European Community Directives Research Articles

THE INFLUENCE OF THE PRIVATE FINANCE INITIATIVE PROCESS ON PLANT SELECTION AND DESIGN FOR EUROPE'S LARGEST UV PLANT.

THE INFLUENCE OF THE PRIVATE FINANCE INITIATIVE PROCESS ON PLANT SELECTION AND DESIGN FOR EUROPE'S LARGEST UV PLANT.In order to meet new European Community Directives on effluent, sludge treatment and disposal in Scotland, East of Scotland Water Authority (ESWA), the statutory water services provider for southeast Scotland has worked in partnership with Stirling Water to deliver the benefits of the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) process. The PFI process is applied to projects where substantial capital...Author(s)Anthony KoodieMike LawdenMJ GleesonSourceProceedings of the Water Environment FederationSubjectSESSION 9: UV DESIGN AND OPERATIONSDocument typeConference PaperPublisherWater Environment FederationPrint publication date Jan, 2002ISSN1938-6478SICI1938-6478(20020101)2002:1L.527;1-DOI10.2175/193864702785033897Volume / Issue2002 / 1Content sourceDisinfection and Reuse SymposiumFirst / last page(s)527 - 541Copyright2002Word count333

Occupational Social Work in Ireland

Summary This article describes the development and current practices of occupational social work in Ireland. The author traces the origins of social work practice in the Irish workplace, the impact of the human relations movement on early industrial social work and the reemergence of occupational social welfare services. An analysis of Irish occupational welfare programs and recently emerging employee assistance programs is also presented. The article concludes with a discussion of the future of occupational social work in Ireland and the impetus European Community Directives are expected to have on improving and developing the health and welfare of employees in Ireland.

Third-party rights and risks: a forum on informed consent of persons affected by the study of human subjects--conditions, experiences, and concerns in a Nordic country.

In Denmark, health research using personal information can be conducted only with permission from a regional scientific ethical committee and the national Data Protection Office. There are no rules applying to the rights and risks of third parties. In this article, the implications for third-party rights and risks of the type and level of involvement of the subjects are discussed from a Danish point of view. Particular emphasis is put on the current conditions, experiences, and concerns with regard to use of already registered personal information, which in the Nordic countries offers unique opportunities for large-scale, longitudinal, population-based studies also involving third parties. These opportunities have recently been challenged by a European Community Directive, with which all member states must comply, requiring informed consent on every transaction of personal data, but through a political process, it was possible to obtain a series of amendments allowing the special register-based research to continue. Crucial arguments favoring the amendments were that no damage has been observed so far and that such research has no interest in the individual data, only in the statistical distributions and associations. Finally, the article suggests that the rights and risks of third parties might be considered on the basis of use: third-party information provided by the subject only as a source of such information distinct from use of the information as an integral part of the subjects' information about themselves and their lives.

Toxicological evaluation of gasolines by GC-MS analysis

The present directives of European Community have mandated the elimination of Tetraethyl Lead (TEL) as an antiknock additive in motor gasoline to prevent environmental pollution and protect human health. Moreover the European Community has established new guidelines for the Benzene and Aromatic contents of gasoline. These directives have focused the attention on the analytical problems related to the determination of specific compounds of environmental interest in a hydrocarbon matrix.

The Negotiation of the European Community Directive on Racial Discrimination

AbstractThe Starting Line Group, a coalition of non-governmental organisations, has pressed for the adoption of European legal measures against all forms of racial discrimination since the early nineties. Isabelle Chopin and Jan Niessen chronicled the activities of the Starting Line Group in the European Journal of Migration and Law (EJML 1-1999, EJML 2-2000 and EJML 3-2001). In June 2000, the Council of Ministers adopted the Directive implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial and ethnic origin. The adoption of this European legal measure marks the end of the Starting Line campaign and the Starting Line Group has discontinued its activities. The incorporation of the Directive in the laws of the member States and the Accession States is the beginning of the design or reinforcement of national legislation against racial and ethnic discrimination. The following article is on the final stages of the process leading to the adoption of a legal anti-discrimination measure, namely the negotiations among Member States on the Commission's proposal for a Directive. NGO's hardly played a role in those negotiations and were certainly not sitting around the negotiation table. Therefore this article is not written from an NGO perspective but from the perspective of an official of the European Commission participating in the negotiations. His article provides useful information on how the final text of the Directive came about.

