0)

Nova Scotia now has solar sewage treatment

Left to right. Frank Moir, Executive VP Proctor & Redfern; Brenda Elliott, Minister of Environment and Energy; and Tom Davey, Publisher Environmental Science & Engineering, at the official opening of the SOLAR AQUATICS TM Wastewater Treatment facility at the Ontario Science Centre. Bear River, N.S. now has Canada's first solar aquatics wastewater treatment plant. The award-winning project attracted many visitors this winter. The 13 by 20 metre glass greenhouse includes banana trees, tanks of aquatic plants and an engineered marsh, all of which transform sewage into water. An article on Solar Aquatics was published in the Nov. '95 issue of ES&E.

All 11,200 residences in Kelowna, B.C. are to go on full water metering. The city had budgeted $4.25 million for the metering program, but decided instead to call for "Privatization" proposals. A contract was awarded in late 1995 for the successful bidder to install and read the meters for an annual fee of $664,000 starting in 1997. The 5-year contract is renewable for at least two more 5-year terms, and the city has the option of purchasing the equipment at the end of the first 5 years.

In Banff, Alberta, $500,000 will be spent on installing meters in every residence and business. Full implementation is scheduled for 1997. In addition, the town is spending $67,000 to have conservation devices installed in each home.

The U.S. Institute of Medicine of the National Institutes of Health (IMNIH), says one out of five Americans will experience an allergy-related illness at some point during their lives, and indoor allergens will be responsible for a significant share of these cases. Moreover, 4,000 people die from allergy-related asthma each year, which is an increase of 33 percent over the last decade.

As the weather gets colder, people tend to spend more time indoors with windows sealed shut. "This increases the build up of indoor allergens such as particles from dust mites, cockroaches, rodents and certain chemicals, as well as mold spores and animal dander, which is dead skin and dried saliva of pets, " explains Alan J. Goodman, M.D., an allergist in private practice in New York and New Jersey.

Some have theorized that one of the possible reasons for the steady rise in childhood asthma, a severe form of allergic disease, since the 1970s, may be the increase in energy efficient buildings which allow little exchange of outside air. This, coupled with the increased amount of time spent indoors, causes an increase in exposure to indoor allergens.

Dust mites are the biggest cause of allergic reactions in the home. A member of the spider family, mites thrive in warm, humid conditions. Nearly 100,000 dust mites can live on one square yard of carpet and thousands share your bed and bedding every night. The culprit for allergic reactions is a protein found in their minuscule waste pellets. One mite can produce about 20 of these droppings in a single day!

Mites can survive vacuuming because they stick to surfaces. Vacuuming may remove mite residue, as does washing. However, only washing items in temperatures greater than 130ºF, extended exposure to sunlight, low humidity (below 30 to 50 percent) and freezing temperatures can destroy the mite. Mites also cannot crawl through specially treated fabrics or plastic. In addition, filtering the air with HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters, vacuuming with machines that feature HEPA-type filtration and covering air conditioning and hot air vents with electrostatic air filters all help to keep the air relatively free of allergens.

For more information on indoor allergens, contact Lobsenz Stevens or Karen Reina at (212) 684-6300, ext. 311.

No giardia cases in the region have ever been linked to drinking water, but a $396,000 consultant's study for the Greater Victoria Water District has recommended a $13 million ozonation facility to reduce the likelihood of giardia in their unfiltered water system. The study concluded that the current chlorine-ammonia disinfection process was inadequate to deal with potential giardia outbreaks. The consultant's report has been referred to the Capital Region District Medical Health Chief.

Some 20% of water losses in Britain are blamed on leakage in water distribution systems. The UK government is contemplating mandatory leakage targets for privatized water companies. If the problems persist, Ofwat, the financial regulator for the water industry, and the government will order leakage targets.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate, Ofwat, and other agencies, will work together to attack this problem. They will monitor the performance of water industries to make sure that environmental obligations are being met.

The government's concern comes as a result of the water shortages faced by the UK due to the excessively dry summer. It is thought unlikely that the situation will improve during the winter and spring seasons.

Ontario Environment and Energy Minister Brenda Elliott has released guidelines setting limits on government access to information contained in self-initiated environmental evaluations. These evaluations are internal reviews used by companies, institutions and individuals to determine how their activities affect the environment. "By providing greater certainty, this policy will encourage companies and individuals to continue to develop and use environmental evaluations," Mrs. Elliott said.

The new guidelines clarify the confidentiality of these evaluations. The ministry will not, as a matter of course, request them and will only seek access under a specified set of conditions.

"Self-evaluations help protect the environment while serving as a valuable management tool for business. Clear and fair rules for access to the information contained in environmental evaluations encourage business and other sectors to make greater use of this tool," she said.

Under the new guidelines, the government may request voluntary disclosure of evaluations during investigations. If a request is denied, a Judicial Inspection Order or a Search Warrant is required. The government may only obtain environmental evaluations without an order or warrant during emergencies involving a serious risk to human health or the environment.

Businesses - including industrial, commercial and agricultural operations - can use evaluations for many purposes, including risk assessment, compliance verification, management reviews and property dealings.

Evaluations can provide opportunities to reduce liability as well as to assess and improve environmental performance.

The ministry's Policy and Guideline on Access to Environmental Evaluations was developed after extensive consultation with other industry, legal and environmental groups, and other government agencies. Copies of Policy and Guideline on Access to Environmental Evaluations (PIBS #3199e) are available at the Ministry of Environment and Energy's Public Information Centre in Toronto at 135 St. Clair Ave. W., tel: (416) 323-4321, residents outside Toronto can call the centre toll free at 1-800-565-4923.

The Federal government has approved $5.25 million in funding towards a new McMaster University-based UN University International Network for Water, Environment and Health. The centre is evidently poised to become a major UN marketplace of ideas for water problems the world over.

The centre is expected to bring in $10 million in contracts annually with as many as 300 scientists across southern Ontario institutions involved. The network includes 9 other universities.

The centre will be located at either McMaster or the Canada Centre For Inland Waters, and will orchestrate its university partners in projects in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Project costs will be shared by the centre, the host country, private sector investors, and major funding agencies such as the World Bank.