Spotlight : pollution in Romania, 2013

To make an overview of pollution in Romania,

we selected some of the most relevant and latest news

from online press or TV.

Smoking and pollution have become ill over a million and

half of Romanians

The data of the first study in Romania for identifying pulmonary disease shows that 8% of the population suffers from a lung disease. Of these only 16% went to the doctor.Most affected are men. One in four men over age 40 has such a disease that, over time, get worse and may even lead to death.

Do you know how many years have your lungs?

Published: Tuesday, 14 Mai 2013http://www.rfi.ro

Bucharest in top of European cities with the highest pollution levels

with microparticlesYear 2013 has been designated the Year of clean air in Europe. Therefore, scientists from the French Institute of Monitoring the Health Status have made a report of the effects of pollution in several European cities, analyzing several studies in the past decade. The conclusion was that Bucharest remain in top of European cities with the highest pollution levels with microparticles, the most risky type of pollution for the cardiovascular system and respiratory system.Center of the capital is crossed daily by over two million vehicles, making the microparticle pollution level to be the highest among all European cities.

http://adevarul.ro/sanatate/medicina/2013-anul-aerului-curat-bucurestiu8 ianuarie 2013

Coal plants in Poland, Romania and Germany are the biggest polluters in the EU countries in terms of the amount of harmful substances released into the atmosphere, shows a study published by the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL).

Poland, Romania and Germany have the most polluting coal plants in

Europe 07 Martie 2013

http://www.capital.ro/

According to the study, "Among 20 of the most polluting coal plants in the EU, 5 are from Romania: in Turceni, Rovinari, Drobeta Turnu-Severin (our town) Işalniţa and Mintia..

18,200

8,50042.8 billion per

year.

4 million

At EU level, each year: 18,200 premature deaths 8,500 new cases of chronic bronchitis more than 4 million working days lost costs about 42.8 billion per year, in economic terms

Together, coal power plants in Poland, Romania and Germany

account for more than half of the total impact of these plants on human health.

Coal plants are an important source of air pollution in Europe, which experts respiratory disease called him "invisible killer" and is today one of the biggest public health threats.

A large coal plant annually emit more tons of hazardous air pollutants and has an average lifespan of at least 40 years.Coal-fired power plants release significant amounts of particulate matter (dust particles), sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen. Of these, the most dangerous to health are fine particulate matter (PM2.5)Other hazardous substances emitted by coal plants baskets are heavy metals like mercury and persistent organic pollutants (POP) such as dioxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH).

COAL PLANTS , THE "INVISIBLE KILLER"

http://www.ziare.com/

EU proposes a series of technical options to reduce these emissions under a new UN treaty.

Coal power plants are the largest source of

mercury emissions in Europe

It can affect children's cognitive development and irreversibly affect the vital organs of the fetus.

http://www.ziare.com 7.03.2013

These data on the health impact of coal are even more worrying for Romania considering that the government does not take action, but rather postpone upgrading of 28 power plants which must to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and dust.

Halanga coal plant

located outside of residential area of Drobeta Turnu Severin,

at approximately 5 km away from the town.

http://www.ziare.com 7.03.2013

This creates an environmental problem in our city, as you'll see in the next news.

On May, 13 a dense cloud of dust rose from the ash deposits of Thermal Plant Halânga, reduced visibility on a stretch of a few kilometers from the national road linking Drobeta-Turnu Severin by Targu-Jiu.People from different places in Mehedinti living a nightmare whenever the wind blows: a cloud of dust rises from the the ashes of Halânga deposits and is worn over the countryside.http://stiri.tvr.ro/un-nor-de-praf- 13 Mai 2013, 17:47

Unbreathable air due to Halanga coal plant

Representatives of environmental guard

investigating the case and say that the power plant workers were obliged to wet the ash discharged from coal combustion.

www.antena3.ro/romania/oras-romanesc-sufocat-de-poluare-orice-adiere... 27.04.2013 –

Residents of a village in Tulcea put their health at risk every day. Every waft in the air scatter the caustic soda from the alumina factory in the city. Residues are deposited on crops and people's homes, and authorities shrugged.Although they know that dust is toxic, people say that they were familiar with the phenomenon especially since no one cares.The landfill from Alumina Factory where caustic soda is stored should be equipped with irrigation systems that could wet at all times so as not to raise dust. Factory representatives assumes no guilt for disaster.

Romanian City choked by pollution. Every waft in the air scatter caustic soda

According to the survey results Greenpeace in Romania over 3 hectares of forest disappear

every hourhttp://www.antena3.ro/  APRIL 14 2013

Greenpeace launched deforestation map of Romania, during 2000-2011, requesting the Minister of Environment and Forests, on this occasion, to take urgent action to protect forests.The study prepared by Greenpeace shows that the total deforested and degraded forest area in the period 2000-2011 was 280 108 hectares - 28,000 hectares per year.