Post-Marketing Surveillance and Vigilance for Medical Devices

The extent to which the medical device manufacturers are responsible for actively monitoring the performance of their products after they have successfully passed the rigorous pre-market approval process has always been a matter of diverse opinion. Within Europe, the law is unhelpfully vague on this point. While there are some comparatively clear obligations for reporting incidents to the authorities (known as the 'vigilance system'), little detail is given on how diligently the manufacturer should try to find out about such incidents. In the early stages of the European Community Directives covering medical devices, there was much emphasis upon formulating guidance to help interpret the vigilance reporting requirements. It is, however, only recently that attention has turned to attempting to clarify what is expected from post-marketing surveillance (PMS) in its broader sense. This article discuses both the vigilance and PMS processes and outlines the currently available European, and particularly UK, guidance documents which are aimed at promoting a more level playing field across industry where these activities are concerned. In particular, it explains the principle differences between vigilance and post-marketing surveillance: the former being the reporting of adverse incidents by manufacturers to the regulatory authorities and their subsequent sharing of key incident data between each other; the latter being the process by which information on overall devise performance is captured, analysed and acted upon. Nevertheless, it is still a struggle to gain widespread appreciation that these two activities are not in fact one and the same.

Review of Swedish regulation and monitoring of aquaculture

The aquaculture industry is governed by national Acts, ordinances and regulations. Provisions for the industry have been slightly modified since Sweden entered the EU in 1995. Swedish environmental legislation is applied when potential farmers ask for permission to cultivate. The Acts regulate farming sites, the discharge of water from farms and the species and strains that are permitted to be cultivated. The application procedure for fish farming is comprehensive and judged with regard to the Swedish Acts. Supervision of the aquaculture industry is performed by the County Administrative Board and sometimes also by the Local Administration. All farming units producing stocking material are strictly controlled in an elaborate scheme. Sweden has adopted European Community (EC) directives for shellfish, fish and water quality. Criteria for classifying water quality for concentrations of organic compounds and metals in blue mussels are worked out, and toxins in blue mussels are monitored. EC directives for fresh water quality which aim to sustain fish stocks are adopted as Swedish conditions.

Evaluation of F-specific RNA bacteriophage as a candidate human enteric virus indicator for bivalve molluscan shellfish.

Escherichia coli is a widely utilized indicator of the sanitary quality of bivalve molluscan shellfish sold for human consumption. However, it is now well documented that shellfish that meet the E. coli standards for human consumption may contain human enteric viruses that cause gastroenteritis and hepatitis. In this study we investigated using F-specific RNA bacteriophage (FRNA bacteriophage) to indicate the likely presence of such viruses in shellfish sold for consumption. FRNA bacteriophage and E. coli levels were determined over a 2-year period for oysters (Crassostrea gigas) harvested from four commercial sites chosen to represent various degrees of sewage pollution. Three sites were classified as category B sites under the relevant European Community (EC) Directive (91/492), which required purification (depuration) of oysters from these sites before sale. One site was classified as a category A site, and oysters from this site could be sold directly without further processing. Samples were tested at the point of sale following commercial processing and packaging. All of the shellfish complied with the mandatory EC E. coli standard (less than 230 per 100 g of shellfish flesh), and the levels of contamination for more than 90% of the shellfish were at or below the level of sensitivity of the assay (20 E. coli MPN per 100 g), which indicated good quality based on this criterion. In contrast, FRNA bacteriophage were frequently detected at levels that exceeded 1,000 PFU per 100 g. High levels of FRNA bacteriophage contamination were strongly associated with harvest area fecal pollution and with shellfish-associated disease outbreaks. Interestingly, FRNA bacteriophage contamination exhibited a marked seasonal trend that was consistent with the trend of oyster-associated gastroenteritis in the United Kingdom. The correlation between FRNA bacteriophage contamination and health risk was investigated further by using a reverse transcription-PCR assay for Norwalk-like virus (NLV). NLV contamination of oysters was detected only at the most polluted site and also exhibited a seasonal trend that was consistent with the trend of FRNA bacteriophage contamination and with the incidence of disease. The results of this study suggest that FRNA bacteriophage could be used as viral indicators for market-ready oysters.

Towards integrated protection of the environment in Germany?

In an unusual turn-about Germany is looking to Britain as a leader in implementing integrated pollution control concepts inherent in the European Community Directive on Integration Pollution Prevention and Control. The structure of Germany's environmental law illustrates fundamental flaws in the system which poses real challenges to the effective implementation of the IPPC Directive not helped by the absence of any unified body with environmental responsibilities. In particular there is a basic incompatibility between the IPPC Directive and the Federal Emission Control Act and Water Resources Management Act. Water permits are granted for a limited period of time but the authority has the responsibility to find an effective solution for the protection of water. Emission control permits, in contrast, have no built-in time-limits but must be granted by authorities if the applicant fulfills all legal requirements. This is not resolved by allowing lead coordination of permit procedures. Integration is a core concept now in EC environmental law, although Germany writers have pointed to its dangers. Substantial amendments to the Emission Control Act could be introduced to implement the Directive, although this has already been acknowledged to raise significant constitutional issues.

On-line ion-pair solid-phase extraction–liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry for the analysis of quaternary ammonium herbicides

An ion-pair on-line solid-phase extraction procedure using C 8 extraction disks, suitable for liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis is developed to determine quaternary ammonium herbicides (quats) in water samples. The separation of these compounds was performed using ion-pair chromatography with heptafluorobutyric acid (15 m M, pH 3.3) and acetonitrile gradient elution. Detection was carried out using a quadrupole mass spectrometer. Water sample volumes up to 50 ml can be preconcentrated with recoveries higher than 70%. Good precision and accuracy (day-to-day and run-to-run) were obtained and the detection limits ranged from 6 to 85 ng l −1. The proposed on-line ion-pair solid-phase method enables compliance with European Community directives for drinking waters (100 ng l −1).

Part 10: Health and safety laws

Laws on health and safety come from two sources: Acts of Parliament and Regulations made under them, and the common law, i.e. case law or judge-made law. The principle Act of Parliament is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, which has been followed by more detailed regulations, some as a result of European Community Directives.

Dietetic Education and Training in Europe and Latin America: A Multicountry Comparison

The pre- and postgraduate academic education and training of dietetic professionals was evaluated in a European Union initiative titled the Latin American Academic Training Project (Project ALFA). The principal goal was to optimize the quality of dietetics training and evaluate the potential for adapting and harmonizing course curriculums (to comply with the European Community Directive for the General System of Recognition of Higher Education Degree Titles. The objective was to establish a European and Latin American University coalition called the Adaptation and Management of Higher Education in Applied Nutrition and Dietetics Network (Red AGESNAD). The coordinating institution was CESNID, University of Barcelona, Spain. The Network AGESNAD consisted of the following members: From Latin America -National University of Cordoba (Argentina); University of Concepci6n (Chile); Autonomous University of Baja California (Mexico); from Europe - Institute Paul Lambin, University of Lovaina (Belgium); CESNID, University of Barcelona (Spain); University of Navarra (Spain); University of Pais Vasco (Spain); and Queen Margaret University College, University of Edinburg (UK). Project ALFA lasted 24 months and focused on the exchange and evaluation of course curriculums in two principal meetings - one in Barcelona reviewing undergraduate programs, and another in Mexico for postgraduate education. The participating institutions compared course curriculums for content, didactic and supervised practice credit hours and teaching methodologies. Most differences were a consequence of variations in the length of training, which lasts 5 years in Latin America and 3 or 4 years in Europe. However, all course curriculums coincided in containing the same core subjects, even though they were distributed differently under various names.

Environmental study of the alternatives for the sewer system of a small coastal community in the bay of Biscay

Zumaia is a small tourist community on the northern coast of Spain, situated along the estuary of the Urola river. This ecosystem has been affected by urban discharges coming from the villages surrounding the estuary. According to the 91/271 European Community Directive, regarding wastewater treatment, this situation should be addressed in order to achieve the quality objectives established for the restoration of the natural values of the area. The local Water Authorities of the Basque Country (Spain) have adopted an integrated model for the design of the sewer system of this community. The model was developed specifically for the study of coastal sewerage under dominant wet weather conditions and includes: 1) Establishment of the site specific statutory requirements and environmental objectives; 2) Design of sewer system components with specific reference to influences on marine water quality; 3) Development of monitoring programs. The construction of a sewer pipe alongside the river to collect the foul and the stormwater flow will prevent a large proportion of the discharges of contaminants into the receiving waters. However, the presence of overflows in the system during storms leads to the release of a great deal of pollutants into these waters. The main problems related to this type of discharge in the littoral zone arise from the bacteriological contamination of the bathing waters and from the oxygen depletion over the estuary. These two topics have been the predominant issues conditioning the consideration of different schemes of management of the sewer system. The aim of this paper is to analyze, from an environmental point of view, the structural and functional scheme considered for the sewage management of this community.