Forests cover about 29% of Romania from the average of the European

Union, which is 42% and are concentrated mainly in mountainous

areas.

"Greenpeace study reveals that almost half, ie 48.95% of deforestation in the

period 2000-2011 are in current protected areas. Even worse is that are affected even virgin forests, which are

among the most valuable. In comparison with other European

countries, where the remaining areas are much smaller, Romania has

218,500 hectares of virgin forests, "says ... the Greenpeace campaign

coordinator of Romania.

In the period 1990 - 2013 in Romania disappeared more than 1

million hectares of forest

(www.greenpeace.org/romania/ro/campaigns/schimbari-climatice-energie/paduri/activitati/Harta-suprafetelor-despadurite-din-Romania-2000-2011 )

The government wants to allow shale gas in Romania by hydraulic fracturing, very dangerous and toxic process that will produce numerous health problems of people and an ecological disaster that will affect us all (pollution of soil, surface water and groundwater , earthquakes etc etc etc)

http://newsinfo1000.wordpress.com/2013/03/19

April 4, 2013 protest against shale drilling, miting anti hydraulic fracturing, clean water against

unconventional gas http://newsinfo1000.wordpress.com/2013/03/19

In Bucharest, in three out of ten cases tap water contains impurities.

We have the lowest water reserves in Europe and the dirtiest rivers.

Only half of the Romanian have sewerage.

Children in the country die from poisoned water due to manure and latrines.

Sunday, 13 January 2013.EVZ.ro http://www.evz.ro/detalii/stiri/

Warning to water! Romania ranks first in Europe to

nitrate pollution

WARNING !

In our capital, Bucharest, in three out of ten cases tap water contains impurities.

A study of the Center for Sustainable Policies ECOPOLIS show that in Bucharest, three out of ten cases, tap water contains impurities. "The water that circulates in a water distribution system is good, as shown by official studies. Therefore, as water is distributed is certainly remains the

assumption that it is contaminated in the old pipes in old buildings in Bucharest. Virtually every building in Bucharest would have to do water tests to see for sure if it is good, "says President ECOPOLIS.

Sunday, 13 January 2013.EVZ.ro http://www.evz.ro/detalii/stiri/

Half of the wells from the countryside have the water contaminated with nitrates. Iasi County ranks first in the country in the number of children poisoned by these substances with carcinogenic effects.Since the beginning of this year, seven babies were taken to hospital after drinking water from wells. Last year, 20 children were poisoned by nitrite and nitrate. According to the Department of Public Health Iasi, half of the 446 wells in rural areas have water containing nitrate above the maximum limits.

The place with the most toxic water from Romania. Here are get sick the most

children.25 April 2013 http://www.evz.ro/detalii/stiri

Five major rivers and 165 million people in 17 countries pour pollution into the Danube River. The river absorbs raw sewage from cities, pesticides and chemicals from farmers' fields, waste from factories and bilge oil from ships. Virtually enclosed once it begins to weave its way through Europe the Danube retains most of the pollution reaching its waters. Sewage washes up on the beaches, spread disease and making the shores unsafe for residents and tourists. Nitrogen, phosphorus and other pollutants have spawned algae which have asphyxiated marine life and brought the river's once flourishing fishing industry to its knees.

165 million people in 17 countries pour pollution into the Danube River.

Oil pollution on the Danube near the Iron Gates dam

http://www.ziare.com/social/poluare Joi, 17 Ianuarie 2013,

Danube was polluted with oil product, near the Iron Gates of Mehedinti, onsite acting representatives Romanian Water to remove the stain.The oil stain has a length of approximately 100 meters and a width of 30 meters.The first information seems to be about oil, which comes from the bilge water of ships that crossed the Danube in Mehedinti county.

Le Monde: Romania, pressed by Brussels to get out of ... trash

http://www.ziare.com/social/poluare/stiri/Marti, 02 Aprilie 2013, ora 09:39

French press writes that the Brussels authorities put pressure on Romania to close the landfill on the outskirts of towns that have sprung up in the years after the Revolution.Le Monde correspondent in Romania writes that "the ordinary countryside lanscape, in which are living half of the 20 million Romanians" is composed of "fields filled with household waste" from the edge of towns.The country remains the least developed in the Union with respect to waste. According to European statistics published in March, Romania had recycled in 2011, only 1% of its household waste, the rest being dumped in landfills. In the conditions that Union has imposed to the Member States by 2020, to recycle waste at a rate of 50%.

Million project doomed to failurehttp://www.ziare.com/social/poluare/proiect 05 Martie 2013

We have invested a lot of money, there have been projects and awareness of the population and the conclusion is the same: no one collect waste selectively, and it isn't raise selective.Those responsible say that, indeed, selective collection does not work or works in a very small extent.Only in Petrosani city the project cost one million euros and the local authorities recognize that it's a failure.

IONUT MILOICOVICI FLORIN BALACI XII D