European Engineering Formation: The Problem of Trans-national Recognition

SUMMARY The need for an international, or at least European, system of recognition of academic and professional qualifications increases as the professional job market becomes more and more international. On the contrary, no widely accepted European system exists at present, not even in engineering, although in this field the situation appears more advanced than in others, thanks to the comparatively great international experience and exchanges in the academic and professional worlds. Thus, notwithstanding a European Community Directive of 1989 that intended to make easy the trans-national mobility of all professionals, and the 1997 ‘Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications Concerning Higher Education in the European Region’ promoted by the Council of Europe and UNESCO, international exchanges and mobility still encounter difficulties, due partly to long-standing prejudices, but also to insufficient mutual knowledge of the different national systems and significance of the degrees awarded. This paper summarizes briefly the present situation in the European Union with regard to recognition and accreditation of engineering degrees and qualifications, illustrates the actions undertaken by Working Group 2 of the EU-supported Thematic Network ‘Higher Engineering Education for Europe’, and advances a tentative proposal with regard to the gradual, bottom-up establishment of a system for mutual recognition and accreditation of degrees and professional qualifications in engineering.

Scope of the new standard

The fundamental requirements for IEC 61672 have not changed. However, practical experience, advances in technology, and current regulations have been taken into account when developing the new standard. The type 0 accuracy category of IEC 651 is almost nonexistent because it is too specialized, while type 3 has been made redundant by the low cost of modern circuitry. Thus the new standard describes only two performance classes corresponding to much improved types 1 and 2 of the previous standard. Important new annexes give detailed procedures for conformance tests and for periodic checks. It is now recognized that the uncertainties of measurement are not negligible and realistic tolerance limits have been specified to include them. Another significant advance for the measurement of impulsive sounds is that a minimum linear operating range of 60 dB is specified for all instruments. Existing and draft European Community Directives call for peak C-weighted measurements and appropriate specifications are given. Requirements for immunity to electrostatic discharges and radio-frequency fields and for radio-frequency emission have been included to cover regulations in Europe and elsewhere. The environmental reference conditions have been changed to 23<th>°C and 50% relative humidity for consistency with the IEC microphone standards.

Environmental study of the alternatives for the sewer system of a small coastal community in the bay of biscay

Zumaia is a small tourist community on the northern coast of Spain, situated along the estuary of the Urola river. This ecosystem has been affected by urban discharges coming from the villages surrounding the estuary. According to the 91/271 European Community Directive, regarding wastewater treatment, this situation should be addressed in order to achieve the quality objectives established for the restoration of the natural values of the area. The local Water Authorities of the Basque Country (Spain) have adopted an integrated model for the design of the sewer system of this community. The model was developed specifically for the study of coastal sewerage under dominant wet weather conditions and includes: I) Establishment of the site specific statutory requirements and environmental objectives; 2) Design of sewer system components with specific reference to influences on marine water quality; 3) Development of monitoring programs. The construction of a sewer pipe alongside the river to collect the foul and the stormwater flow will prevent a large proportion of the discharges of contaminants into the receiving waters. However, the presence of overflows in the system during storms leads to the release of a great deal of pollutants into these waters. The main problems related to this type of discharge in the littoral zone arise from the bacteriological contamination of the bathing waters and from the oxygen depletion over the estuary, These two topics have been the predominant issues conditioning the consideration of different schemes of management of the sewer system. The aim of this paper is to analyze, from an environmental point of view, the structural and functional scheme considered for the sewage management of this community.

Measured consumption of commercial infant food products in German infants: results from the DONALD study. Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometrical Longitudinally Designed.

Commercial food products intended for infants form an important part of the diet. Such products are defined as special dietetic food by food legislation. However, quantitative consumption data in the context of the current European Community (EC) food regulations have not been available up to now. Six hundred eighty 3-day weighed diet records from 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month-old infants involved in the DONALD (Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometrical Longitudinally Designed) Study were evaluated regarding overall and individual consumption of commercial infant food (CIF). Here, CIF was allocated to the food categories of the current EC directives. Four hundred eighteen varieties of infant food were recorded. The total CIF (formulae; beikost [any food or drink other than breast milk or infant and follow-on formulae]) reached percentages of the total food intake (including breast milk) of 51% (47%; 4%), 62% (33%; 29%), 53% (20%; 32%), and 37% (13%; 24%) at the ages of 3, 6, 9 and 12 months, respectively. Approximately 55% (95%) of the 3-month-old infants (range, 6-12 months) consumed some sort of CIF, but the highest amounts were observed at 6 months and the highest numbers of consumers at 9 months. Depending on the definition of "high consumers" of CIF, the individual consumption quantities (in grams per kilogram per day) differed by a maximum of 60% but high consumers were always found in the 6-month-old group. The high proportions of CIF in the diet during a critical developmental period call for a guaranteed high nutritional and safety quality of CIF and for realistic data on consumption patterns.

Influence of Background Exposure on TLD Minimum Dose Detection and Determination Limits

Thermoluminescence dosemeters (TLD) are widely used to monitor personal doses due to photon fields in the radiation protection of workers. For these low dose range applications it is essential to decide whether a single TLD retains an occupational air kerma value above background or not. In other words, it is important to determine the detection limit LD and the determination limit LQ of the whole dosimetric system. LD is the smallest value of air kerma that can be detected at a specified confidence level, LQ is the minimum value of air kerma that can be measured with a given precision. ICRP 60 recommends an annual dose limit of 1 mSv for the public. Thus it is possible to take this value as the limit between public and exposed workers, as recommended by the European Community Directive and corresponding local laws. Therefore if NLD(t), the annual detection limit of the TLD system, is considerably less than 1 mSv, TLD evaluation can also be used to decide whether a worker can be considered exposed or not. N is the number of annual TLD readings, LD is the detection limit of the TLD system. Both N and LD depend on the monitoring interval time t. The dependence of LD and LQ on the background radiation level and on the monitoring intervals, i.e. on N, is investigated. Assuming that the background air kerma level is approximately constant, it can be shown that the shorter the time of exposure, the higher the annual detection limit. Furthermore, if one considers an annual dose limit of 1 mSv, LD is seen to be greater than the recording level Lr for short exposure times and the system is not able to evaluate it. A set of 15 TLD-100(LiF: Mg, Ti) dosimetric cards and a Harshaw 6000 TLD automatic card reader have been used in order to determine LD and LQ. It has been found that an increase of the monitoring time t from 30 to 180 days leads to a reduction of the annual detection limit from 0.32 ± 0.10 mGy to 0.100 ± 0.030 mGy. For t <180 days the recording level Lr is less than LD; for t <45 days the investigation level Li is less than LD.

Purchasing Practice in Dutch Municipalities

The purchasing function is of great importance for the business community as well as for governmental organizations. In industrial companies purchasing already accounts for 60 to 90 percent of total turnover. This share is expected to grow as companies tend to increasingly outsource their non-core activities. In governmental organizations purchasing’s role is also becoming increasingly significant, especially in light of the continuous pressure to cut public spending, both at the central and local levels. For example, the Dutch General Auditor’s Office2 concluded in 1991 that the Dutch government, in general, lacks sufficient price awareness and does not pay enough attention to quality in its purchasing practice. In addition, the European Community (EC) directives on public procurement play a significant role.

LOAD-CARRYING CAPACITY OF MASONRY ARCH BRIDGES ESTIMATED FROM MULTI-SPAN MODEL TEST.

Keywords EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY BRIDGES, ARCHES, MASONRY, LOADS, CARRYING, CAPACITY, ESTIMATED, MULTI SPAN, MODELS, TESTS, ESTIMATING, ASSESSMENT, METHODS, REASSESSMENT, FILL, DOUBLE, SPANS, TIMBER, DRY, GRANULAR, DENSITY, SECONDARY, REGRESSION, FAILURES, BRICKWORK, ULTIMATE... Show All